Top 10 facts about Lumbini: Birthplace of Lord Buddha
Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha is a Buddhist pilgrimage site located in the Rupandehi district of Nepal. Queen Mahamayadevi on the way from her home in Kapilvastu to her parents home gave birth to the Lord Buddha after she suddenly went into labour at a beautiful garden, which is now known to the world as Lumbini.
Top 10 facts about Lumbini
1. Lumbini during the birth of Lord Buddha (623 BC) was a beautiful garden which was commonly maintained by the Sakya of Kapilvastu and Koilya of Devadaha
2. After the death of the Buddha, the beautiful garden of Lumbini changed into a place of pilgrimage
3. Emperor Asoka made a Royal Pilgrimage to the birthplace of the Lord Buddha, Lumbini in 249 BC. Here he worshipped the birth-spot of the Buddha and left behind many monuments to propagate the Dhamma. Asoka erected the pillar with an inscription to commemorate his visit, which is now commonly known as Asoka Pillar.
4. Lumbini was rediscovered in 1st December 1896 by Dr Fuhrer (German) and Khadga Shumsher Rana (a Nepali scholar). They excavated the Lumbini mound and exposed the Asoka Pillar and discovered famous inscription mentioning the Birthplace of the Sakyamuni Buddha in Lumbini
5. In 1933-39 General Kesher Shumsher conducted a major excavation at Lumbini. He exposed structures by unscientific methods that resulted in the great damage to the site. He enlarged the Sakya pool with a series of steps and a brick perimeter.
6. On the occasion of the 4th General Conference of The World Fellowship of Buddhists held in Kathmandu in 1956. The participants felt the urgency of the need to restore the Sacred garden of Lumbini
7. The international committee for the development of Lumbini was formed in New York in 1970. The committee awarded consultancy to design a Master plan for Lumbini to the world-renowned architect Prof. Kenzo Tange from Japan.
8. In 1997, Lumbini was listed in the list of world’s heritage sites.
9. Before he passed away in Kusinara, Lord Buddha said: “This (Lumbini) place is where the Tathagata was born, this is a place which should be visited and seen by a person having faith, devotion and mindfulness which would cause the awareness and apprehensive nature of impermanence.”
10. Today pilgrims and visitors from all over the world come to Lumbini, the timeless place where ancient monuments mark the authenticity of the birthplace.
The Other Sacred Sites of the Lord Buddha
– Siddhartha Gautam (Lord Buddha) was born in Lumbini.
– At the age of 29, he took the great renunciation
– At the age of 35, he was enlightened in Bodhgaya
– He preached for the first time at Sarnath
– And at the age of 80, he passed away in Kusinara.
Sources and Work of Dr Prof Bidari
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