Lumbini is birthplace to Lord Buddha, in the year 642 BC. When Maya Devi
mother of Lord Buddha was coming back from her parent’s home to her
palace from Devdaha she suddenly felt the Labor pains, grabbing hold of
branches of shade tree she gave birth to her son, namely Siddhartha
Gautama , our Lord Buddha. As per the mythology Lord Buddha announced as
he was born that “This is my final Rebirth”. He also walked immediately
after birth taking seven steps, where lotus bloomed with the each step.
Thus Lotus is used in decorations of arts and artifacts and sculptures
of Buddhism origin.
In 249 BC Emperor Ashoka visited Lumbini and he marked the birth
place of Lord Buddha by constructing a Stone Pillar surrounded by four
Stupas. The Pillar has an inscriptions in Bhrami which translates as
“King Piyadasi (Ashoka), beloved of devas, in the 20 year of the
coronation, himself made a royal visit, Buddha Sakyamuni having been
born here, a stone railing was built and a stone pillar erected to the
Bhagavan ["blessed one"] having been born here. Lumbini village was
taxed reduced and entitled to the eight part (only)”.
Monasteries and temples were built in Lumbini for the monks and followers of Buddhism until 9th century.
As Buddhism declined the garden was lost for thousand years with the arrival of Islam and Hinduism. It was only known that the site was somewhere.
There were descriptions from famous Chinese pilgrims Huian tsang and Fa Xian indicating towards the site and saying ‘’Lumbini-where the lord was born is a piece of heaven on earth and one could see the snowy mountains amidst a splendid garden-embedded with stupas and monasteries!” inscription was used to recognize the religious site. It was German Dr Alois A Fuher who discovered the original site when he came across the stone pillar of Ashoka with its inscriptions. Thus it was acclaimed as birthplace of Buddha beyond doubt.
Lumbini is now designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
Though Lumbini is not a tourist spot but it attracts large number of pilgrimage visitations. Traveling is not so easy yet people from Southeast Asia, Tibet and Japan come to pay homage at this site. Lumbini has a small airport with flights from Buddha Air.
Lumbini lies in the dense and picturesque of Sal- Grove or Shereo the tree under which Lord Buddha was born.
In 249 BC Emperor Ashoka visited Lumbini and he marked the birth
place of Lord Buddha by constructing a Stone Pillar surrounded by four
Stupas. The Pillar has an inscriptions in Bhrami which translates as
“King Piyadasi (Ashoka), beloved of devas, in the 20 year of the
coronation, himself made a royal visit, Buddha Sakyamuni having been
born here, a stone railing was built and a stone pillar erected to the
Bhagavan ["blessed one"] having been born here. Lumbini village was
taxed reduced and entitled to the eight part (only)”.Monasteries and temples were built in Lumbini for the monks and followers of Buddhism until 9th century.
As Buddhism declined the garden was lost for thousand years with the arrival of Islam and Hinduism. It was only known that the site was somewhere.
There were descriptions from famous Chinese pilgrims Huian tsang and Fa Xian indicating towards the site and saying ‘’Lumbini-where the lord was born is a piece of heaven on earth and one could see the snowy mountains amidst a splendid garden-embedded with stupas and monasteries!” inscription was used to recognize the religious site. It was German Dr Alois A Fuher who discovered the original site when he came across the stone pillar of Ashoka with its inscriptions. Thus it was acclaimed as birthplace of Buddha beyond doubt.
Lumbini is now designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
Though Lumbini is not a tourist spot but it attracts large number of pilgrimage visitations. Traveling is not so easy yet people from Southeast Asia, Tibet and Japan come to pay homage at this site. Lumbini has a small airport with flights from Buddha Air.
Lumbini lies in the dense and picturesque of Sal- Grove or Shereo the tree under which Lord Buddha was born.
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