Lumbinī (Lumbini, , "the lovely") is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupandehi District of Lumbini Province in Nepal. According to the sacred texts of the Buddhism Commentaries, Maya Devi gave birth to The Buddha in Lumbini in Common Era.["The Eight Great Sacred Sites", Nekhor: Circling the Sacred, Samye Translations.]
Lumbini has a number of old temples, including the Mayadevi Temple, and several new temples, funded by Buddhist organisations from various countries. Most of the temples have already been completed and some are still under construction. Many monuments, monasteries, stupas, a museum, and the Lumbini International Research Institute are also near to the holy site. The Puskarini, or Holy Pond, is where Mayadevi, the Buddha's mother, is believed to have taken the ritual bath prior to his birth and where the Buddha also had his first bath. At other sites near Lumbini, earlier Buddhas were born, then achieved ultimate Enlightenment and finally relinquished their earthly forms.
Lumbini was made a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997.
In Buddha's time
In the time of the Buddha, Lumbini was situated east of Kapilavastu and south-west of
Devadaha of
Shakya, an oligarchic republic.
According to the Buddhist tradition, it was there that the Buddha was born.
[J.i.52, 54; Kvu.97, 559; AA.i.10; MA.ii.924; BuA.227; Cv.li.10, etc.] Ashoka Pillar of Lumbini, a monolithic column with an inscription in the ancient
Brahmi script discovered at Rupandehi in 1896, is believed to mark the spot of
Ashoka's visit to Lumbini. The site was not known as Lumbini before the pillar was discovered.
The translation of inscription (by Paranavitana) reads:
The park was previously known as Rupandehi, north of Bhagavanpura. The Sutta Nipáta (vs. 683) states that the Buddha was born in a village of the Sákyans in the Lumbineyya Janapada. The Buddha stayed in Lumbinívana during his visit to Devadaha and there preached the Devadaha Sutta.[MA.ii.810]
Pillar of Ashoka
In 1896, former Commander-In-Chief of the Nepalese Army General Khadga Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana and Alois Anton Führer discovered a great stone pillar at Rupandehi, according to the crucial historical records made by the ancient Chinese monk-pilgrim
Xuanzang in the 7th century
Common Era and by another ancient Chinese monk-pilgrim
Faxian in the early 5th century CE. The Brahmi inscription on the pillar gives evidence that
Ashoka, emperor of the
Maurya Empire, visited the place in 3rd-century BCE and identified it as the birth-place of the Buddha.
At the top of the pillar, there is a second inscription by king Ripumalla (1234 Saka Era, 13-14th century CE), who is also known from an inscription at the Nigali Sagar pillar:
A second pillar of Ashoka is located about 22 kilometers to the northwest of Lumbini, the Nigali Sagar pillar (with inscription), and a third one 24 kilometers to the west, the Gotihawa pillar (without inscription).
Lumbini complex
Lumbini is in length and in width. The holy site of Lumbini is bordered by a large monastic zone in which only monasteries can be built, no shops, hotels or restaurants. It is separated into an eastern and western monastic zone, the eastern having the
Theravada monasteries, the western having
Mahayana and
Vajrayana monasteries. There is a long water filled canal separating the western and eastern zones, with a series of brick arch bridges joining the two sides along the length. The canal is serviced by simple outboard motor boats at the north end which provides tours. The holy site of Lumbini has ruins of ancient monasteries, a sacred
Bodhi tree, an ancient bathing pond, the Ashokan pillar and the Mayadevi Temple, a site traditionally considered to be the birthplace of the Buddha. From early morning to early evening, pilgrims from various countries perform chanting and meditation at the site.
Lumbini complex is divided into three areas: the Sacred Garden, the Monastic Zone and the Cultural Center and New Lumbini Village. The Sacred Garden remains the epicenter of the Lumbini area and consists of the birthplace of Buddha and other monuments of archaeological and spiritual importance such as the Mayadevi Temple, the Ashoka Pillar, the Marker Stone, the Nativity Sculpture, Puskarini Sacred Pond and other structural ruins of Buddhist stupas and viharas. The Monastic Zone, spanning an area of one square mile is divided into two zones: the East Monastic Zone which represents Theravada school of Buddhism and the West Monastic Zone which represents Mahayana and Vajrayana school of Buddhism, with their respective monasteries on the either side of a long pedestrian walkway and canal. Marking the monastic spot as a sacred pilgrimage site, many countries have established Buddhist stupas and monasteries in the monastic zone with their unique historical, cultural and spiritual designs. The Cultural Center and New Lumbini Village comprises Lumbini Museum, Lumbini International Research Institute, World Peace Pagoda of Japan, Lumbini Crane Sanctuary and other administrative offices.
File:Nepal Temple.JPG|Nepalese Temple
File:Lumbini-44-indischer Tempel-2013-gje.jpg|Indian Temple
File:Shanti stupa, World Peace Pagoda, Lumbini.jpg|Japanese Stupa
File:Royal Thai Monastery, Lumbini.jpg|Royal Thailand Monastery
File:Zhong Hua Chinese Buddhist Monastery, Lumbini, Nepal.jpg|Chinese Monastery
File:German Buddhist Temple (9105852247).jpg|German Monastery
File:French monastery.jpg|French Monastery
File:2015-03-16 Lumbini（Sri Lanka temple）ルンビニ・スリランカ寺 DSCF1296.jpg|Sri Lankan Temple
File:Stupa in Lumbini.jpg|South Korean Temple
File:2015-03-16 Lumbini（Cambodian Monastery）ルンビニ・カンボジア寺 DSCF1438.jpg|Cambodian Monastery
File:Austrian monastery 2.jpg|Austrian Monastery
File:Singapore monstery.jpg|Singapore Monastery
File:Temple By Canada.jpg|Canadian Temple
File:Vietnamese Temple (Phat Quoc Tu) in Lumbini, Nepal 2019-04-09.jpg|Vietnamese Temple
File:Urgen Dorjee Choling Buddhist Centre, Lumbini, Nepal.jpg|Urgen Dorjee Choling Centre
File:The Golden Temple in Lumbini.jpg|Golden Temple of Myanmar
File:Construction of "Russian" Buddhist Monestery at Lumbini the birthplace of the Lord Buddha.jpg|Russian Monastery (under construction, April 2024)
Religious significance
Before
parinirvana at the age of eighty,
Gautama Buddha gave a sermon to his disciples on the significance of Lumbini as a place of pilgrimage (Dīghanikāya, 16; Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta):
Along with Lumbini, which is the Gautama Buddha's place of birth, Bodh Gaya where he attained enlightenment, Sarnath where he gave his first sermon and Kushinagar where he attained parinirvana are the four most significant pilgrimage sites in Buddhism. These four places form a pilgrimage circuit along Buddha's Holy Sites.
Excavation at the Mayadevi Temple in 2013
New excavations in the Mayadevi temple in Lumbini in 2013 revealed a series of the most ancient Buddhist shrines in
South Asia extending the history of the site to a much earlier date.
According to
Robin Coningham, excavations beneath existing brick structures at the Mayadevi Temple at Lumbini provide evidence for an older timber structure beneath the walls of a brick Buddhist shrine built during the Ashokan era (3rd-century BCE). The layout of the Ashokan shrine closely follows that of the earlier timber structure, which suggests a continuity of worship at the site. The pre-Mauryan timber structure appears to be an ancient tree shrine. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal from the wooden postholes and optically stimulated luminescence dating of elements in the soil suggests human activity began at Lumbini around 1000 BCE.
The site, states Coningham, may be a Buddhist monument from 6th-century BCE. Other scholars state that the excavations revealed nothing that is Buddhist, and they only confirm that the site predates the Buddha.
[Richard Gombrich (2013), "Pseudo-discoveries at Lumbini", Oxford Center for Buddhist Studies, Oxford University]
Other developments
Nepal's central bank has introduced a 100-rupee Nepali note featuring Lumbini, the birthplace of
Buddha. The Nepal Rastra Bank said the new note would be accessible only during the
Dashain, Nepal's major festival in the time of September/October. It displays the portrait of Mayadevi, Gautam Buddha's mother in silver metallic on the front. The note also has a black dot which would help the blind recognise the note. The name of the central bank in Roman script would be printed on the note along with the date of printing in both the Gregorian Era and the
Bikram Sambat. The new note is being issued following a cabinet decision 27 August.
Nipponzan Myohoji decided to build a Peace Pagoda in the park in 2001, which is visited by many different cultures and religions every day. Because some Hindus regard the Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu, thousands of Hindus have begun to come here on pilgrimage during the full moon of the Nepali month of Baisakh (April–May) to worship Queen Mayadevi as Rupa Devi, the mother goddess of Lumbini. Lumbini was granted World Heritage status by UNESCO in 1997.
In 2011, Lumbini Development National Director Committee wad formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Prachanda.The committee was given the authority to "draft a master plan to develop Lumbini as a peaceful and tourism area and table the proposal" and the responsibility to gather international support for the same.
In 2022 on Buddha's Birthday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, jointly laid the foundation stone for the Indian monastery in Lumbini.
Tourism
In 2019, Lumbini received 1.5 million tourists from around the world.
Transport
Lumbini is a 10-hour drive from
Kathmandu and a 30-minute drive from
Bhairahawa. The closest airport is Gautam Buddha Airport at Bhairahawa, with flights to and from Kathmandu.
Places to visit
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Maya Devi Temple
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World Peace Pagoda, Lumbini
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Ashoka Pillar of Lumbini
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Lumbini Crane Sanctuary
New hotel construction
With an upsurge in international tourists and completion of Gautam Buddha International Airport, the region has seen massive investments in the construction of series of hotels in and around Lumbini.
The tourist boom triggered a building spree with 80 new hotels being constructed in the year of 2017 alone.
Sister cities
Lumbini has four official sister cities:
See also
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Bodh Gaya
-
Sarnath
-
Kushinagar
-
Maya Devi Temple, Lumbini
-
Lumbini Buddhist University
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Lumbini Development Trust
-
Lumbini pillar inscription
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Pillars of Ashoka
-
Ramagrama stupa
-
Kindo Baha
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Pranidhipurna Mahavihar
-
Rajgir
-
World Peace Pagoda
-
List of stupas in Nepal
-
List of Buddhist monasteries in Nepal
Notes
Further reading
Bibliography
External links
