Land of Lord Buddha
Lumbinī (Nepali and Sanskrit: लुम्बिनी "the lovely") is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupandehi District of Nepal. It is the place where, according to Buddhist tradition, Queen Mayadevi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama in 563 BCE.Gautama, who achieved Enlightenment some time around 528 BCE,[3][4] became the Gautama Buddha and founded Buddhism.[5][6][7]
Lumbini is one of many magnets for pilgrimage that sprang up in places
pivotal to the life of Gautama Buddha; other notable pilgrimage sites
include Kushinagar, Bodh Gaya and Sarnath.
Lumbini has a number of temples, including the Mayadevi Temple and several others which are still under construction. Many monuments, monasteries and a museum — the Lumbini International Research Institute
— are also located within the holy site. Also located there is the
Puskarini or Holy Pond where the Buddha's mother took the ritual dip
prior to his birth and where he, too, had his first bath. At other sites
near Lumbini, earlier Buddhas were, according to tradition, born,
achieved ultimate Enlightenment and finally relinquished their earthly
forms
The present-day Lumbini historic site is 4.8 km (3 mi) in length and
1.6 km (1.0 mi) 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 Theravadin monasteries, the western having Mahayana and Vajrayana monasteries.
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, where the supposed place of birth of Buddha is
located. From early morning to early evening, pilgrims from various
countries perform chanting and meditation at the site.
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