LUMBINI
Lumbini is the birthplace of
Siddhartha Gautama, the Sakya prince, and the ultimate Buddha,
the Perfectly Enlightened one. The site of his nativity is
marked by the commemorative pillar erected by Indian Buddhist
emperor Ashoka over 2,200 years ago and was rediscovered in
1896. Thus, as Ashoka himself acknowledged, Lumbini is a
quintessential Buddhist heritage site, currently undergoing a
renaissance by the internationally supported Lumbini Development
Project
Across the world and throughout
the ages, religious people have made pilgrimages. Many great
teachers of the Buddhist tradition maintained the practice of
pilgrimages, paying respect to the holy sites.
The Buddha himself exhorted his
followers to visit what are now known as the four original
places of Buddhist pilgrimage: Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Sarnath and
Kushinagar.
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| The
View of Mayadevi Temple with Asokan Pillar and
Puskarini Pond in Lumbini as they looked in olden
days. |
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| The
Recent View of Mayadevi Temple with Asokan Pillar
and Puskarini Pond in Lumbini. |
Master Plan
The Lumbini Master Plan as
prepared by famous Architect Kenjo Tange in 1978 covers an area
of three square miles on north-south and encompasses three zones
each covering one square mile. The three zones are united by a
1.474 meter walkway and a canal. The zones are
a. the sacred Garden
b. the Monastic zone and
c. the New Lumbini Village
The heart of the design is the Sacred Garden located in the
southern part. The ultimate objective of the design is to create
an atmosphere of spirituality, peace Universal brotherhood and
nonviolence consistent with the time and Buddha's message to the
world. The Sacred Garden shelters the ancient monuments at the
center in a freshly restored atmosphere of serene and lush
forest all around the complex.
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Full View
of Lumbini Master Plan |
The Monastic zone is situated in the forest area north of the
Sacred garden, divided by a canal, there are East and West
Monastic Enclaves having 42 plots each allotted for new
monasteries of Theravada and Mahayana sects of Buddhism. Nearby,
across the central link bridge, a research center, a library, an
auditorium, and a museum provide facilities for research and
study on Buddhism.
The Northern part of the site is being developed as the New
Lumbini Village which is also a gateway to the outer world where
the visitors can find comfortable lodges and restaurants
offering high standard facilities.
Concerning the birth of the Lord Buddha here, the Chinese
account articulates a very interesting incident saying that
Queen Mayadevi, mother of the lord had a bath at the pool here
and then grasped the branch of a tree facing the east, she
brought forth the Lord on the ground thus, making Lumbini a
sacred place. It is also said that Lord Buddha walked seven
steps as soon as he stepped on the mother earth.
The central feature of Lumbini is the sacred garden that is
spread over 1 sq. mile. Historically, the region is an exquisite
treasure-trove of ancient ruins and antiquities. The site,
described as a beautiful garden in the Buddha’s time retains its
legendary charm and beauty embracing the Mayadevi temple inside
it.
The Maya Devi temple is a distinctive shrine of importance and
has the bas-relief image of Maya Devi, enshrined in a small
pagoda-like structure. The image shows Maya Devi , mother of the
Lord Buddha, supporting herself by holding on with her right
hand to a branch of Sal tree, with newly born infant Buddha
standing upright on a lotus pedestal. Two other celestial
figures are depicted in an act of showering water and lotuses
bestowed from heaven. The famous Maya Devi stone sculpture, also
known as the Nativity Sculpture was installed here in 4th
century AD.
The single most important place of
the Lumbini and to the entire Buddhist world for that matter is
the stone slab located deep in the Sanctum Sanctorum. Revealed
after hard and meticulous excavations under the three layers of
ruins over the site of the famous Maya Devi temple, the stone
slab foundation pinpoints the location of the original place
marking the exact spot of the birthplace of Lord Buddha. This
spot being the most sensitive requires proper conservation and
exposition to allow pilgrims and visitors to observe in slut the
Marker Stones here.
Nearby, and just to the west of the Mayadevi temple, stands the
Ashoka pillar- the oldest monument so far found in Nepal erected
by Emperor Ashoka in 249 BC. The pillar is the first epigraphic
evidence relating to the life history of Lord Buddha and is also
the most visible landmark of the garden. The historic importance
of the pillar is evidenced by the inscription engraved in the
pillar in Brahmi script. It is said that the great Emperor
Ashoka visited the site in the twentieth year of his ascendancy
to the throne and as homage to the holy place of Lord Buddha.
To the south of the pillar, we find a sacred pond- Puskarani-
believed to be the same sacred pool in which Maya Devi took a
holy dip just before giving birth to the Lord and also where
infant Buddha was given his first purification bath.
Architecturally, the pool has projecting terraces in descending
order and is reverted with fine brick masonry. The holy site is
surrounded by a row of stupas. These stupas are also believed to
be built as early as 3rd century B.C while some stupas with
square, rectangular and circular bases are said to be added in
the medieval period.
A host of shrines, stupas, monasteries, meditation centers and
courtyards built or being built in the International Monastic
Zone here by various countries such as Japan, Korea, China,
India, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, France, and
Germany embodies the country’s respective architecture and gives
Lumbini, an international feel with a message of universal
friendship and brotherhood. Out of these symbols of universal
peace and brotherhood, the World Peace Stupa built by Japan can
be taken as one of the most attractive stupas there. It is said
that one can really feel the peace and calmness of Lord Buddha's
warmth when he sets his foot there.
Lumbini rests on the foothills of Churia range and can be
accessed by both Air and Land route.
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