Lumbini
Lumbini the Birthplace of The Lord Buddha.
He was born here more than 2,600 years ago.
The baby born Prince siddhartha gautam, at
the age 35 indeed turned the wheel of the
law and became famous in the world as the
Buddha, the Englightened One. Lumbini, the
birth-place of this great Sage, acquired the
holy status as a site of pilgrimage for all
the Buddhists and peace seekers of the world.
the Buddha himself spoke of the importance
of Lumbini for the aeons to come as the first
and foremost pilgrimage site among the famous
Catumahasthana, the four important holy places.
The garden of Lumbini mentioned as Lumini
Canana, Lumbini Vatica, Lumbini Upavana, and
Lumbini Cittalavana in early scriptures is
situated on the bank of river Telar at the
eastern edge of the sakya kingdom of Kapilvastu.
the site was renowned for the beauty of its
shady grove of sala trees and colorful flowers.
Mayadevi, the queen of Shakya King Suddhodhana
of Kapilvastu, while going to her maternal
home Devdaha, happened to pass through Lumbini.
On the Vaisakha Purnima (Full Moon Day) in
the month of Vaishak 623 years before Christ,
she bathed in the Sakya Pukarini and proceeded
towards north. Soon after she felt the sudden
pain of labor causing her to hold a branch
of the Sala tree under which she was standing.
Such was the situation of the divine event
where queen Maya Devi gave birth to Prince
Siddhartha. Legends have it that Brahma, Indra
and other divinities were on the hand to welcome
the birth of the future Buddha and that warm
and cold water springs were promptly created
for the infant's first bath and a pool of
oily water for the purificatory bath of the
queen's body.
The Sacred Garden : The
Sacred Garden is the focal point of the Lumbini
Garden. It symbolizes the birthplace of the
Lord Buddha. Its form, that of a circle enclosing
squares, is a universal symbol of purity and
simplicity. The squares are formed by a network
of raised walkways between the landscaping
and the archaeological areas. The Garden is
surrounded by a pond and a circular levee.
In order to preserve the historical integrity
of the location, there will be no construction
within the sacred area.
