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| Mayadevi temple,Lumbini,Nepal |
Lumbini-the birth place of Gautam Buddha (the
founder of Buddhism, the apostle of peace, and the Light of Asia) lies in the Rupandehi
district of western Nepal. It is 20 Km from the Gautam Buddha airport,
Siddhartha Nagar, Bhairahawa,Nepal. It is one of four Buddhist pilgrimage sites
based on major events in the life of Gautama Buddha. It is said in the
Parinibbana Sutta that Buddha himself identified four places of future
pilgrimage: the sites of his birth, enlightenment, first discourse, and death.
In the Buddha's time, Lumbini was situated between Kapilavastu and Devadaha. According
to Buddhist tradition, Queen Mayadevi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama in 563
BC on her way to her parent's home in Devadaha. Realizing the time of delivery
she bathed in the Sakya Puskarani located almost center of the garden. Feeling
the onset of labor pains, she grabbed hold of the branches of a shade tree and
gave birth to Siddharta Gautama. Soon after the birth, prince Siddhartha stood
up right on a lotus pedestal and proclaimed, "I am the first and foremost
of all the creatures to cross the riddle of the ocean of existence. I have come
to the world to show the path of emancipation. This is my last birth and
hereafter I will not be born again."
Buddhist have a belief that he walked
immediately after his birth and took seven steps, under each of which a lotus
flower bloomed. Prince Siddhartha Gautama, achieved Enlightenment and became
the Gautama Buddha and founded Buddhism. Lumbini is blessed by the birth of Lord
Buddha. Lumbini is a beautiful garden full of monasteries, gumbos and scars of
historical events. The most important temple at Lumbini is the Maya Devi Temple;
it is the heart of all monuments at this holy site. The Maha Devi temple is
surrounded by the brick foundations of ancient temples and monasteries. The
ground floor consists of the remains of the foundations of the early Maya Devi
Temple that dates back to 3rd century BC. The sanctum sanctorum is the birth
spot of the lord Buddha in the temple.
The other main sight of interest at Lumbini is Ashoka's Pillar, near the Mayadevi temple. It is protected by a small fence, which is decorated with prayer flags and banners. All around Lumbini, long lines of colorful prayer flags are strung between trees. They carry prayers and mantras heavenward as they flap on the breeze. 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. Lumbini remained hidden for centuries. In 1895, Fuehrer, a famous German archaeologist, discovered the great Ashoka pillar. Further exploration and excavation of the surrounding area revealed the existence of a brick temple and a sandstone sculpture within the temple itself which depicts the scenes of the Buddha's birth. Records made by the Chinese pilgrim Fa Xian were also used in the process of identifying this religiously acclaimed site.
UNESCO has declared lumbini as World Heritage
Site in 1997. Lumbini occupies huge area where only gumba and monastries can be
built. Nepal government and Lumbini development trust are devoted for the
development of lumbini site. Every year thousand of local and foreign tourist
came to worship and enjoy the historical place Lumbini.
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