The sacred birth place of Lord Buddha and a World Heritage Site today, Lumbini is an important Buddhist pilgrimage center. Cuddled in the foot hills of the great Himalayas near the Indo- Nepal border, Lumbini is considered one among the four pilgrimage destination of the Buddhist. The name of this place is also entered in the Parinibbana Sutta, where Buddha himself had mentioned its name as an important pilgrimage place.

Lumbini grove, the most privileged travel site of Lord Buddha's birth, is today a small village in Nepal, 27 km from Sonauli on the Indo-Nepal Border. Lumbini evokes a kind of holy sentiment to the millions of Buddhists all over the world as do the Jerusalem to Christians and Mecca to Muslims.


Location of Lumbini
Lumbini is placed at a distance of about 300 km from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal in the foothills of the great Himalayan mountain.

Climate
The climate of Lumbini is mostly pleasant throughout the year. The best period to travel Lumbini is from September end to mid-March. The winters get chilly with the Mercury hovering close to freezing point


Major Buddhist Attractions of Lumbini
Lumbini Dharmodaya Samiti Dharamshala - Established in the year 1956 its architecture is like the Nepalese temples decorated beautifully with murals depicting scenes from the life of the Buddha. A monastery on a 1500 square meter plot of land was built under the assistance of the United Nations and Lumbini Development Trust in 1967. The Drubgyud Choeling Monastery is two storied high and is built in accordance with traditional Tibetan architecture. Also apart from the shrines, one of the important travel spot for any tourist is the Lumbini Research Institute, which contains valuable Buddhist literature and a museum depicting the life of the Buddha.

Mayadevi Temple - The Mayadevi temple consists of two panels that depict the holy birth of the Lord. These were installed by Malla Kings of the Naga dynasty who ruled the Karnali area of Nepal from 11th to 15th century. It is believed that this temple was built over one of the original stupas constructed by Ashoka.

Puskarni - Nearby the sacred temple of Mayadevi lies the tank where it was believed that Queen Mahamaya took a bath prior to her delivery. The waters of this place were used to cleanse the new born baby Sidhartha..

Sacred Garden - The Sacred Garden was the place where prince Siddhartha was born. The Garden has an Ashokan pillar which carries an inscription identifying the spot as the birthplace of Buddha.

The Ashokan Pillar - The pillar is the landmark of the Sacred Garden and the evidence to the life of Lord Gautama. The inscription engraved in the pillar says that the great Indian Emperor Ashoka visited the site in the twentieth year of his ascending to the throne. He paid homage to the birth place and as a respect erected the pillar. The inscription in the pillar, when translated read as that "Lord Shakyamuni was born in this place". In addition, there is also a stone carving nearby which represents a horse.

Sanctum-Sanctorum of the Birthplace - The single most stoneslab sanctum located deep in the sanctorum is of vital importance to the Buddhist. Revealed after a meticulous excavations under the layers of ruins over the site of the famous Maya Devi temple, the stone slab points towards the location of the original place marking it the exact spot of the birthplace of the Lord