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Situated in the
foothills of the Siwalik range in the district of Rupandehi,
Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha is the first and foremost
site of pilgrimage. Buddhist literatures mention that the newly
born child took seven steps and uttered an epoch making message
to the suffering humanity. The beautiful sal grove of Lumbini,
Garden was renowned for it's beauty of shady grove of lush green
trees and colorful flowers. Maya Devi, the queen of Sakya king
Suddhodana of Kapilvastu, on the way to her maternal hometown
Devadaha, was passing through the Lumbini Garden. It was the
Vaisakha poornima (Full Moon Day) of 623 BC. While the queen was
walking to the garden, took bath in the Puskarini. After bath
she preceded towards the north, felt labor pain and took support
of a branch of a tree and she gave birth to the Holiest prince.
FOR LUMBINI THE BUDDHA SAID :
"Ananda, This (Lumbini) Place is where the Tathagata was born,
this is a place, which should be visited and seen by a person of
devotion and which would cause awareness and apprehension of the
nature of impermanence. At this place, Ananda, who are on a
pilgrimage to (this) Shrine, if they should die with devotion in
their heart during the course of the pilgrimage, will after
(their) death and dissolution of the body be reborn in a good
destination, a fortunate celestial realm" (Mahaparinirvana Sutta).
LUMBINI : THE PILGRIMAGE
Today devotees and visitors from all over the world come to
Lumbini, the timeless place where ancient monuments glorify the
birthplace of Sakyamuni and beat witness to the record of the
noteworthy visits by famous dignitaries. The pilgrims deeply
immerse themselves in the serene spiritual atmosphere of Lumbini.
The famous Maurya Emperor Ashoka guided by his spiritual teacher
Upagupta made a pilgrimage to this holy site in 249 BC. He
erected a stone pillar bearing an inscription stating clearly
Hida Budhe Jate Sakyamuniti (here Sakyamuni Buddha was born). He
laid importance to the marker-stone and Constructed few other
structures to make the exact birthplace of the Buddha. He
worshipped the nativity tree and Puskarini (the holy pond). He
also visited other surroundings historic sites of Kapilvastu,
Ramgrama and Devadaha.
Three famous Chinese pilgrims-Tseng Tsai (4th century AD),
Fa-Hsien (5th century AD) and Hiuen-Tsang (7th century AD) also
visited Lumbini. Of them, Hiuen-Tsang's travel account gives the
detail description of Lumbini. He had seen the stump of the
nativity tree, a chaitya, the Ashokan Pillar, the holy pond
Puskarini, the Telar (oily) River and the source of warm and
cool water springs.
King Ripu Malla (1312 AD) of Karnali, west Nepal, visited
Lumbini and left the mark of his visit engraved on the top of
the Ashokan Pillar Om Mani Padme Hum Ripu Malla Ciranjayatu. The
Association of Lumbini with the Buddha went slowly to oblivion
and the name Lumbini gradually changed to Rummindei and then to
Rupandehi (the present name of district).
Then the General Khadga Shumsher, Governor of Palpa and Dr.
Alois Fuhrer, an imminent archaeological surveyor in British
India, discovered the Ashokan Pillar in 1896. As the pillar was
discovered and the famous inscription deciphered, more and more
people were interested in the archeology and history of the
site. PC Mukharji conducted an excavation in 1899 identified the
nativity Sculpture as well as some of the structural remains in
and around the birthplace. In 1930s, General Keshar Shumsher
carried out large-scale excavation at the holy complex of
Lumbini and covered up the archaeological site with a view to
strengthen the Maya Devi Temple.
The Department of Achaeology, Nepal (DoA) undertook the
responsibility of conducting excavation, research and
conservation since 1972. After the formation of the Lumbini
Development Trust (LDT) in 1985, the development activities at
Lumbini including the excavation and conservation of the holy
complex have been continued. In 1990's LDT, DOA and Japan
Buddhist Federation excavated the Maya Devi Complex.
MONUMENTS OF LUMBINI:
Lumbini changed into a religious site soon after the
Mahaprinirvana of the Lord Buddha. A monastic site evolved
around the sacred spot of a Buddha's birth. The birth-spot being
the point in the whole of the Holy land of Lumbini drew the
attention of generous devotees who erected structures to pay
homage to the great master. These construction were of religious
nature along the religious complex, a civic settlement also
sprang up to meet the growing need of the religious community
visiting or living in the holy complex.
THE MAYADEVI TEMPLE:
The Maya Devi shrine complex is the heart of all monuments
at this holy site. The complex also bears the testimony of
several layers of construction over the centuries. The main
object of worship here is the Nativity Sculpture. The restored
Maya Devi temple was reopened on May 16, 2003 on the 2547th
birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. Government of Nepal and LDT
jointly restored the temple. 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 sanatorium is the
birth spot of the Lord Buddha.
THE MARKER STONE:
This stone conglomerate located deeply buried in the sanctum
sanatorium pinpoints the exact location of the birth of Lord
Buddha, Which was discovered after meticulous excavation of the
Maya Devi Temple sit in 1996. The exact size of Marker stones is
70cmX40cmX10cm. This is now covered with a bulletproof glass.
THE NATIVITY SCULPTURE:
The image of Maya Devi, also known as the Nativity sculpture
dates back to 4th century AD, depicts Maya Devi, holding the
branch of a tree with her right hand for support. Next to her
Gautami Prajapati, her own sister, in supporting posture in the
time of delivery is standing. The newly born prince Siddhartha
is standing upright on a Lotus pedestal, with two celestial
figures receiving him.
THE PUSKARINI OR HOLY POND:
Close by the Ashokan Pillar on the southern side is the holy
pond, the Puskarini, believed to be the holy pond in which Maya
Devi took bath just before giving birth to the Lord Buddha. It
is also the site where the infant prince Siddhartha was given
his first purification bath. The pond has terraced steps and is
riveted by beautifully layered bricks.
THE ASHOKAN PILLAR:
The Ashokan Pillar bears the first epigraphic evidence relating
to the birthplace of Lord Buddha. It is the most noteworthy
monument and an authentic historic document of birthplace of
Lord Buddha in Lumbini. The inscription engraved by Emperor
Ashoka is still intact and testifies the authenticity of the
birthplace. The text written in Brahmi script and Pali language
is translated as follows:
Twenty years after his
coronation, King Priyadarsi, Beloved of Gods visited this spot
in person and offered worship at this place, because the Buddha
the sage of the Sakyas, was born here. He caused to be built a
stonewall around the place and also erected this stone pillar to
commemorate his visit. Because the Lord Buddha was born here. He
made the village of Limbini free from taxes and subject to pay
only one-eight of the produce as land revenue instead of the
usual rate. (DC Sircar, Inscription Ashoka 1967)
THE NEW FACE OF LUMBINI:
The then United Nations Secretary General, U. Thant's pilgrimage
of Lumbini in 1967 became a milestone in the recent history of
the development of Limbini. Deeply influenced by the sanctity of
Lumbini, U Thant discussed the matter with the then King
Mahendra and suggested Nepal Government to develop Lumbini as an
international pilgrimage and a tourist center. In 1970, he also
helped formation of an international committee for the
development of Lumbini consisting of 15 member nations to
support Lumbini through the United Nation's involvement. The
world renowned architect Professor Kenzo Tange of Japan was
assigned the task of designing a master plan for development of
Limbini.
MASTER PLAN OF LUMBINI:
In 1978, the Master Plan designed by Prof. Tange was finalized
and approved by Government of Nepal and United Nations. In the
meantime, Government of Nepal was directly involved in the
planning and development of Lumbini through the formation of the
Lumbini Development Committee. The committee acquired the
necessary amount of land, relocated the villages and commenced
the task of creating basic infrastructures including the
forestation program in the planned area. The master plan thus
changed the face of Lumbini. In 1985, the Lumbini Development
Trust (LDT) was formed accordingly. Now the Trust is responsible
for the implementation of the master plan and for the overall
development of Lumbini.
CONCEPT OF THE MASTER PLAN:
The master plan covers an area of 1X3 sq. miles, comprising
three zones of a square mile each. The three zones are linked
with walkways and a canal, these are:
a) Sacred Garden
b) Monastic zone
c) New Lumbini Village
The main focus Tange's design is the Sacred Garden located in
the southern part. The ultimate objective of the design here is
to create an atmosphere of spirituality, peace, universal
brotherhood and non-violence 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 and water body surrounding the
complex.
The Monastic Zone is situated in the center with the forest area
to the north of the sacred Garden and is divided into two
Monastic enclaves by a central Canal. There are 1 plots of land
in the east Monastic Zone and twenty nine in the west Monastic
enclave, having 42 plots each allotted for new monasteries of
Theravada and Mahayana sects of Buddhism respectively. A
research center, a library, an auditorium and a museum that
provide facilities for research and study of Buddhism are
located at the cultural center. The northern part of the site is
being developed as the new Limbini village. It is also a gateway
to the outer world, where the visitors can find comfortable
hotels and restaurants offering necessary facilities. |
