Lumbini, on the Terai plains of southern Nepal, is the birthplace of the Buddha, traditionally dated to 623 BC. It is a World Heritage Site and one of the holiest places of a major world religion.
The sacred garden
The birth site lies within the Lumbini gardens, which soon became a place of pilgrimage.
The Ashoka pillar
Emperor Ashoka raised a sandstone pillar here. Its Pali inscription in Brahmi script, dated 249 BC, confirms Lumbini as the Buddha’s birthplace.
Maya Devi Temple
Brick structures from the 3rd century BC to the present mark the exact birth spot, dedicated to his mother, Maya Devi.
Beyond
The area includes the Shakya Tank and the remains of monasteries and stupas spanning many centuries, showing how early Buddhist pilgrimage centres worked.
Source: UNESCO – Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha.
Image: Bibek Raj Pandeya, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
