KRF - Current projects: Lumbini project

Current projects

History of Lumbini: The birthplace of the Buddha

(The Lumbini project: The constuction of a Tibetan monastery in Lumbini, Nepal)

"A stately trunk, straight as a temple shaft,
With crown of glossy leaves and fragrant blooms;
And knowing the time come-for all things knew –
The conscious tree bent down its boughs to make
A bower above Queen Maya's majesty;
And Earth put forth a thousand sudden flowers
To spread a couch; So brought forth her child
Pangless-he having on his perfect form
The marks, thirty and two; of blessed birth."

[from The Light of Asia or Mahabhinishkramana – the life and teaching of Gautama, Prince of India, Founder of Buddhism, translated by Sir Edwin Arnold]

Lumbini is a rural and peaceful place located in the south-western Terai of Nepal, close to the Indian border, 22km west of the towns of Bhairawa and Sunauli. As the birth place of Prince Siddhartha (623 B.C.E), who later became the Buddha, Lumbini is one of the most prominent historical sites, as well as one of the eight most important pilgrimage destinations for millions of Buddhists all over the world. Located in the flat plains of South-Western Nepal in the foothills of the Churia range, Lumbini and its surrounding area are endowed with a rich setting of natural fauna and agricultural landscape. Historically, the region is an exquisite treasure-trove of ancient ruins and antiquities, dating back to the pre-Christian era. The site, described as a beautiful garden in the Buddha’s time, still retains its legendary charm and beauty. Just 12 miles north of Lumbini lies the dense and picturesque sal-grove where Maya Devi, mother of the Buddha, was said to have supported herself on the branch of a Sal tree.

The main archeological sites are located in the Sacred Garden. The Sacred Garden symbolizes the birthplace of Lord Buddha. The monuments in the garden are believed to have been made after the Buddha’s death. The Garden is surrounded by a pond and a circular structure. The garden is kept much as it would have been when Lord Buddha was born. Throughout the garden are ancient stupas and structures revealed by archaeological work.

Though Lumbini was well-known to be the birthplace of the Buddha Shakyamuni, for the past few centuries the exact location remained uncertain. In the 15th century, the Muslims came to the area and most likely destroyed what remained of the monuments. The site was gradually grown over by jungle and lost. The descriptions of famous pilgrims of ancient times, indicated that “Lumbini – where the lord was born – is a piece of heaven on earth and one could see the snowy mountains amidst a splendid garden embedded with stupas and monasteries!” It was not until December 1st 1886, that a wandering German archaeologist Dr. Alois Fuhrer discovered a stone pillar and uncovered the birthplace of the Buddha.

The Ashokan Pillar was the first discovered substantiation relating to the life history of the Buddha. The historic importance of the pillar is authenticated by the inscription engraved in the pillar, written in Brahmi script. It is said that Ashok, the great Indian Emperor, visited the site in 245 BCE, in the 20th year of his rule, and that he erected the pillar as a homage to the sacred birthplace of Lord Buddha. Just south of the Ashokan Pillar, lies the famous sacred pool, Puskarni, alleged to be the same pool in which Maya Devi took a holy bath just before giving birth to the Lord and also where the newborn prince was given his first purification bath.

The most important site in Lumbini is the sacred stone slab, located in the Sanctum Sanctorum. The stone was discovered during an archaeological excavation that took place in 1993 at the site of the famous Maya Devi temple. After difficult and scrupulous excavation, the commemorative reddish-brown stone (70 cm long) was revealed 5 meters below three layers of ruins at the old location of the temple. The stone slab foundation is the original memorial stone, said to have been placed by Ahsoka, pinpointing the precise location of the Buddha’s birthplace. The location where the stone was found concurs with Buddhist literature, which indicates the precise distance that Maya Devi walked from the pond to the place where she gave birth to the Buddha.

The site of the monastery construction is located north of the Sacred Gardens. To reach Lumbini the nearest town is Bhairahawa, which is connected with Kathmandu & Pokhara by air and road. Regular bus service is available between Bhairahawa and Lumbini.

For more information regarding the history of Lumbini and international efforts to restore this sacred site, please see www.lumbinitrust.com.

To view the master plan of the Lumbini construction site, please visit the master plan at the welcomelumbini.com website. Lumbini Project: Construction of a monastic institute in Lumbini, South Nepal

For additional details:

Do-nga Choling architectural design

Cost estimate analysis

View more project photos in the photo gallery.

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