Buddhism is a religion that teaches about the righteous way of living and promotes principles of a non-suffering life. Buddhism is believed to be one of the most relevant religions in terms of the way of living life and overcoming unnecessary suffering. Moreover, Buddhism is considered as a rightful practice more than just a religion. With an estimated number of followers around 400 million, Buddhism is the world’s fourth largest religion.
Buddhism has expanded worldwide and is no longer specific to a single culture or community. People of all sects, according to their beliefs, are allowed to live their lives as per the teachings of Buddhism. The basic concepts in the religion are a result of the soul-awakening events that occurred in the life of Siddhartha Gautama who later became Lord Buddha.
There are many important destinations which hold significance for Buddhism. One of them is Lumbini. Presently situated in Nepal, Lumbini was the birthplace of Lord Buddha. It is a mecca of devotees and disciples of Buddhism. Lumbini was initially a place of worship with many rare inscriptions and shrines associated with various gods. However, the historical significance of Lumbini became much more pronounced when Queen Maya Devi gave birth to Lord Buddha who was known as Siddhartha Gautam at the time of birth.
Lumbini is enlisted as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its cultural and historical significance. The area demarcated for the heritage site is 4.8 km in length and 1.3 km in width wherein one can only build monasteries.
Maya Devi Temple is the main attraction of Lumbini and is home to a shrine that honors the place of Buddha’s birth. The white temple building was erected in the memory of Lord buddha and his birthplace is denoted with a marker stone. The Bodhi Tree near the temple is the place where Queen Maya Devi took shade while she was travelling. It was there that she went into labor and took a bath in a nearby pond where Buddha took his first bath too.
Ashokan Pillar is another significant site which is believed to be erected when the emperor Ashoka visited Lumbini Village. Four stupas and a pillar with horse on top were constructed with the inscription about the reason of his visit. The pillar is surrounded by a small fence and is decorated with colorful prayer flags and also contains bowls to light incense sticks and meditate.
Other than this, one can visit Myanmar Golden Temple, World Peace Pagoda, Dharma Swami Maharaja Buddha Vihar, China Temple and Lumbini Museum to get a complete understanding of this place and connect with Buddhism on a spiritual level.