Lumbini Tour, Buddha Nirvana Palaces

LUMBINI

(The Sacred Garden of Buddha Nirvana)

Lumbini, the hallowed cradle of Buddhism, is the celebrated birth-place of Lord Buddha. Its history dates back to the time of his birth around 560 BC.

Even in that serene era, Lumbini had attained great height of civilization and prosperity. There are also evidences of money royal visits to this sacred place. One such royal visitor was Emperor Ashoka Maurya of India in 249 BC. To commemorate his visit, he erected a grand stone monolith which stands till today, Nearby is the shrine of Maya Devi, Buddha’s mother. It contains a stone relief depicting Buddha’s nativity scene. In the area are also modern Buddhist shrines and an older Lamaist gompa.

A little distance away are the ancient ruins of Tilaurakot where the Buddha as Princes Siddhartha renounced the riches of his father’s kingdom in search for truth.

A few hours drive from Lumbini lies some of the holiest places of India. Varanasi, considered as the most scared place of the Hindus, is a city of beautiful age-old temples. Even by 600 BC Varanasi was already a place of pilgrimage of Hindus.

About 10 km north of Varanasi is Sarnath, a tranquil world apart. Here in the Deer Park, Buddhist preached his first sermon.

At Bodhgaya, some distance away, Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree. One and a half hours away from Limbini lies the beautiful hill station of Tansen, Like Kathmandu. Tansen is a town abounding with temples.