Lumbini Travel Guide

Lumbini, on the southern lowland plains of Nepal, is the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, founder of Buddhism, and one of the most important pilgrimage sites for Buddhists worldwide. Together with Bodh Gaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar it forms the four great Buddhist holy sites and is listed as a World Heritage Site; visit with the utmost reverence. The dry season (Oct-Mar) has the most pleasant climate. According to tradition, over 2,500 years ago Queen Maya gave birth to the Buddha under a sala tree in the Lumbini Garden; at the garden's core stand the Maya Devi Temple marking the birthplace, the Ashoka Pillar erected by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE whose inscription records this as the Buddha's birthplace, as well as the sacred pond and the prayer-flag-adorned bodhi tree. Around the garden, Buddhist countries including China, Thailand, Myanmar, Japan, Korea and Sri Lanka built exquisite monasteries in their own styles, forming the International Monastery Zone. The holy site is supremely sacred - dress modestly and remove your shoes.