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Lumbini: the birthplace of the Buddha
by
Rev. Pannasara of Nepal
“Aggo Hamasmi Lokassa
Jettho Hamasmi Lokassa
Settho Hamasmi Lokassa
Ayamantimajati Natthidani
Punabbhavoti”.
I am the foremost of the creatures to cross the riddle
of the ocean of existence. I have come to the world to
show the path of emancipation. This is my last birth and
hereafter I will not be born again.
A newly born baby in Lumbini declared this more that
2600 years ago. The baby born as Prince Siddhartha
Gautama, turned the wheel of the law in His youth and
became known to generations to come simply as the
Buddha, the apostle of peace.
While passing through the rough-and-tumble way down the
centuries, Lumbini wore out beyond recognition. The
Dhamma its son had founded, propagated and won millions
of hearts also declined after it reached its apogee
around the twelfth century.
The worthy son of Lumbini had revealed that nothing in
this world was permanent. And Lumbini was no exception.
Once a flourishing Kingdom, with enchanting monument,
temple, palace, offices, roads and monumental buildings
could be seen no more. Time swept them down. On the
sprawling landscape where they had once been a flurry of
human activities, sweet sounds of bells and songs; music
and dances, only prowling tigers and leopards roared,
jackals, howled, snakes and many other poisonous
creatures wriggled and hovered under the cover of thick
jungle. Uncertainty even over the location of Lumbini
prevailed till December 1st 1886.
Since then Lumbini has found its identity, location with
some invaluable ruins of temples. Its famous garden, art
and artifacts and is now paving way to rehabilitating
its ancient sanity and culture.
Lumbini - a place in the South-western Terai of Nepal,
evokes a kind of holy sentiment to the millions of
Buddhist all over the world - as do Jerusalem to
Christians and Mecca to Muslims. For, Lumbini is the
place where the Buddha - the apostle of peace and the
Light of Asia was born in 623 BC located in the flat
plains of South-western Nepal and the foot-hills of
Churia range, Lumbini and its surrounding areas are
endowed with a rich natural setting of domestic able
fauna and favourable agricultural antiquities dating
back to pre-Christian era. The site described as a
beautiful garden in the Buddha’s time still retains its
legendary charm and beauty. To the north of Lumbini lies
the dense and picturesque Sal grove. For centuries
Buddhist all over the world, knew that Lumbini where
Prince Siddhartha was born is somewhere around.
The descriptions of famous Chinese pilgrims Huian-Tsang
and Fahien, indicated to this area, saying “Lumbini,
where the Buddha 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”.
However, the exact location remained uncertain and
obscure till December 1, 1886 when a wandering German
archaeologist Dr. Alois A. Fuhrer came across a stone
pillar and ascertained beyond doubt the birthplace of
the Buddha.
As the birthplace of the Buddha, the Sacred Area of
Lumbini is one of the Holiest places in the world’s
great religions. In terms of the categories of cultural
property under the World heritage Convention, Lumbini is
a heritage site. Since the inscription of Lumbini on the
World Heritage list, the World Heritage Committee has
requested the State party, in this case, the Department
of Archaeology and the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT)
to prepare a management plan with respect to all
existing issues and challenges.
According to tradition, the Prince Siddhartha was born
at this place under the Sal-tree. His mother was wife of
King Suddhodana of the Shakya Republic of Kapilavastu.
He was born on the day of the Full Moon of the month of
Vaisakh (April - May) in 563 BC. A pond, where the Queen
bathed before giving birth to the Prince had existed
there for a long time. There were also two mountains of
cold and hot water and a river of oil, which flowed
there at the time of His birth providing cold and hot
water and oil to bathe Him. (Fuhrer: 30-32)
The Maha Parinirvana Sutra reveals that at the time of
the Maha Parinirvana of the Tathagata when Ananda Thera
asked Him about the future of His religion and
followers, He spoke eloquently about the purity and
contemplative virtues of the Lumbini garden and advised
His faithful followers and ordinary devotees to visit
Lumbini along with the holy sites of Bodhagaya, Saranath
and Kushinagar.
Rijal 1979:30-32). Thus after the Maha parinirvana of
the Buddha, Buddhist pilgrims began to come and pay
homage at the holy site of His nativity in order to
acquire virtues. After the beginning of the tradition of
making Stupas, a few were also built by the adherents of
Buddhism at Lumbini.
The single most important place of the Lumbini (and to
the entire Buddhist world for that matter) is the stone
slab, located deep in the sanctum and sanctorum.
Revealed after hard and meticulous excavations under the
three layers of ruins over the site of a famous Maya
Devi Temple, the stone slab foundation pinpoints the
location of the original place marking the exact spot of
the birthplace of the Buddha in Nepal.
On the occasion of 4th World Buddhist Conference in
1956, the late King Mahendra did his best to provide
basic facilities and recreating and Buddhist environment
by constructing a Vihara rest house, road and some other
items.
United nation’s Secretary General U. Thant’s pilgrimage
in 1967 became a milestone in the history of the
development of Lumbini. Deeply affected by the sanctity
and necessity in consultation with King Mahendra Bir
Bikkram Shaha Dev. He suggested the Government of Nepal
to develop Lumbini as an international pilgrimage and
tourism centre. An international committee for the
Development of Lumbini was formed in 1970 at the UN
Headquarters. Professor Kenzo Tange was awarded
consultancy for the preparation of master plan design
for the development of Lumbini.
Lumbini is situated in central atria (plain) of Nepal,
about 350 km west of Kathmandu. Although its elevation
is 105 m above sea level, Himalayan foot-hills are only
24 km away and on clear days, Dhaulagiri Peak (8,167 m)
is visible 130 k.m. due north . Siddhartha Nagar is the
nearest town with an airport (Gautam Bdudha Airport,
Bhairahawa). This town is connected by highways with
Kathmandu (east) via Chitwan rich in wildlife and
Pokhara (north), the destination for treakkers.
The Tarai districts of Kapilavastu, Rupandehi and
Nawal-Parasi around Lumbini are mostly a land of gentle
plain with meandering streams. Until five decades ago,
the area was forested with sparse habitation owing to
endermic malaria. The rural landscape of today and wild
environment of the immediate past give no clue to the
area’s glorious history. Over two millennia ago, this
plain around Lumbini harboured a rich civilisation. The
unique legacy of Lumbini was the message of peace as
propounded by the Buddha, son of that soil. This
philosophic religionist now central to the belief of a
major portion of the mankind.
At Lumbini there are two archaeological mounds, one
around the Mayadevi Temple, which can be named as LMB-1
and the other on the South and south-east of the temple;
it can be named as LMB-2. The area around the Mayadevi
Temple was monuments like Asokan pillar, Temples, Stupas,
Viharas and wells. They are all built with kiln burnt
bricks. But the other site (LMB-2) is an area where we
can expect the ruins of ancient Lumbini village (Lumbini-gram
of the pillar inscription). There we can expect the
rural picture of an ancient village with hut, shops,
wells, roads and lanes etc.
Here we can expect villages belonging to N.B.P, Sunga
and Kushan periods (as it was clear from some earlier
trenching at the area done by Dr. N.R. Banerji and B.K.
Rijal in 1971).
“Sabba Papassa Akaranam
Kusalassa Upasampada
Sachitta Pariyodapanam
Etam Buddhanu Sasanam”
To avoid all evil to cultivate all that is good and to
cleanse one’s mind, is the advice of all Buddhas. |
