A Pilgrimage Special: At Buddha's Birthplace

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The paper reported today that rescuers searched for more than 100 missing people after a steel footbridge collapsed in remote western Nepal, sending scores plunging into icy Himalayan waters. The only place I visited in Nepal was Lumbini and that was of course, during my recent pilgrimage. I remember bridges there were rather narrow and only one vehicle could cross it at anyone time and it was really a wonder that there was no traffic light or a police to direct the traffic. Lumbini is really a small drab town in Rupandehi District but being the place where Mayadevi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama who later became the Buddha, it has become an important pilgrimage site for Buddhists besides Kushinagar, Bodh Gaya, and Sarnath. .In Buddha's time, Lumbini was supposed to be a beautiful garden full of green shady Sal tree under which Siddhartha Gautama came into the world. Our visit to Lumbini was mainly to visit Mayadevi Temple which marked the exact spot where the birth took place. There, we had a prayer session at Asoka pillar which is just outside the temple.
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Visiting Mayadevi Temple in Lumbini, Nepal...

Mahadevi Temple...


Inside Mayadevi Temple...


The Marker Stone placed by King Asoka, marking the exact spot where Buddha was born...



An ancient relief depicting a scene of Buddha's birth...




The pond where Mayadevi washed herself after giving birth...


Saying a prayer at Asoka's pillar...

Comments

Anonymous said…
Thank you so much for sharing your travels through your posts and photos. Some of us will probably never make it out of the US to see the world. It is nice to be able to at least see it through someone else's eyes.
December 27, 2007 at 1:21 PM
footiam said…
Thank you you too Patricia for visiting my blog and leaving a comment too. It makes the effort worthwhile.
December 28, 2007 at 2:46 AM
thuanhee said…
I visited the temple way back in 1992. The temple looks more welcoming now. Back then it was painted in white and in a dilapidated state.
January 3, 2009 at 8:56 PM
footiam said…
Someone I met when I was in Makasar told me the place was not taken care of when he went there. Now, not only the temple is nice to look at. There are places where you can go for meditation for retreat and there are many Tibetans there too. The town, Lumbini is just like a village.
January 5, 2009 at 3:31 AM
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