|
Lumbini, the birthplace of the
Buddha, lies in the midst of flat, emerald-green fields. It
is one of the four great Buddhist pilgrimage sites and draws
pilgrims from Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Korea.
The Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama,
was born around 543 BC into the royal family of Kapilvastu,
a small independent kingdom on the vast Indian plain. His
mother, Queen Maya Devi, had a dream prophesying his birth.
In her dream, she saw a white elephant with nine tusks coming
down from the heavens and entering her body. When the time
of the child’s delivery approached, she was on her way to
her parents’ house, as was the tradition of her times, when
she gave birth in the gardens of Lumbini. The birth was painless,
and the prince is said to have emerged from her right side
as she rested against a fig tree. As soon as he was born,
he took seven steps in the four cardinal directions and wherever
his feet touched the ground, a lotus bloomed.
Family priests predicted he would
either be a world leader or a great spiritual teacher, and
his father, desiring the first, took every precaution to confine
him to the palace and surround him with every imaginable pleasure.
But Siddhartha inevitably ventured beyond the castle walls
and for the first time in his life, was confronted by sorrow,
pain, death, and a man whose life was devoted to releasing
others from suffering.
He was so profoundly affected
by what he saw of the world around him that one night, when
all were asleep, he cast aside his garments, cut his hair
and began the life of a wandering ascetic. For years he fasted,
meditated, and spent his time in a rigorous and painful search
for a way to end suffering. On a full-moon night in the north
Indian town of Bodhgaya, he had a direct realisation of nirvana
or eternal peace as he meditated under a tree.
He spent the rest of his life
guiding people to this peace, love and friendship. By the
time he left the world at the age of 84, he had thousands
of followers to keep Buddhism alive. Lumbini has since been
sacred ground for Buddhists all over the world.
The few sites remaining today are
clustered together and easily viewed in half an hour. The Maya
Devi Temple, believed to be over 2,000 years old, is an important
site as it stands on the spot where the Buddha is thought to
have been born. It has a stone image of Maya Devi giving birth
to the Buddha as she holds on to a branch. The image has been
well worn by the strokes of childless women praying for fertility.
To the south of the temple is the pool where the queen is said
to have bathed and given her son his first purification bath.
A quiet garden, shaded by the leafy bo tree (the type
of tree under which the Buddha received enlightenment) and a
newly planted forest nearby lend an air of tranquility which
bespeaks the teachings of the Buddha.
A major Hindu festival is held
on the full moon of the Nepali month of Baisakh (April-May),
when thousands of Hindu devotees come to worship Maya Devi
as Rupa Devi, the mother goddess of Lumbini, and to celebrate
the Buddha as the ninth incarnation of Vishnu. The Buddhist
celebration of Buddha Jayanti or the Buddha’s birthday, is
around the same time, although on a smaller scale. During
winter, Buddhist pilgrims congregate to worship on Purnima
(the night of the full moon) and Astemi (the eighth night
after the full moon).
The Ashokan Pillar at Lumbini commemorates
Emperor Ashoka’s pilgrimage to the birthplace of Buddha. The
six-metre high pillar (half of it is underground) dates from
about 250 BC and is the oldest monument in Nepal. Its inscription
is related to the emperor’s visit to the birthplace of the Buddha.
A must-see for archaeology and history
buffs is the important archaeological site of Kapilvastu near
Lumbini. This is where the Buddha spent his formative years.
Archaeologists have discovered scattered formations of the palace
and 13 successive layers of human habitation dating from 8 BC.
Other places of interest are two
modern monasteries – a typical Tibetan gompa built
by a Sakya lama, and a Theravada Monastery decorated
with objects and adornments from Burma, Thailand, Tibet and
Nepal.
Lumbini is currently being developed
under the Master Plan of the Lumbini Development Trust, a
non-governmental organisation dedicated to the restoration
of the town and its development as a pilgrimage site. The
plan, completed in 1978 by the Japanese architect Kenzo Tange,
will transform three square miles of land into a sacred place
of gardens, pools, buildings and groves. It includes the construction
of a Monastic Zone, a circular sacred garden around the Ashokan
pillar and the Maya Devi Temple, and Lumbini Village, with
lodges, restaurants, a cultural centre and tourist facilities.
In addition to its religious
and historical significance, Lumbini offers insights into
the village life of southern Nepal. A weekly Monday bazaar
draws villagers from miles around to buy grain, spices, pottery,
jewelry, saris and other items. The sight is reminiscent of
a scene from The Arabian Nights – colourful merchandise
spread under mango trees, the fragrance of incense in the
air, an opportunity to buy souvenirs, watch wooden ox-carts
trundling by and villagers drying cow-dung for fuel in the
sunshine.
Lumbini is beginning to receive
the attention of travelers and archaeologists after centuries
of neglect. Serious preservation efforts began only a few
decades ago, and as visitors will discover, the town is a
slice of history worth seeing and definitely worth preserving
|
|
|
