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Lumbini
(Sanskrit for "the lovely") is a
Buddhist pilgrimage site located in
Rupandehi District, Lumbini Zone of
Nepal near the Indian border. It is the
birth place of Gautama Buddha, the
founder of Buddhism, who lived between
approximately 563 BCE and 483 BCE.
Lumbini is located 25kms east of the
municipality of Kapilavastu, the place
where the Buddha grew up and lived up to
the age of 29. Kapilvastu is the name of
place as well as the neighbouring
district.
In 1896, Nepalese archaeologists (effort
by Khadga Samsher Rana ) discovered a
great stone pillar at the site,
attributed to Emperor Ashoka. Records
made by the Chinese pilgrim Fa Xian were
also used in the process of identifying
this religiously acclaimed site. For
Buddhists, this is one of four
pilgrimage sites based around the life
of Gautama Buddha, the other three being
Kushinagar, Bodh Gaya, and Sarnath.
Lumbini, as of 1997, is an UNESCO World
Heritage Site specifically nominated for
the international World heritage
program. |