DAY 140 -
LUMBINI
140) MONDAY, 14 NOVEMBER 1977 : 117KMS. - LUMBINI
We left PHARENDA
moving up to the north through NAUTANWA until we reached the border checkpoint in SONAULA.
It did not take us too long on the side of INDIA. So we crossed the border to NEPAL,
we filled out a form of bringing valuables into the country. Authorities at the border checkpoint of NEPAL
were polite and not too fussy. After having a look inside and walked around
our campervan, they let us go. We then exchanged some money, US $ 100. - = RS.
1,245. -.
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| LUMBINI, NEPAL - Photo : wikipedia.org / Google images search |
We went on driving to BHAIRAWA and
turned to LUMBINI direction in order to pay homage to the birthplace of the Lord
Buddha. The most parts of the road were in
good condition throughout since they have been recently completed as one of development
projects of LUMBINI, supported by the United Nations. Still some parts of the
road to cross rivers and streams were very
bad as they were under construction (with a distance of about 2 kms before arriving
LUMBINI). Upon arriving at LUMBINI, we were crossing with 2 tourist buses leaving
from the parking area. We were told that they were pilgrims from Thailand.
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| Lumbini Bodhi tree - Photo : wikipedia.org / Bing images search |
LUMBINI, the birthplace of the Lord Buddha (623 BCE) has been neglected and
abandoned without interest in taking good care. There were no major ruins left
even the condition of lush tropical gardens may not be visible, though it was once
a shady park of the dynasties Shakya and Golya.
King Ashoka from Maurya dynasty had ever
visited here in 249 B.C. and had a monolithic (Ashokan Pillar) inscribed as having
visited the sanctuary and paid homage to the place as the birthplace of the Lord Buddha and hence having ordered not to collect
taxes from villagers of LUMBINI.
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| Ashoka Pillar - Photo : nepalsightseeing.com / Bing images search |
As told by the Chinese pilgrim Fa-hsien (AD 403), and Hsuan-tsang (AD 636), who
visited KAPILAVASTU (KAPILRASTU) and LUMBINI, the area was filled with ruins of pagodas, temples and palaces. Hsuan-tsang
observed a crack of Ashoka pillar caused by lightning (in 1895 the German
archaeologist Dr. Alois Anton Fuhrer was walking around the pillar and
discovered the crack by chance). However, LUMBINI was abandoned and neglected for several decades.
In the 4th world conference of Buddhist religion in 1956, the King Mahendra of Nepal initially donated his private fund to start development of LUMBINI.
Located near Ashoka Pillar, a small chapel was built on elevated
ground under the Bodhi tree. Inside the small chapel there was a statue of the Lord Buddha as an infant standing and raising his right hand
and pointing his index finger upward. There
was also a bas-relief depicting the birth of the Lord Buddha with his Queen
mother Siri Mahamaya, the Buddha, ascetics or Brahmins appearing in the
vicinity but faces were half-destroyed. I could only see the layout.
I paid
homage to the birthplace and the Buddha statue with incense sticks while contemplating on my good deed of
visiting the birth place of Lord Buddha and spreading the merit of worship to
reach everyone. There are monasteries of
TIBET and NEPAL in LUMBINI. All around the area, many trees have been planted
to revive an atmosphere of a lush green park again.
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| http://munichtomadras1977.blogspot.com |
We departed from LUMBINI, passing village market with many people. It looked
like a scene in a movie, unusual and interesting. I noticed the way Nepalese people
greet each other by WAI or putting their palms together. The younger firstly greets the elder by WAI and bent down his body so that his forehead touches
the feet of an elder. I was not sure if it was the way a layman greets a priest
or dignitary or people of different Hindu castes.
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| http://munichtomadras1977.blogspot.com |
Local market near the birthplace of the Lord Buddha in LUMBINI, NEPAL.
