Lumbini is situated in Kapilvastu District of Lumbini Zone the western Terai of Nepal, 295 kms south west of Kathmandu. It is the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautam Buddha, the apostle of peace, compassion and non-violence. The broken Ashoka pillar remnant of an old monastery, images of Buddha's mother Maya Devi, etc. are preserved in Lumbini. For centuries, Buddhists - all over the world, knew that Lumbini where the Lord was born is somewhere around. The descriptions of famous Chinese pilgrims (of ancient times) Huian Tsang and Faeihan indicated to this area-saying 'Lumbini-where the lord 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 the 1st 1886 when a wandering German archaeologist Dr. Alois A. Fuhrer came across a stone pillar and ascertained beyond doubt it is indeed the birthplace of Lord Buddha.

Sightseeing
The Ashokan Pillar: Discovered by the now famous German archaeologist Dr. Fuhrer, the pillar is the first epigraphic evidence relating to the life history of Lord Buddha and is also the most visible landmark of the garden. The historic importance of the pillar is evident by the inscription engraved in the pillar (in Brahmi script). The pillar was erected by Emperor Ashoka in 249 BC to commemorate his pilgrimage to the sacred site. To the south of the pillar, there is a sacred pond, Puskarni, where Queen Mayadevi had taken a bath just before giving birth to the Buddha.

Puskarni - The sacred pool: South of the Ashokan Pillar, there is the famous sacred pool- 'Puskarni' believed to be the same sacred pool in which Maya Devi took a holy dip just before giving birth to the Lord and also where infant Buddha was given his first purification bath. Architecturally the pool has the projecting terraces in descending order and is reverted with fine brick masonry.

Sanctum Sanctorum of the Birthplace: 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 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 Lord Buddha.

Image of Maya Devi: In addition to Ashokan Pillar, the other Shrine of importance is the bas-relief image of Maya Devi, enshrined in a small pagoda-like structure, the image shows Maya Devi, mother of the Lord supporting herself by holding on with her right hand to a branch of Sal tree, with newly born infant Buddha standing upright on a lotus pedestal on an oval halo. Two other celestial figures are depicted in an act of pouring water and lotuses bestowed from heaven.

Earlier the image was placed in the famous white temple of MayaDevi beside the pillar-now totally dismantled to make way for the excavations, which revealed the Sanctum Sanctorum the exact spot where the Lord was born.

The Buddhist Temple: The monastery-of the Buddhist temple is built inside the surrounding complex of Lumbini in the manner of modern Buddhist shrines in Nepal. The prayer hall contains a large image of Buddha, medieval style murals decorate the walls.