Lumbini - important landmarks
If you are a Buddhist pilgrim, then the first stop on your itinerary has to be Lumbini. The birthplace of the Buddha, Lumbini today is a small village in the Himalayan foothills in Nepal, 27 kms from the Indo-Nepalese border. It is an important pilgrim destination and is revered by both Buddhists and Hindus alike.

At the time of the birth of the Buddha this was a beautiful garden owned jointly by the Shakya and Kolia clans. Gautam Buddha, as Prince Siddhartha came to be known as after his enlightenment, was born in these verdant surroundings.

Almost 300 years after the Mahaparinirvana (passing away) of the Buddha, the great Mauryan Emperor Ashoka visited Lumbini in about 249 BC. In honor of the Buddha he constructed four stupas and a stone pillar with a figure of a horse on top to mark the former's place of birth. Today, only the Ashoka stone pillar stands, albeit in a broken state.

A temple called the Mayadevi temple was constructed, in which are found two panels that depict this holy birth. These were installed by Malla Kings of the Naga dynasty who ruled the Karnali area of Nepal from 11th to 15th century AD. It is believed that this temple was built over one of the original stupas constructed by Ashoka.

Also, found nearby is a sacred tank called Puskarni, which is believed to be the tank in whose waters Queen Mahamaya took a bath prior to her delivery and also whose waters were used to cleanse the newborn baby.

Over the centuries, this area got neglected and lost in the maze of time, till the 19th century when a German archaeologist Feuhrer discovered the place accidentally. In 1895, while wandering across the Himalayan foothills in the area, Feuhrer came across the broken pillar in a dense thicket and upon further excavation the Mayadevi temple was also unearthed.

In the recent past, Lumbini has seen a flurry of construction activities. Several shrines have come up in the area.

The Lumbini Dharmodaya Samiti Dharamashala
A Buddhist monastery was established in 1956. The architecture of this edifice is styled on Nepalese temples with beautiful murals depicting scenes from the life of the Buddha.

1967, it was decided to create a pilgrimage and tourist centre in Lumbini under the aegis of the United Nations. Thus, the Lumbini Development Trust was formed in Nepal in 1985 to implement and administer the master plan with assistance from international funding. In 1996, construction work began on a Monastery on a 1,500 square meters plot of land. The Drubgyud Choeling Monastery is two stories high and is built in accordance with traditional Tibetan architecture.

Apart from all the shrines, one of the must sees for any tourist is the Lumbini Research Institute, which contains valuable Buddhist literature and a museum depicting the Buddha's story.

Travel to Lumbini
From the Indian border post of Sonauli in Bihar, Lumbini is 27 kms inside Nepalese territory. People holding Indian passports don't need a visa to visit Nepal, although foreigners have to apply for a visa. From Kathmandu, Lumbini is about 150 kms.

Sonauli is well connected by road to the rest of India and is one of the most popular border crossings between India and Nepal. In case one is traveling by rail the nearest railhead is Gorakhpur from where one will have to avail of buses or hire a private taxi to reach Sonauli.

In case you wish to travel by air, the nearest airport in India is Varanasi, which is 323 kms away from Lumbini. So, a better route is to fly to Kathmandu, and take a connecting flight to Bhairawha. The latter is only 13 kms from Lumbini.

When to go to Lumbin
Although, a pilgrim can travel to Lumbini at any time of the year, there are two events which one must try to attend. At the end of September as well as on 13 December, over 2,000 monks congregate at Lumbini for the Peace Pooja and the Mahakala Pooja respectively. Both these Poojas are 10-day long events.

Climate of Lumbini
The climate of Lumbini remains mostly pleasant throughout the year. The best months to visit Lumbini are from September end to mid-March. The winters can get chilly here with the Mercury hovering close to freezing point, so remember to carry your woolens. The wet spell of the monsoons should be avoided.

Bodh Gaya - important landmarks
Today, Bodh Gaya is one of the most attractive tourist destinations, particularly for Buddhist pilgrims, in the world. It is one of the most tourist-active spots in India. At the time Prince Siddhartha had chosen Bodh Gaya for his spiritual quest, this place was a forested land and adjoining it was a small village of Uruvela.

Bodh Gaya today has several landmarks of importance. One of the most sacred is the Bodhi Tree under which the Buddha sat in contemplation and which was also the seat of his Enlightenment. The tree that exists there today is supposed to be a descendant of the original tree. It is believed that Emperor Ashoka's children, who were responsible for spreading the Buddha's message all across the Far East, took seeds from the original Bodhi tree and planted them in various spots. One such spot was in Sri Lanka, which exists to this day. The current Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya has grown out of a sapling brought from the Sri Lankan Bodhi tree.

Close to the Bodhi tree is the Mahabodhi Temple. This temple has a very interesting history having been built and destroyed several times.

It is believed that the foundation of this temple was laid by Emperor Ashoka. This great ruler had visited Bodh Gaya some 300 years after the Buddha's Enlightenment. Apart from establishing a monastery, it is believed that this great king had also built a diamond throne shrine with a canopy supported by four pillars at the exact spot of Enlightenment of the Buddha.

The temple was rebuilt in the 7th century AD by the Pala kings of Bengal and then destroyed by Muslim invaders some 500 years later. In the 14th century it was restored by Burmese kings and soon afterwards it was heavily flooded and lay submerged till 1811. After its discovery it was excavated and was finally handed over in 1953 to Dr S. Radhakrishnan, who at that time was the Vice-President of independent India.

This temple has seven sacred sites inside which are believed to be the exact spots where the Buddha spent a week each after enlightenment.

Over the years, in independent India, several Buddhist Monasteries have been built in Bodh Gaya. These have been established by devout Buddhists from all across the world including Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan and all of these are within walking distance from the Mahabodhi compound.

Bodh Gaya Museum, located near the temple, is the home of several antiquities, which have been excavated around the Bodh Gaya region. The museum can offer great insights into the development of this religion that sends out the message of world peace.

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