Buddha Jayanti being observed today

Buddha Jayanti being observed today
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli his spouse Radhika Shakya among other officials pose for photograph during a programme organised by the government of Province 5 on the occasion of 2,563rd Buddha Jayanti and the beginning of Visit Lumbini Year 2076 BS, in Lumbini.

Buddha Jayanti, the day of the birth of Lord Buddha, is being celebrated across the country today.

Also known as Buddha Purnima, the day falls on Baishakh Shukla Purnima as per the lunar calendar, which is a full moon day.

Those celebrating visit Buddhist monastries and shrines to worship Lord Buddha, who is believed to be the messenger of peace, based on whose teachings Buddhism was founded.

Visit Lumbini Year 2076 BS

Gautam Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gautam, was born a prince to King Suddhodana of the Shakya dynasty of Tilaurakot — which is located in Kapilvastu, Nepal — and Queen Maya Devi.

The queen is known to have given birth to Buddha in Lumbini, while on the way to her maternal home in Devdaha, which falls in Rupandehi district of Nepal.

Government of Province 5, where Lumbini is situated, is organising an array of programmes today to mark the 2,563rd Buddha Jayanti, also the beginning of Visit Lumbini Year 2076 BS.

Prime MInister KP Sharma Oli his spouse Radhika Shakya among other officials holds flame take part in a rally organised by the government of Province 5 on the occasion of 2,563rd Buddha Jayanti and the beginning of Visit Lumbini Year 2076 BS, in Lumbini.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli reached Lumbini yesterday evening to participate in the events planned for the day, while President Bidya Devi Bhandari is scheduled to reach there today to attend various programmes.

The Prime Minister also visited the Tilaurakot palace premises and lit lamps in Lumbini.

Moreover, President Bhandari as the chief guest is scheduled to officially inaugurate the Visit Lumbini Year 2076 BS to be announced by Province 5 government, according to Lumbini Development Trust.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli at the peace rally being organised on the occasion of 2,563rd Buddha Jayanti and the beginning of Visit Lumbini Year 2076 BS, organised by the government of Province 5, in Lumbini.

Likewise, PM Oli will perform a special worship-ritual at Mayadevi Temple, start the peace rally, plant saplings, unfurl the flag of Nepal, and serve food to the monks, State-5 Minister for Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment Lila Giri was quoted in Rastriya Samachar Samiti.

Buddha is believed to have received enlightenment in Bodha Gaya in the Indian state of Bihar, following which he started sharing his knowledge with his disciples.

Birth of Buddha is also celebrated across Asia including India, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar among other nations.

Source: The Himalayan Times

Reference

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Lumbini – The Birthplace of the Lord Buddha

Lumbini  – The Birthplace of the Lord Buddha

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Siddhartha Gautama, the Lord Buddha, was born in 623 B.C. in the famous gardens of Lumbini, which soon became a place of pilgrimage. Among the pilgrims was the Indian emperor Ashoka, who erected one of his commemorative pillars there. The site is now being developed as a Buddhist pilgrimage centre, where the archaeological remains associated with the birth of the Lord Buddha form a central feature.

Lumbini - The Birth Place of Lord Buddha

Brief synthesis
The Lord Buddha was born in 623 BC in the sacred area of Lumbini located in the Terai plains of southern Nepal, testified by the inscription on the pillar erected by the Mauryan Emperor Asoka in 249 BC. Lumbini is one of the holiest places of one of the world’s great religions, and its remains contain important evidence about the nature of Buddhist pilgrimage centres from as early as the 3rd century BC.

The complex of structures within the archaeological conservation area includes the Shakya Tank; the remains within the Maya Devi Temple consisting of brick structures in a cross-wall system dating from the 3rd century BC to the present century and the sandstone Ashoka pillar with its Pali inscription in Brahmi script. Additionally there are the excavated remains of Buddhist viharas (monasteries) of the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD and the remains of Buddhist stupas (memorial shrines) from the 3rd century BC to the 15th century AD. The site is now being developed as a Buddhist pilgrimage centre, where the archaeological remains associated with the birth of the Lord Buddha form a central feature.

Lord Buddha Nepal

Integrity
The integrity of Lumbini has been achieved by means of preserving the archaeological remains within the property boundary that give the property its Outstanding Universal Value. The significant attributes and elements of the property have been preserved. The buffer zone gives the property a further layer of protection. Further excavations of potential archaeological sites and appropriate protection of the archaeological remains are a high priority for the integrity of the property. The property boundary however does not include the entire archaeological site and various parts are found in the buffer zone. The entire property including the buffer zone is owned by the Government of Nepal and is being managed by the Lumbini Development Trust and therefore there is little threat of development or neglect. However the effects of industrial development in the region have been identified as a threat to the integrity of the property.

Swayambhunath Stupa

Authenticity
The authenticity of the archaeological remains within the boundaries has been confirmed through a series of excavations since the discovery of the Asoka pillar in 1896. The remains of viharas, stupas and numerous layers of brick structures from the 3rd century BC to the present century at the site of the Maya Devi Temple are proof of Lumbini having been a centre of pilgrimage from early times. The archaeological remains require active conservation and monitoring to ensure that the impact of natural degradation, influence of humidity and the impact of the visitors are kept under control. The property continues to express its Outstanding Universal Value through its archaeological remains. The delicate balance must be maintained between conserving the archaeological vestiges of the property while providing for the pilgrims.

lumbini Canal

Protection and management requirements
The property site is protected by the Ancient Monument Preservation Act 1956. The site management is carried out by the Lumbini Development Trust, an autonomous and non-profit making organization. The entire property is owned by the Government of Nepal. The property falls within the centre of the Master Plan area, the planning of which was initiated together with the United Nations and carried out by Prof. Kenzo Tange between 1972 and 1978.

Swayambhunath

The long-term challenges for the protection and management of the property are to control the impact of visitors, and natural impacts including humidity and the industrial development in the region. A Management Plan is in the process of being developed to ensure the long-term safeguarding of the archaeological vestiges of the property while allowing for the property to continue being visited by pilgrims and tourists from around the world.

Source: UNESCO

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Lumbini excavations among worlds top 10 discoveries in 2014

Lumbini excavations among worlds top 10 discoveries in 2014

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Archaeology, a magazine of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA), has featured the discovery of a structure dating back to the sixth century B.C. at Lumbini and linked with the life of Gautam Buddha, as among the world´s top 10 discoveries of 2014.

AIA is a reputed nonprofit organizaiton established in 1879 for the preservation and promotion of archaelogical sites in the world.

Archaeologists working on excavations within the sacred Maya Devi Temple at Lumbini, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on November 25, 2014 uncovered a timber structure dating back to the sixth century B.C., under a series of brick temples.

Issuing a press release on Friday, Christian Manhart, UNESCO Representative to Nepal, stated that “UNESCO is proud to be associated with the important discovery in Lumbini which has been featured among the top ten discoveries of 2014”.

An international team of archaeologists, led by Professor Robin Coningham of Durham University, UK and Kosh Prasad Acharya, senior archaeologist at the Department of Archaeology, had carried out the excavations.

Manhart further said that the discovery of the timber structure not only provides some of the earliest evidence for Buddhist monuments but also helps inform the debate as to when Buddha lived and the social and economic context in which he lived.
lumbini-Nepal

An archeological dig under way in Lumbini in this picture taken last year. 9Photo Courtesy: Ira Block/National Geographic)

According to the archaeologists, the uncovered timber structure contains an open space in the center that can be linked to the nativity story of the Buddha. They presume that the open space in the center of the timber shrine may have accommodated a tree. And the brick temples built later above the timber structure were also arranged around the central space, which was open to the sky.

Various Buddhist scriptures have it that Queen Maya Devi, mother of the Buddha, gave birth to him while holding on to the branch of a tree at the Lumbini gardens, midway between the kingdoms of her husband and her parents.

This is the first archaeological material discovered at the temple, that is linked to the life period of the Buddha. Many archeologists believe it helps clear the misconception that Buddha was born in India.

The excavation project was funded by the Government of Japan and UNESCO and implemented with the help of the Department of Archaeology and the Lumbini Development Trust.

The Mayadevi Temple at Lumbini remains a living shrine and is visited by Buddhist from all over the world.

The team is now currently working together with the Government of Nepal at Tilaurakot, one of the sites identified as ancient Kapilavastu, where the Buddha lived until the age of 29.

Source: MYREPUBLICA

SAARC leaders plan to visit Lumbini

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with the Bhutanese King and the Sri Lankan President have expressed their willingness to visit the Buddhist holy shrine during  the SAARC Summit to be held in Kathmandu on 26 – 27,2014.

Keeping in view the SAARC leaders visit , Lumbini  Development Trust has implemented different works to beautify Lumbini .Sacred garden area , Mayadevi temple area and other important locations are renovated and painted.

lumbini (1)

Meanwhile, the number of Indian and Chinese tourists visiting Lumbini has increased in recent months.A total of 13,300 Chinese tourists visited Lumbini in the first nine months of 2014 according to LDT.

Most of the tourists visiting Lumbini are from India, China , Sri Lanka and Thailand .

The total number of tourist arrival in Lumbini was 136,000 in 2012 and 125,000 in 2013.More than 83,000 foreign tourists have visited the sacred place during January-September 2014.

Source: Travelbiznews

Nepal, Sri Lanka set to revive direct air link

Nepal, Sri Lanka set to revive direct air link

The relationship between Sri Lanka and Nepal may strengthen once the two nations resume direct air travel service between Colombo and Kathmandu early next year.

buddhist-monks-lumbini

Buddhists monks pray outside the Maya Devi temple in Lumbini, Nepal, the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha.Nepal and Sri Lanka are set to re-establish direct air service, making it easier for Sri Lankan Buddhists to visit the holy site. [Prakash Mathema/AFP]

The two countries signed an Air Service Agreement (ASA) to establish direct service between their two capital cities in 2009, and it is projected to become reality in March 2015. “Mihin Lanka airline is set to start direct flight from Colombo to Kathmandu starting March. All necessary preparations have already been made to this effect,” Sri Lankan Ambassador W. M. Senevirathna told Khabar South Asia.

Sri Lanka’s other state-owned airline, Sri Lankan Airlines, will likely begin its own direct service to Kathmandu once it completes renewal of its long-haul fleet, the ambassador said. Mohan Krishna Sapkota, a spokesman at Nepal’s Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, confirmed the arrangement. “We expect this to help boost Nepal’s tourism and bolster friendship between the two countries,” he told Khabar.

Nepal’s national flag carrier — then known as Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation — had weekly direct service from Kathmandu to Colombo until the early 1980s. Escalating domestic terrorism in Sri Lanka and air safety issues in Nepal caused suspension of the service.

Special cultural relations between Nepal and Sri Lanka

As home to Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha , Nepal has special cultural and religious relations with Sri Lanka, where over 70 percent of the population is Buddhist.

According to the Nepal Tourism Board, in 2011, nearly 60,000 Sri Lankan nationals traveled to Nepal – mainly visiting Lumbini. In 2012, nearly 70,000 visited.

“As direct flights between the two countries make travel a lot easier, we expect more Sri Lankan nationals to visit Nepal in coming years,” Ajit Man Tamang of the Lumbini Development Trust told Khabar.

Tamang added that Sri Lankan tourists constitute the largest number of tourists visiting Lumbini, followed by Burmese and Thai.

Source: Khabar South Asia

Beautiful places in Nepal for your vacation

Nepal and Himalayas have been the synonym words for Nepal enjoys the pride of having 8 out of 10 highest peaks of the world! We don’t have only mountains but our unique geography has given us green hills and valleys, rivers, subtropical forests and flat lands all adding beauty to our country. Apart from geographical diversity, we have incredible cultural diversity within the boundary of our small Himalayan Kingdom. We have a number of ethnic groups, each with their own languages, cultures, and costumes, all living in perfect harmony.

The best way to experience unbeatable combination of natural beauty and cultural riches of Nepal is to walk through terrain. One can walk along the beaten trails or virgin tracks. Either way you are in for an experience of a lifetime. Along with rhododendron forests, isolated hamlets, small mountain villages, birds, animals, temples, monasteries (Gomba) breathtaking landscape of unsurpassable mountain ranges, you will also encounter friendly people of different cultures and traditional rural life.

The great Mountains with unsurpassable splendor, crystal clear streams and brooks, the high current of rivers, colorful species of flowers, birds and animals, abundance of greenery and forests with much more hidden beauty and mystery with unavoidable adventure and fun will be waiting for you.

Here are the best tourist attractions in Nepal you can visit:

Kathmandu:

Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley

Kathmandu is Nepal’s largest city and capital of Nepal. Kathmandu is situated in a valley in the heart of Nepal. Kathmandu is famous for many Buddhist temples and in it, mostly from the 17th century. One example is the Kathmandu’s Durbar Square. Buildings that are open admiration in Nepal as a tourist attraction was built in the 16th century, contains a marvelous royal palace and many temples built in traditional pagoda style.

Durbar Square. This complex of palaces, courtyards and temples like Hanumandhoka Palace, Kumari Ghar (Abode of the Living Goddess), Taleju temple, built between the 12th and 18th centuries, used to be the seat of the ancient Malla Kings of Kathmandu. An intriguing piece here is the 17h -century stone inscription set into the wall of the palace with writings in 15 languages. The Durbar Square, protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the social, religious and urban focal point of the city. Even to date, all the major state and social ceremonies, including the solemnization of coronations are performed in one of the courtyards in this complex. There are also museums inside the palace building. There is an entrance fee of Rs. 250 for foreign visitors. Your ticket to the Square entitles you to visit all the museums.

Chitwan:

Chitwan National Park

Nepal’s first & most famous national park, The Chitwan National Park covering 932 sq. Km is situated in the southern terai lowlands of Nepal. Widely known for one of the richest varieties of wild life adventures.Only 160 km from Kathmandu, 155 km from Pokhara & 160 km from the Indian border (Sunauli), Chitwan National Park is the best known safari park in Nepal .It is home to many species of animals such as the world famous royal Bengal Tiger, the great one horned Rhinoceros, 4 different kinds of deer, sloth Bear, Leopards, crocodiles, monkeys as well as many different species of butterflies, insects & over 450 sorts of colorful & endangered birds.

Even if you don’t get the chance to see all of these animals, the rich vegetation with dense forest, grassland & riverside areas will be worth walking through.
From Kathmandu & Pokhara comfortable tourist buses have daily departures to Chitwan. If you have only limited time, you can also fly to Bharatpur Airport which is only 17 km away from Jugle Wildlife Camp.

Pokhara:

pokhara1

The Pokhara Valley, a land of spectacular beauty crowned by the majestic Himalayas, conjures visions of calm but vibrant green hills. Loaded with luxuriant vegetation and dotted with shimmering lakes, the valley offers awesome vistas. Magnificent image of Mount Machhapuchhare reflected in the clear waters of the Lake Phewa leaves everyone spellbound. One of the Nepal’s adventure hubs, it has reputation of being the second home for the tourists worldwide.

The geographical studies reveal that centuries ago a glacier was formed in the valley. As the time passed, the temperatures steadily increased and the solid ice melted and formed a river that began flowing, cutting into the soil of Pokhara. The regular flow of glacial waters created several underground tunnels. Currently, most of these tunnels are dry and are found in the form of caves.

Lumbini:

lumbini (1)

Lumbini is the birth of place of Lord Buddha and has been declared as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. It is small town in the southern Terai plains of Nepal, where the ruins of the old city can still be seen. At the age of 84, he left this world with thousands of followers to keep Buddhism alive. Lumbini has since been a holy ground for Buddhists all over the world. The restored garden and surroundings of Lumbini have the remains of many of the ancient stupas and monasteries. A large stone pillar erected by the Indian Emperor Ashoka in 250 BC bears an inscription about the birth of the Buddha. An important part of Lumbini is the temple of Maya Devi. It has stone image of Maya Devi giving birth to Lord Buddha as she holds onto a branch.

An important archeological site near Lumbini, Kapilvastu evokes the ancient palace where Lord Buddha spent his formative years. Scattered foundations of the palace are abundant and archeologists have by now discovered 13 successive layers of human habitation dating back to the eighth century BC.