Lumbini – Birth Place of Lord Buddha
Lumbini – Birth Place of Lord Buddha
Lumbini – Peace and the Light of the World
Lumbini – Birth Place of Lord Buddha
Siddhartha Hotel Association of Nepal (SHAN), the regional chapter of Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN), is promoting Nepal in Thailand with the slogan ‘Visit Lumbini Help Nepal’. To promote the campaign, tourism entrepreneurs of Lumbini are leaving for Bangkok on June 5.
According to a press statement, they will be organizing a photo exhibition displaying various places of Lumbini, show a documentary about Lumbini and organize an interaction for promotion of Lumbini with tourism entrepreneurs, media persons and concerted stakeholders in Wat Saket — a popular Buddhist temple in Bangkok.
Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) has invited tourists to visit Lumbini saying that monuments in the UNESCO World Heritage site have not suffered any damage due to the earthquake of April 25.
Issuing a press statement, LDT — the agency that oversees development and promotion of Lumbini — said Lumbini is safe to visit. “Domestic and foreign tourists can visit Lumbini without any fear,” LDT said in a statement.
Ajit Man Tamang, member secretary of LDT, said in the statement said that all temples and historical monuments in Lumbini are safe. “Sites connected to Lord Buddha’s life like his home town , Sacred Garden Kapilvastu, historical Kapilvastu Durbar Area in Tilaurakot, Buddha’s maternal uncle’s house in Devdaha, birthplace of Krukachanda Buddha in Gotihawa, and birthplace of Kanakmuni Buddha in Niglihawa have not suffered any damage,” the statement added.
Source: MyRepublica
The proposed design of the lotus-shaped monastery being constructed in Lumbini. Such monastries are attracting more tourists and making Lumbini popular, according to Lumbini Development Trust, the government appointed agency to oversee the overall development of the birth-place of Lord Buddha.
LUMBINI, Nepal – A dozer was clearing a plot of land in Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, on Saturday afternoon. The preparation was for the construction of a sanctuary in the shape of a lotus flower on the eastern part of the Monastic Zone in Lumbini.Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche, an American Buddhist leader, is building the structure with the hopes of creating a pilgrimage site.
When completed, it is likely to be a major tourist draw among other monasteries that have been constructed in Lumbini, said officials at the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT), an agency established by the government to oversee the implementation of the master plan to develop Lumbini as a pilgrimage site.
Various monasteries, constructed in the zone by organizations from different countries, are a major attraction for tourists. As many as 42 plots of land have been set aside for monastery construction inside the zone.
“Tourists from a particular country feel connected to the holy place when they see monastery of their country. It is a reason why Lumbini is increasingly seeing more tourists in recent years,” said Gyanin Rai, chief of Kathmandu-based office of LDT.
After the construction of various pilgrimage sites like monasteries, tourists visiting the Lumbini have increased drastically. The tourist footfall increased by 40.57 percent to 1.19 million in 2014.
According to data of LDT, a total of 849,273 tourists from 83 different countries visited Lumbini last year. In 2012, 758,269 visitors arrived.
Similarly, domestic tourists comprised the highest number visitors to Lumbini in 2014, followed by those from India. A total of 902,621 Nepalis visited Lumbini in 2014, up from 573,529 in 2013.
Many organizations and religious leaders from countries like China, Japan, Vietnam, Germany, France, South Korea, Singapore, Burma, Canada and Cambodia have either constructed or are in the process of building monasteries in the zone as part of the Master Plan of Lumbini by raising funds.
The lotus-shaped sanctuary, which has been named “The Mahasiddha Sanctuary for Universal Peace,” is one of such structures.
The sanctuary is designed by Germany’s famous architect Stephan Braunfels, who had designed the building of German Parliament in Berlin. The site is less than a mile away from Maya Devi Temple.
Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche, the spiritual leader behind the initiative, said that he wanted to construct the structure to draw attention of the people across the world to Nepal. “I believe that the construction of such beautiful structures will help the birthplace get wider popularity. Plus, it makes the holy site even more beautiful,” added he, who has already constructed Shyalpa Holistic Healing and Retreat Center adjacent to Shyalpa Monastery in Kathmandu.
The sanctuary, which will be three-story tall, will consist of a magnificent main hall honoring the birth of the Buddha, a museum, a print and digital library (containing a complete collection of Buddhist literature to date in all languages), a retreat center, conference facilities, and accommodation for monks and nuns. The hall, which can accommodate over 1500 people, will serve as a meditation center for pilgrims visiting the holy place.
“We want the structure to serve as a focal point for everyone to channel their energies towards the great purpose of universal harmony and happiness,” he said, adding, the building is be constructed by raising funds from Buddhist people across the world.
Source: Republica
The remains of more than 1.5 lakh items of archaeological importance related to Gautam Buddha were excavated this year’ in Tilaurakot Durbar Square of Kapilvastu.
More than 700 items and 1.5 lakh remains belonging to Buddha’s time were found at the world heritage site, said Dr Jennifer Trimley, an archaeologist of Durham University, UK.
Researchers at Tilaurakot Durbar found remains of an ancient human settlement. They found clay pots, coal, and structures of houses.
The excavation was jointly held with technical assistance from archaeologists of Durham University and financial support from Japanese trust funds, Nepal Archaeology Department and Lumbini Development Trust.
Source: The Himalayan Times
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.
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