Situated in the foothills of the Churiya range in the district of Rupandehi, 300km southwest of capital Kathmandu,Nepal. Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha is the first and foremost site of pilgrimage among the Chatumahasthana. Buddhist literature declares that the newly born Prince Siddhartha took seven steps and uttered some precious words as epoch making message to the suffering humanity. It happened in the beautiful sal grove of Lumbini, Nepal. The garden was renowned for the beauty of its shady grove of lush green trees ad colorful flowers. Maya Devi, the queen of Sakya King Suddhodana of Kapilavastu, on the way to her maternal hometown Devadaha, was passing through the Lumbini Garden. It was the Vaisakha Poornima (Full Moon Day) of 623 BC. While the queen was walking to the garden and took bath in the Puskarini. After bath she preceded toward the north, felt labor pain and took support of the branch of a tree, she gave birth to the prince.
For Lumbini the Lord Buddha Said
"Ananda, This (Lumbini) place is where the Tathagata was born, this is a place, which should be visited and seen by a person of devotion and which would cause awareness and apprehension of the nature of impermanence. At this place, Ananda, who are on a pilgrimage to (this) shrine, if they should die with devotion in their heart during the course of the pilgrimage, will after (their) death and dissolution of the body of reborn in a good destination, a fortunate celestial realm" (Mahaparnirvana Sutta)
Lumbini is a pilgrimage site for all who cherish peace and harmony is visited by more than 500,000 Buddhist and non Buddhist visitors every year. Taking this in consideration and to ensure that the benefit of tourism goes to the local community as well, rural tourism has been developed and promoted in the region. The Lumbini-Buddhist Circuit that includes other areas related to the life of the Buddha and the newly developed village tour offer additional options for tourists.
People
Lumbini is home to people from varied backgrounds, religion, caste and creed. There are Hindus and Buddhists, as well as Muslims and Christians here. The Lumbini area is located in southwest of Rupandehi. The population of Lumbini is segmented in several cultural communities. The major cultures here are Terai Bhojpuri and Tharu.
The major cultural sub groups are Biraha, Tharu, Jhumada and segmented Bhojpuri culture as well. The cultural communities follow their own tradition of costume, make up, entertainment performance and also their own language.
Women usually wear saree and blouse or lungi, while the men wear lungi and pyjama. Muslim women wear burkas (complete covering black veil), which is an integral part of the culture.
