Lumbini (Nepal): The story of the discovery of the birthplace of Buddha

Lumbini is the place where Buddha was born in 623 BC. But the Bethlehem of Buddhism was lost to the civilized world during the 12th century for more than 700 years and was taken over by dense marsh forests only to be rediscovered and excavated in 1896.
The birthplace of Buddha suffered its first major setback during the life of Buddha himself when it was deserted after a revenge invasion and massacre of his Sakyan clan members but rose back to its full glory during the 3rd century BC.
This is a fascinating story of how one of the most significant landmarks in the history of humanity, the holy place where Buddha was born, was lost along with several magnificent temples and monasteries which were centuries old and always kept alive by thousands of monks and pilgrims.

Rediscovery of Lumbini:
During the 1890s, Rana Kadga Samsher, the Governor of Nepal’s Palpa district came to know about an old stone pillar in the middle of the forests of Rupandehi district. He went deep into the forest with his team and started excavation of the site.
Rana Kadga Samsher had discovered the Asokan Pillar of Lumbini, and the ancient inscriptions on the pillar in the Pali script mentioned the place to be Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha. The later discovery of the nativity sculpture, depicting the birth scene of Buddha put the final stamp on the authenticity of this place to be the real Lumbini – The Holy Place of Birth of Buddha.

Lumbini of Today
Lumbini of today has regained her lost glory and is designated as one of the 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Nepal, frequented by millions of pilgrims and tourists every year. You can still feel the omnipresence of Buddha at his very birthplace and at the Pushkarni pond, where queen Mahamaya took her bath before giving birth to Buddha. Today Lumbini is regarded as one of the best places to visit in Asia and one of the best Buddhist places to visit in the world.
Mahamaya temple signifies the history of Buddhism in Nepal and this Buddhist site is closely related to the history of Buddha and life of Buddha.
One must visit Lumbini in Nepal to understand the Buddhist History in Nepal. The Lumbini excavation is still going out and keeps on throwing new information about Buddhism in Nepal.
This is also a story about why Buddhism was lost and why Buddhism declined.
Lumbini is definitely one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage destinations in the world.

Credits:

Credits for Lumbini Pictures:

1. Lumbini pillar excavation 1896
Alois Anton Führer (26 November 1853, Limburg an der Lahn, Germany – 5 November 1930 Binningen, Switzerland), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Page url: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lumbini_pillar_excavation_1896.jpg
2. Rummindei view of the ruins and the Lumbini pillar from the West
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lumbini_pillar_excavation_1896.jpg
Page url: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rummindei_view_of_the_ruins_and_the_Lumbini_pillar_from_the_West.jpg
3. Rummindei view of the ruins and the Lumbini pillar from the South
Mukherji, P. C; Smith, Vincent Arthur, 1848-1920. Published in 1901, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Page url: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rummindei_view_of_the_ruins_and_the_Lumbini_pillar_from_the_South.jpg
4. Map of the districts of Lumbini Zone (wp-EN) in Nepal. Created by Rarelibra 19:31, 18 September 2006 (UTC) for public domain use, using MapInfo Professional v8.5 and various mapping resources.
The original uploader was Rarelibra at English Wikipedia., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Page url: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lumbini_districts.png
5. Photograph of a Buddhist sculpture showing the birth of Buddha, from Lorian Tangai, taken by Alexander Caddy in 1896.
Credit: The original uploader was Fowler&fowler at English Wikipedia., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Page url: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Birth_of_buddha_peshawar.JPG

6. Marker stone of exact birth place of Buddha.jpg

Credit: Jonas Maria E. at en.wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Page url: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marker_stone_of_exact_birth_place_of_Buddha.jpg

7. Loriya Tangai Birth of the Buddha.jpg
Credit : Caddy, Alexander E. (1896), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Page url: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Loriya_Tangai_Birth_of_the_Buddha.jpg

Credits for Music tracks:

1. Dhaka:
Dhaka by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1400003
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

2. Desert City:
Desert City by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100564
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

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