Lumbini – Nepal
Sanctity
An unusual incident associated with the birth of Gautama Buddha is the wonderful dream which Queen Mahamaya had on the day she conceived. In her dream, she was carried by the guADian angels of the four quarters to the table-lAD of the Himalayas where she was received by heavenly queens. Wives of the four world guADians. Then she was taken to lake Mansarovar (Anotota) where they bathed her, AD robed her in divine dress, anointed her with perfumes AD decked her with divine flowers. Thence she was taken to the sacred hill nearby on which there was a palace. Here she was lAD upon a golden coach facing the east. As she lAD her head upon the pillow, she beheld ADivinely looking white elephant with six tusks. In its trunk the elephant carried a white lotus. The divine elephant touched her right side AD seem to enter her womb.When Mahamaya related this strange dream to King Suddholdana, he consulted astrologers, who predicted that the Queen would give birth to a son who would be either a universal monarch (Chakravartin) or a Buddha.
Realizing that the time for the birth of her child was coming nearer, Mahamaya sought the King’s permission to go to her parental home in Davadaha, as was the tradition on such occasions. Mahamaya, seated in a golden palanquin, left Kapilavastu, accomopanied by her sister Prajapati, AD a great retinue. On her way to Davadaha, Mahamaya had to pass through the Lumbini Grove, not far off from Kapilavastu, which was then at its best with numerous flowering trees AD trees loaded with fruits. Enchanted by the pleasing sight around, the queen desired to rest for a while, AD ordered the couriers to stop. Alighting from her palanquin, she walked up to the foot of a blooming Sal tree. Suddenly she felt the pangs of child-birth. She informed her lady attendants AD they put round her a curtain AD retired. While she was holding the branch of the Sal tree, the child was born.
While Mahamaya, attended by her sister Prajapati, washed in the nearby tank, the infant to the surprise of all stood up AD took seven steps in the Northern direction. At each spot his foot touched, a lotus bloomed. AD there was rejoicing in Heaven AD the gods showered flower-petals on him. This sacred day was the Full Moon day in the month of Vaisakha in 623 BC. or in 563 BC.
Lumbini, the birth place of the World Honoured Buddha, is now in Nepal, just 10 kilometre from the indo-Nepalese border, touching district Basti in Uttar pradesh.
History
Asoka, the great Mauryan Emperor, (273 BC-232 BC.) who sought solace in the Buddha-Dhamma, after witnessing the horrors of the Kalinga War, visited Lumbini in 250 BC. and worshipped in person the sacred spot where the Buddha was born. The chronicles state:Arriving at Lumbini, Upagupta, the spiritual guid of Emperor Asoka extended his right hand, and said to Asoka, ‘Here, O Great King, the Tathagata was born’. Asoka, with overwhelming joy and deep devotion, prostrated before the Holy Tree, under which the Lord was born. He also caused to be built a stone wall around the holy tree and erected a pillar to commemorate his visit.
About 1000 years after the birth of the Buddha, Fa-hian, the first Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, visited Lumbini in AD 406 and saw the holy tree under which the Buddha was born. He also saw the bathing tank of the Sakyas where queen Mahamaya had taken bath. Hiuen Tsang, the second Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, who visited Lumbini in AD. 637 gives a graphic account of what he saw at the holy site. He says:
"In this Grove was the beautiful bathing tank of the Sakyas, and about twenty-four paces from it was the old asoka tree at which the Buddha had been born in the world. South of these was a tope where Indra received the new-born infant. Next to it were four topes to the four Devarajas who had taken charge of the baby Buddha after his birth. Near these topes was a stone pillar set up by Asoka with the figure of a horse on the top. Afterwards the pillar had been broken in the middle, and laid on the ground (that is, half of it), by a thunderbolt from a malicious dragon."
There is evidence to show that Lumbini continued to attract pilgrims up to AD. 12th century. Thereafter, it was completely engulfed by jungle and lay buried under dust and debris till the monolith pillar set up by Asoka ar Lumbini, to commermorate his visit to this holy site, was discovered by Dr. Alosis Anton Fuhrer, a German archaeologist, in 1895.
Some other shrines discovered at Lumbini during subsequent excavations are:
Objects Of Interest
Asoka Pillar
The pillar erected by Asoka at Lumbini, when discovered in 1896, "measured 22 feet 4 inches and the inscription thereon was at a height of 9 feet 6 inches from the base. The diameter at the base was 8 feet 3 inches and around the inscribed portion 7 feet 5 inches". The Lumbini pillar (also known as the Rummindei pillar) stands to-day majestically proclaiming that here the Buddha was born. The royal inscription clearly says: "Devana-Piyena Piyadasina Lajina-VisativasabhisitenaAtana-Agacha Mahiyite Hida-Budhe-Jate Sakyamuni-Ti
Sila Vigadabhi-Cha Kapapita Silathabhe-Cha Usapapite
Hida-Bhagavam Jate-Ti Lumbini Game ubalike Kate
athabhagiye-cha".
Tranalation
" Twenty years after his Coronation, king Priyadarsi, Beloved of the Gods, visited this spot in person and offerd worship at this place, because the uddha, the sage of the Sakyas, was born here. He caused to be built a stone wall around the place and also erected this stone pillar to commemorate his visit. Because the Lord Buddha was born here, he made the village of Lumbini free from taxes and subject to pay only one-eighth of the produce as land revenue instead of the usual rate".
Mayadevi Temple
Besides the Asoken Pillar, a temple dedicated to the mother of the Buddha has also been excavated and restrored. The historic Mayadevi temple, once again a living shrine, has a stone relic depicting the nativity of the Buddha. It shows queen Mahamaya holding onto a branch of the Sal tree and the newly born infant standing upright on lotus pedestal. It also shows Prajapati, sisiter of Mahamaya, and the maids. Another important remnant is the Sakyan bathing tank where Siddhartha was given his first purification bath.Modern Viharas
Two modern Buddha Viharas have since come up at Lumbini. The Theravada Buddhist Temple was first established by ven. Chandramani Maha Thera of Kushinagar in 1956. the second modern Vihara and the monks residing therein have sanctified the environments of Lumbini. Lumbini is also developing as an educational centre for the villagers around.Kapilavastu
Unlike Lumbini which stands identified, the identification of the legendary Kapilavastu, where the Buddha spent 29 years of his early life before leaving his hearth and home in quest of enlightenment, has been a matter of controversy for over hundred years. Tilaura Kot in Nepal and Piprahwa in India have been the main claimants for the site ancient Kapilavastu. According to some scholars Tilaura Kot (30 km. West of Lumbini) in Nepal was the site of old Kapilavastu and Piprahwa (15 km. From Lumbini) in India was the site of new Kapilavastu established after the destruction of the old one by Vidudabha.As compared to Tilaura Kot, Piprahwa in district Basti, U.Ps has yielded many interesting and important Biddhist relics, seals and inscriptions from the ruins of stupa and monastery there. During the excavations at Piprahwa in 1897-1898, W.C. Peppe and P.C. Mukherji, discovered in the main stupa and at a depth of about eighteen feet below the summit, a huge stone coffer. In addition to other valuable objects, the coffer contained five caskets, four of soapstone and one of crystal. The lid of the smaller soapstone casket contained and inscription which was read as "Sukiti-bhatinam Sabhaganakinan sa-Puta-dalanam iyam salila-nidhane Budhasa bhagavate Sakiyanam". The inscription has been translated as follows: "This relic shrine of divine Buddha (is the donation) of the Sakya Sukiti-brotheres associated with their sisters, sons and wives".
In January 1971, Km Srivastava of the Archaeological Survey of India, started fresh excavations at Piprahwa Picking up the thread where Peooe had left in 1897-1898, he went downward. Fresh excavations showed that the stupa, which had earlier yielded relic caskets, enclosed a mud stupa, enclosed by a single course of baked bricks. When this mud stupa was carefully probed, it yielded in 1972 two soapstone relic caskets. The excavation in the Eastern Monastery at Piprahwa yielded more than 20 terracotta sealings with inscriptional evidence in Brahmi script of AD. 1st-AD. 2nd century.
The location of the legendary Kapilavastu was confirmed in 1974 following the discovery of the lid of a pot, carrying inscriptional evidence, at Piprahwa in Basti district of Uttar Pradesh, by Mr. K.M. Srivastava. According to him, the sealings and the lid of the pot had established ‘beyond doubt that Piprahwa is the ancient site of Kapilavastu’. The legend on the lid of the pot: " Devaputra Vihara Kapilavastu Bhikshu Sanghasa" excavated from the site was similar to the one on some sealings discoved from the same place in 1973. Apparently, Piprahwa is the site of ancient Kapilavastu, the capital of the Sakyas, and the scene of Buddha’s early life. The sacred relics of the Buddha discovered from Kapilavastu (Poprahwa) are now preserved in the National Museum, New Delhi.
Future Development
The Lumbini Development Committee set up by the Government of Nepal in co-operation with the United Nations Development programme and Buddhist Countries, including India, has drawn up ambitious plans for the development of Lumbini. According to the Master Plan, the development envisages three elements: (a) The Sacred Garden (b) The Monastic Zone (c) The New Lumbini Village.The Sacred Garden will comprise of a sacred area, a tank area and a forest area, about 300 metras-400 metras around the Asoken Pillar. The Monastic Zone will have shrines, monasteries and places of worship with different shapes and colours out of the contribution of different nations, institutions and organizations. The New Lumbini Village is planned as community centre providing shelter for pilgrims and tourists.
