Marker stone of Buddha’s Birth Place.
Lumbini, in Sanskrit means “the lovely”. Situated in Kapilavastu district of Nepal, near the Indian border, it is the place where Queen Mayadevi is said to have given birth to Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, who in turn gave birth to the Buddhist tradition. Kapilavastu is the name of the place where Buddha is said to have lived till the age of twenty-nine.
As of 1997, Lumbini has became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The holy site of Lumbini is bordered by a large monastic zone, in which only monasteries can be built. It is separated into an eastern and western monastic zone. On the eastern side, you will find the Theravadin Monasteries; and on the western side, the Mahayana and Vajrayana Monasteries.
There is also a sacred Bodhi tree, an ancient bathing pond, the Asokan pillar and the Mayadevi Temple, which is the precise location of Buddha’s birth. Beginning early in the morning, and continuing into the early evening, pilgrims from various countries perform chanting and meditation rituals on the site.