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A newly born baby made
this important declaration at Lumbini more then 2,600 years ago. The
baby Prince Siddhartha Gautam, at the age 35 indeed turned the wheel of
the law and became famous in the world as the Buddha, the Enlightened One.
Lumbini, the birthplace of this great sage, acquired the holy status as a
site of pilgrimage for all the Buddhists and peace seekers of the world.
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The Buddha himself spoke of the importance of Lumbini for
the aeons to come as the first and foremost pilgrimage site among the
famous Catumahasthana, the four important holy places.
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HISTORY
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The garden of Lumbini
mentioned as Canana, Lumbini Vatica, Lumbini Upavana, and Lumbini Cittalavana
in early scriptures is situated on the bank of river Telar at the eastern edge
of the Sakya Kingdom of Kapilvastu. The site was renowned for the beauty of
its shady grove of Sala trees and colorful flowers. Maya Devi, the queen of
Sakya King Suddhodana of Kapilvastu, while going to her maternal home Devadaha,
happened to pass through Lumbini. On the Vaisakha purnima (Full Moon day) in
the month of Vaisakha 623 years Christ, she bathed in the Sakya Puskarini and
proceeded towards north. Soon after she felt the sudden pain of labor causing
her to hold a branch of the sal
tree under which she was standing. Such was the situation of the divine event
where queen Maya Devi gave birth to Prince Siddhartha.
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Lumbini: The Pilgrimage
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Today visitors from all over
the world come to Lumbini, the timeless place where ancient monuments glorify
the birthplace of the Sakyamuni and bear witness to the record of the
noteworthy visits by famous dignitaries. The pilgrims deeply immerse
themselves in the serene spiritiual atmosphere of Lumbini.
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The famous Maurya Emperor
Ashoka guided by his spiritual teacher Upagupata made a pilgrimage to this
holy site in 249BC. He erected a stone pillar bearing an inscription stating
that the Buddha, the sage of the Sakyas, was born there. Famous Chinese
pilgrim Fa- Hsien (5th century AD) visited Lumbini. He saw the
nativity tree, the bathing tank, and the well, among other monuments. He also
visited other surrounding historic sites such as Kapilavastu and Devadaha.
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Hiuen- Tsang,
another reputed Chinese traveler visited Lumbini in 7th century AD.
His travel account gives exact location of this site. He had seen the stump of
the nativity tree, a Chaitya, the Ashokan pillar, the bathing tank, the Telar
(oily) river and the warm and cold water springs. The history of Lumbini after
this period is checkered and lacks written records. But continuation of
construction and settlement in the holy complex suggest an unbroken tradition
of pilgrimage to Lumbini.
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Day 01: |
Arrival in
Kathmandu. Meet, greet and transfer to your hotel. (A) |
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Day 02: |
AM: Tour of
Kathmandu Durbar Square (a World Heritage site) and Swayambhunath stupa (a
World Heritage site). PM: Tour of Patan Durbar Square (a World Heritage
site). (A, B) |
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Day 03: |
Full day tour
of Pashupatinath temple (a World Heritage site), Boudhnath stupa (a World
Heritage site), Bhaktapur Durbar Square (a World Heritage site) and the
temple of Changunarayan (a World Heritage site). (A, B) |
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Day 04: |
Drive about 5
to hrs. to the Royal Chitwan National Park (a World Heritage site).
Transfer to a jungle lodge. PM: elephant back safari. (A,B,L,D)
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Day 05: |
Full day of
jungle activities: canoe ride, nature walk or safari. Tharu dance or slide
show in the evening. (A,B,L,D) |
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Day 06: |
Drive for about
six hours to Lumbini (a World Heritage site) through the Mahendra highway.
Check in at the hotel in Lumbini or in Bhairahawa (near Lumbini). (A,B,L,D) |
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Day 07: |
AM: visit
Lumbini garden, the birthplace of Lord Buddha. In the afternoon, transfer
to Bhairahawa airport and fly to Kathmandu. (A,B,L) |
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Day 08:
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Transfer to the
international airport to connect your outbound flight. (B)
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(Abbreviation: A = Accommodation, B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
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Booking
Conditions
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