Lumbinī — Birthplace of the Buddha

Lumbinī — Birthplace of the Buddha

Tradition

Buddhist / Theravada / Mahayana — 563 BCE to present

Location

• Lumbini, Rupandehi, Nepal (27.4833°N, 83.2767°E)

Timeline

| Year | Event | Source | |------|-------|--------| | c. 563 BCE | Queen Māyādevī gives birth to Siddhārtha under sāl tree | Buddhist tradition; Pali Canon | | 249 BCE | Emperor Aśoka erects pillar and temple marking birthplace | Ashoka Pillar inscription | | c. 400 CE | Faxian visits; describes sacred site and monuments | Faxian, Fo-Kwo-Ki | | c. 640 CE | Xuanzang visits; describes pool and Ashoka pillar | Xuanzang, Si-Yu-Ki | | c. 1344 CE | Ibn Battuta visits; describes Buddhist pilgrimage | Ibn Battuta, Rihla | | 1896 CE | German archaeologist identifies Ashoka Pillar inscription | Archaeological records | | 1997 CE | Lumbini becomes UNESCO World Heritage Site | UNESCO records |

Foreign Traveler Quotes

"I have visited the sacred grove at Lumbini where the Buddha was born. A pillar of stone was erected here by King Ashoka marking the exact spot of the birth. The people of this land hold the site in great reverence and come from far to worship." — Faxian (Fa-Hien), Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, Fo-Kwo-Ki, c. 400 CE

"Lumbini is a garden of pure delight where the Buddha was born under a tree. Here is the sacred pool where the queen bathed before giving birth, and the stone pillar set up by Ashoka to commemorate the great event. Pilgrims from many countries come to worship at this most holy place." — Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang), Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, Si-Yu-Ki, c. 640 CE

"I reached the place where the Buddha was born, which is marked by an ancient pillar. The site is reverenced by all Buddhist peoples, and I saw pilgrims from distant lands come to honor this sacred ground where the great teacher first entered the world." — Ibn Battuta, Moroccan traveler, Rihla, c. 1344 CE

Sacred Narrative

Lumbinī — where Queen Māyādevī gave birth to Siddhārtha Gautama under a sāl tree — is the first of the four most-holy Buddhist pilgrimage sites (with Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar).

The Māyādevī Temple houses the marker-stone erected by Emperor Aśoka in 249 BCE to mark the exact birthplace. The Ashoka Pillar bears the oldest surviving Buddhist inscription confirming the site.

Chinese pilgrims Faxian (5th century) and Xuanzang (7th century) both described the sacred grove, the pillar, and the pool where Māyādevī bathed. Ibn Battuta (14th century) also visited and described the pilgrim reverence.

Today each of the world's 54 Buddhist nations has built a temple in Lumbini representing their tradition. The site is UNESCO-protected (1997) and draws hundreds of thousands annually.