Pilgrimage to the birthplace of the Buddha
Lumbini Sacred Garden
- Region
- Lumbini Province
- Best time
- October – March
- Altitude
- 150 m
The place
What makes Lumbini Sacred Garden worth the journey
Lumbini is where Queen Maya Devi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama in 623 BCE, confirmed by the Ashoka pillar that has stood here since 249 BCE. Around the sacred garden, countries from Thailand to Germany have built monasteries in their own architectural traditions, making the site as much an atlas of Buddhism as a pilgrimage destination.
Highlights
- The Maya Devi Temple, marker stone, and sacred pond
- The Ashoka pillar, standing since the 3rd century BCE
- Cycling the monastic zone between monasteries from a dozen countries
- Evening meditation beneath the bodhi trees
Travel tips
- Move quietly and speak softly inside the sacred zone
- Cover shoulders and knees when entering monasteries
- Rent a bicycle or e-rickshaw — the site is several kilometres across
- Visit early or late; the Terai gets very hot from April onwards
Ways to spend your days
Signature experiences
01
Meditation sessions led by resident monks
02
Lumbini Museum and the archaeological excavations
03
Village homestays in the surrounding Terai farmland
04
Day trips to Kapilvastu, where the Buddha spent his first 29 years
In pictures
Gallery
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