Birthplace of Gautam Buddha

Ashokan Pillar Lumbini / Image Credit 

Lumbini in the Rupandehi District in Nepal is the spiritual centre of Buddhism. It was at the royal grove at Lumbini that the Buddha was born in 563 B. C. on the Vaihsakha Purnima day.

Lumbini is one of the four main sacred sites of the Buddhist religion. Other three main holy places are Bodh Gaya (Tree of Wisdom at Gaya where Buddha gained enlightenment), Sarnath near Varanasi where he preached his first sermon and Kushinagar where he died- all located in India. 

These four sacred places have attracted pilgrim for centuries. Lumbini has long been sanctified as the birthplace of Lord Buddha. According to the Lumbini Pillar Edict (also known as Rummindei Pillar Inscription) in Lumbini, Mauryan Emperor Ashoka travelled to Lumbini in 249 BC and constructed four stupas and erected a stone pillar with a figure of a horse on top.

Lumbini is one of the four main sacred sites of the Buddhist religion. Other three holy places are Bodh Gaya (Tree of Wisdom at Gaya where Buddha gained enlightenment), Sarnath near Varanasi where he preached his first sermon and Kushinagar where he died- all located in India. 

Maya Devi Temple 

Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini marks the exact spot where queen Maya Devi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama, who later came to be known as the Buddha after he attained enlightenment.