Lumbini is a Buddhist pilgrimage site , which is located in the Rupandehi district of Nepal. Lumbini is the place where Lord Buddha was born from Queen Maya Devi in 623 BCE. Lumbini is one of the four most important pilgrimage sites for Buddhists with other three being Kushinagar , Bodhgaya , and Sarnath . Lumbini has been the destination for the Buddhists around the globe because it is a place which is seen by great devotion by all the devotees. Lumbini was listed on UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997 as Lumbini is the birthplace of Buddha and holds important culture and heritage related to Buddha. In Sanskrit language, “Lumbini” means “the lovely”. In Parinibbana Sutta, Lord Buddha himself authorized Lumbini for the four holy site of Buddhism . Lumbini is situated at the foothills of the Terai region of Nepal. During the time of Lord Buddha , Lumbini was a beautiful garden which was full of green and shady Sal trees. Lumbini was ruled mostly by Shakyas and Koliyas clans. The father of Lord Buddha, King Suddhodana , was the ruler at that time. Queen Maya Devi gave birth to Buddha in Devadaha while returning to her parent’s home under a Sal tree in the month of May. It is said that Siddhartha Gautama was born when Queen Maya Devi was standing by holding a branch of Sal Tree. The name of Gautama Buddha was Siddhartha before he attained “ Enlightenment ”. Prince Siddhartha had lived a life of comfort and entertainment far from the suffering and pain of the people. When he saw an old man during his visit to his kingdom, he felt uneasiness and thought about the suffering of the people in the life. So in order to find the answer, he left Lumbini and after 6 years of hardship and meditation, Prince Siddhartha finally attained “ Enlightenment ” and was called Gautama Buddha afterward. In 249 B.C. Emperor Ashoka visited Lumbini and erected an inscribed stone pillar marking the birthplace of Buddha. The erected Pillar is known as “ Ashoka Pillar ”. But the existence of Ashoka Pillarin Lumbini was recorded by the account of Shui-Ching-Chu during the 4th Century.
The closest airport is at Bhairahawa (also known as Sidhhartha Nagar) (22km), where there are flights to and from Kathmandu. Other airports serving more destinations include Gorakhpur and Faizabad in India. Bhairahawa - is the nearest airport to get Lumbini if you want to fly from Kathmandu.
The closest station is at Nautanwa, India on the Indian Railway network, but passenger trains are infrequent on this line. The alternative of taxi travel from the border crossing at Sunauli to Gorakhpur takes about two hours. From Sunauli, Siddharthanagar is only 3.5 kilometers. Total travel time is 12 – 18 hours from Dehli and 10 – 12 hours from Kolkata (Calcutta). The Mahaparinirvan Express tourist train stops in Gorakhpur where tourists continue to Lumbini by road.
Buses ply the route between Sunauli (from stop across from Hotel Yeti) and Lumbini. At Lumbini alight at the main gate. Alternatively, from the Nepal side of the border one can take a shared jeep to Bhairahawa (4 kilometers) followed by a bus to Lumbini. Bhairahawa-Lumbini buses depart every 15 minutes. The last return bus departs at 5 PM. Buses also run from Kathmandu, Pokhara, Gorakhpur and Varanasi to Sunauli. Gorakhpur to Sunauli state transport buses are reasonably frequent.
