Lumbini, the birthplace of Sakyamuni Buddha.
We only had 1 day in Lumbini, 1 day to delve into the most spiritual of Buddhist places & explore the place buddha was born. Our alarm went off at 6.30am, we were keen to make the most of the day & even more keen to beat the heat!
We left our hotel shortly after eating our breakfast (an added bonus when we booked the hotel) and started walking down the main road towards the temple gates. After about 1kilometre we were approached by a friendly rickshaw driver. Initially we were hesitant to buy his service but he was very persuasive & we were unaware how big the monastery & temple grounds would be!
Santram was our rickshaw drivers name.
Lumbini is one of the most sacred buddhist places on earth, recognised by many nations throughout the world. It is celebrated as the place that the Queen Mayadevi went into labour and gave birth to Prince Siddhartha in 563 BCE, Prince Siddhartha would late rain life reach spiritual enlightenment and become the Buddha Sakyamuni.
We had read that No shoes are allowed inside the temples & we wore our pluggers (thongs) in preparation for this.
Sri Lankan temple was the first one we would explore. It was peaceful, quiet, empty & in slight disrepair with long grass & overgrown gardens, some rubbish & the roof tiles were falling off in some sections. Despite all this we enjoyed the moment with the tiles cool on our bare feet & paid respect to buddha. On our way around the temple we followed a Moat with lotus, lots of toads & a large black scorpion. The temple gardens had flowers everywhere & I was delighted to discover a white hibiscus. After each temple visit we would walk outside the temple gates, find Santram who was normally sprawled out in the shade under a tree and make our way to the next temple.
The second one we saw was the Thailand temple. It was immaculate with neatly manicured lawns & gardens, signs warning you to stay on the path & a security guard with a whistle if you strayed on to the grass. It was here We were first stopped for selfies at the temple entrance by some Indian people.
It was between this temple & the next one that the rickshaw would chance upon a large section of road that had been reduced to a sticky, clay mud pit from recent rain & machinery. We got out of the rickshaw & walked while Santrum pushed it through. It was here that my feet were unable to find firm ground & i sunk down to my ankles, Stuck in mud. When I tried to pull free my thong had a blow out, releasing my foot but staying behind, stuck. I had to dig it out with my hands while trying to free my other foot, laughing & nearly falling over. Thankfully there was a man made water channel very close by that I could wash my legs, feet, thongs & hands in. Santrum also fixed my thong for me. Tom was very amused & captured a few priceless pictures of my ordeal.
Next temple was Singapore, the temple still heavily under construction with lots of exposed wire, cement & scaffolding on the outside. On the inside was a modest shrine for buddha. A lot of the temples we would see are still being built, extended or renovated. There is several huge construction projects taking place, it will be an amazing place once complete.
By this point the heat of the day was upon us! We tried to temporarily beat it by buying ourselves & Santram ice blocks. I walked a few feet with mine, took a bite & then it shattered & fell on the ground. It was heart breaking!
The 4th was German. It was amazingly grand & looked to be complete with a huge temple, every inch covered in exquisite paintings, shrine & lush manicured gardens.
Linhson temple was next, another temple in a heavy phase of construction with a huge new monument also being built outside.
Nepal temple was bold & polished containing huge pillars, marble tiles, polished wood & a huge brass buddha inside. There was a large donation box full of money at the front of the shrine. I have often wondered what happens to all the money given to the faith like this. Obviously these temples require a huge amount of upkeep which this would provide. I hope some goes back into the community be helping those in need. The money in this one donation box would equal thousands & could feed thousands. This temple while feeling grand, also felt very un-temple like & instead had the feelings of a church.
Canada Thranga Vajra Vidya association monastery was next. There was Monks & Nuns everywhere gardening & scrubbing marble tiles.
Chinese Buddhist monastery & temple followed shortly after, it was like we took a step back in time & were once again in China. There was even Chinese people walking around between the buildings.
Dae Sung Suk Ga Se (Korean temple) was dark, lit only by lanterns & what sunshine flind it's way in. Still in construction, with lots of scaffolding & skilled workers busy with various projects. Architecturally an amazing space.
Geden international Austria-Europe built by Rabten foundation Switzerland. Was bold with lots of gold & white, we were allowed to take photos inside this temple which had some beautiful paintings of buddha doing various things in life.
Vietnam temple was closed for some reason, we got out though & took a photo with the gates.
World peace pagoda was next. A giant white pagoda with some fancy entrance stairs & a lotus pool.
By this stage of the day, the pavement & tiles was starting to get very hot. After taking my shoes off I would hide them in the shade before running up the steps & into the temples.
The temples shut between 12 & 1 for the Monks & Nuns to have lunch. Our driver took us to a village complex where he promised cheap & very good dal bhat. He was right, it was delicious! We bought Santram lunch as well. He definitely needed the carbs if his daily job involves riding the rickshaw around the temple grounds with lazy tourists in the back.
After lunch we saw the Cambodia temple. One of our favourites! Encompassed by large yellow & red serpents & with detailed wall paintings.
Our final stop was the Maya Devi Temple. The only temple that required a paid ticket, security & we also had to pay to take our camera in, despite not being allowed to use it. The Maya Devi temple is a shrine that houses the Nativity Sculpture, a sculpture of Maya Devi from the 4th century CE. It shows the nativity scene, where Buddha is born as Prince Siddhartha. Inside the shrine is also the marker stone, a stone that shows the exact spot that buddha was born. The shrine also protects several layers of building ruins from the 5th century BC, which are remains from the earlier Maya Devi Temple.
There is security everywhere in the shrine & lots of people worshipping. Standing on the wooden platforms looking at the artifacts, I felt very underwhelmed despite looking at ancient history, which I love!
I'm obviously not a Buddhist or religious for that fact. I'm not sure what I was supposed to feel, in comparison I felt a lot more connected with spirituality at some of the temples we had seen.
Outside the Maya Devi Temple is the supposed tree that Maya Devi grasped while in labour, it seems to be quite a distance from the rock that represents the exact place buddha was born.
After we left this temple we had to run back down the path & through security, trying to avoid the fake plastic turf that was hotter than the red bricks!
There are many other things to see inside the complex, but it was getting closer to 3pm & we were all temple'd out! You could easily spend days in here visiting temples, monasteries, ancient capital ruins, meditating or watching the wildlife. It is a place where people are not allowed to graze animals or hunt, designed to spread peace & harmony into the world by promoting contemplative value & spirituality. There are over 250 bird species as well as monkeys & other threatened mammals such as blue bull, Bengal fox & wild cat. It has an abundance in plants, making it a naturalists dream.
After spending 6 hours honouring buddha it was time to head back to the hotel. Santram took the rickshaw nearly to the hotel driveway before we insisted he stopped. We thanked him for his time, local knowledge on the temples & food, before paying him 2000 NPR, double his asking price.
We hope he has a good life!
After cold showers we sat on the rooftop balcony drinking cold beer, watching the monkeys taunt the street dogs as the sky changed from orange to pink, then to purple before the unstoppable blackness of night.
A perfect last night in Nepal
- Alli
We only had 1 day in Lumbini, 1 day to delve into the most spiritual of Buddhist places & explore the place buddha was born. Our alarm went off at 6.30am, we were keen to make the most of the day & even more keen to beat the heat!
We left our hotel shortly after eating our breakfast (an added bonus when we booked the hotel) and started walking down the main road towards the temple gates. After about 1kilometre we were approached by a friendly rickshaw driver. Initially we were hesitant to buy his service but he was very persuasive & we were unaware how big the monastery & temple grounds would be!
Santram was our rickshaw drivers name.
Lumbini is one of the most sacred buddhist places on earth, recognised by many nations throughout the world. It is celebrated as the place that the Queen Mayadevi went into labour and gave birth to Prince Siddhartha in 563 BCE, Prince Siddhartha would late rain life reach spiritual enlightenment and become the Buddha Sakyamuni.
We had read that No shoes are allowed inside the temples & we wore our pluggers (thongs) in preparation for this.
Sri Lankan temple was the first one we would explore. It was peaceful, quiet, empty & in slight disrepair with long grass & overgrown gardens, some rubbish & the roof tiles were falling off in some sections. Despite all this we enjoyed the moment with the tiles cool on our bare feet & paid respect to buddha. On our way around the temple we followed a Moat with lotus, lots of toads & a large black scorpion. The temple gardens had flowers everywhere & I was delighted to discover a white hibiscus. After each temple visit we would walk outside the temple gates, find Santram who was normally sprawled out in the shade under a tree and make our way to the next temple.
By this point the heat of the day was upon us! We tried to temporarily beat it by buying ourselves & Santram ice blocks. I walked a few feet with mine, took a bite & then it shattered & fell on the ground. It was heart breaking!
The 4th was German. It was amazingly grand & looked to be complete with a huge temple, every inch covered in exquisite paintings, shrine & lush manicured gardens.
Linhson temple was next, another temple in a heavy phase of construction with a huge new monument also being built outside.
Nepal temple was bold & polished containing huge pillars, marble tiles, polished wood & a huge brass buddha inside. There was a large donation box full of money at the front of the shrine. I have often wondered what happens to all the money given to the faith like this. Obviously these temples require a huge amount of upkeep which this would provide. I hope some goes back into the community be helping those in need. The money in this one donation box would equal thousands & could feed thousands. This temple while feeling grand, also felt very un-temple like & instead had the feelings of a church.
Canada Thranga Vajra Vidya association monastery was next. There was Monks & Nuns everywhere gardening & scrubbing marble tiles.
Chinese Buddhist monastery & temple followed shortly after, it was like we took a step back in time & were once again in China. There was even Chinese people walking around between the buildings.
Dae Sung Suk Ga Se (Korean temple) was dark, lit only by lanterns & what sunshine flind it's way in. Still in construction, with lots of scaffolding & skilled workers busy with various projects. Architecturally an amazing space.
Geden international Austria-Europe built by Rabten foundation Switzerland. Was bold with lots of gold & white, we were allowed to take photos inside this temple which had some beautiful paintings of buddha doing various things in life.
Vietnam temple was closed for some reason, we got out though & took a photo with the gates.
World peace pagoda was next. A giant white pagoda with some fancy entrance stairs & a lotus pool.
By this stage of the day, the pavement & tiles was starting to get very hot. After taking my shoes off I would hide them in the shade before running up the steps & into the temples.
The temples shut between 12 & 1 for the Monks & Nuns to have lunch. Our driver took us to a village complex where he promised cheap & very good dal bhat. He was right, it was delicious! We bought Santram lunch as well. He definitely needed the carbs if his daily job involves riding the rickshaw around the temple grounds with lazy tourists in the back.
After lunch we saw the Cambodia temple. One of our favourites! Encompassed by large yellow & red serpents & with detailed wall paintings.
Our final stop was the Maya Devi Temple. The only temple that required a paid ticket, security & we also had to pay to take our camera in, despite not being allowed to use it. The Maya Devi temple is a shrine that houses the Nativity Sculpture, a sculpture of Maya Devi from the 4th century CE. It shows the nativity scene, where Buddha is born as Prince Siddhartha. Inside the shrine is also the marker stone, a stone that shows the exact spot that buddha was born. The shrine also protects several layers of building ruins from the 5th century BC, which are remains from the earlier Maya Devi Temple.
There is security everywhere in the shrine & lots of people worshipping. Standing on the wooden platforms looking at the artifacts, I felt very underwhelmed despite looking at ancient history, which I love!
Outside the Maya Devi Temple is the supposed tree that Maya Devi grasped while in labour, it seems to be quite a distance from the rock that represents the exact place buddha was born.
After we left this temple we had to run back down the path & through security, trying to avoid the fake plastic turf that was hotter than the red bricks!
There are many other things to see inside the complex, but it was getting closer to 3pm & we were all temple'd out! You could easily spend days in here visiting temples, monasteries, ancient capital ruins, meditating or watching the wildlife. It is a place where people are not allowed to graze animals or hunt, designed to spread peace & harmony into the world by promoting contemplative value & spirituality. There are over 250 bird species as well as monkeys & other threatened mammals such as blue bull, Bengal fox & wild cat. It has an abundance in plants, making it a naturalists dream.
After spending 6 hours honouring buddha it was time to head back to the hotel. Santram took the rickshaw nearly to the hotel driveway before we insisted he stopped. We thanked him for his time, local knowledge on the temples & food, before paying him 2000 NPR, double his asking price.
We hope he has a good life!
After cold showers we sat on the rooftop balcony drinking cold beer, watching the monkeys taunt the street dogs as the sky changed from orange to pink, then to purple before the unstoppable blackness of night.
A perfect last night in Nepal
- Alli
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