Buddha’s Beautiful Birthplace
Buddha
Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal in the year 563 B.C. He gave up his princely life to achieve more, ultimately attaining enlightenment. He then taught others how to achieve nirvana.
Naturally, he is a revered figure for Buddhists around the world and though I didn’t feel any hallowed connection to the this place, it was definitely special in its own right.
I’ll keep the words to a minimum in this post and let the pictures speak for themselves of this serene, peaceful place.
Entrance
The entrance to the 3 by 1 mile site was special in its own right. I have fallen in love with the Buddhist mantra Om Mani Padme Hum. You hear this song all over Nepal, and the entrance to Buddha’s birthplace was no different. A souvenir stall at the entrance was playing it and I couldn’t think of a better way to start this wonderful day.
Below a picture of the entrance gate and a lady walking down the pathway in the opposite direction.
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- The Entrance
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- At The Entrance
The Birthplace
After walking down the pathway, you reach the building that houses Buddha’s birthplace and a small plaza of sorts surrounded by historical ruins.
You are not allowed to take pictures inside the building housing the actual birthplace. Inside it looks like an archaeological site, with large glass doors on the floor over the spot where Buddha was born.
Outside the birthplace, sermons were taking place in various languages, people meditated, others prayed and offered incense, and a dog slept. The atmosphere was quiet, peaceful, and beautiful.
Below is a video of people worshiping a holy man under a tree just outside the birthplace and then the pictures.
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- Welcome To Buddha’s Birthplace
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- Buddha’s Birthplace
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- Ashoka Pillar
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- Enlightened Flags
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- Meditating Under A Tree
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- Meditating Under A Tree
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- Prayer
Temples
Most of the site has been set aside for monastic temples. The eastern side has Theravadin-style monasteries (the Buddhism practiced in Southeast Asia) and the western side has Mahayana-style (Zen) and Vajrayana-style (Tibetan) Buddhism. These two sides are separated by a long, beautiful pond.
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- Peaceful Pond
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- Temple
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- Temple
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- Temple
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- Temple
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- Temple
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- Temple
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- Temple
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- Temple
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- Temple
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- Temple
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- Temple
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- Temple
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- Temple
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- Temple
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- Temple Under Construction
Nature
The area is very green and most temples had a garden of sorts. I don’t think I’ve been in a place with so many butterflies before. Butterflies are revered by Bhuddists for their symbolism – shedding their old self to achieve greater heights.
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- Bird
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- Bird
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- Butterflies
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- Butterflies
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- Butterflies
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- Cows Crossing The Road
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- Cranes
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- Deer
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- Garden
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- Garden
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- Garden
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- Garden
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- Garden
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- Garden
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- Green And Peaceful
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- Huge Spider
The World Peace Pagoda
At the very north of the site there is a Japanese-built world peace pagoda. Next to the pagoda is a small Japanese-style temple. While I was there, drums were being beaten and it created a very harmonious atmosphere as you can see below.
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- World Peace Flame With World Peace Pagoda Behind
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- World Peace Pagoda
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- World Peace Pagoda
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- Kissing The World Peace Pagoda
Other Pictures
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- Cycling Monk
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- High-Tech Monk
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- High-Tech Monk
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- Monk And Businessman
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- Monk And Devotees
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- Monk By The Lake
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- Monk On A Bike
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- Sitting Monk
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- Sleeping At A Souvenir Booth
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- Young Girl And Old Lady
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- Young Monk
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- Buddha’s Teachings
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- Buddha’s Teachings
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- Buddha’s Teachings
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- Buddha’s Teachings
Thank You
I don’t know if I adequately presented the serenity and awesomeness of this holy place, but I tried my best. Thanks for following and I hope you can visit some day!
Thanks For Visiting
What a wonderful way of closing a beautiful post Adam! Thank you for sharing these pictures, I hope that I too can visit some day as you suggest. As an English teacher, I wanted to commend you for the way that you write. You really have a knack both for making your posts personal to you and reflective of your experience, but also equally personal in terms of being directed to your readers. The way you address readers here in your posts and replies to comments makes even those of us who haven’t yet met you feel as though we have. Thank you and as always looking forward to your next post!
Thanks so much for such a nice comment. I really appreciate it! For me, traveling is a big responsibility. I always knew from the start, back in 2004, that I was very fortunate to have these opportunities. But “with great power comes great responsibility” or however the saying goes. I knew I had to share my experiences to make the world a smaller place and be a roaming ambassador. Traveling is a very personal experience, so it’s impossible not to share a piece of yourself in the writing. I try not to cross the line, though I guess that can happen like in this article 🙂
I think you’re being too hard on yourself; I really enjoyed that article when I first read it, and your kind observations about the nice lady in Medellin and your generous Salvadoran students. Thanks for posting the link and giving me reason to read it again – I’m still laughing about mummified toilet seats and your work eradicating the global scourge of toilet paper tail!
Hey, I do what I can 🙂 Making people laugh is also part of what makes me happy, so being the “butt” of a joke is ok with me 🙂
I love this and those signs resonate with me so much! Thank you for sharing and capturing the essence of the place!
My pleasure, amiga!