The Birthplace of the Founder of Buddhism - Case Study Example

Lumbini Lumbini is considered to be the birthplace of the founder of Buddhism, Lord Buddha. It is one of the four holy places of Buddhism and a placeof immense attraction for Buddhist pilgrims. Lumbini is situated in Modern Nepal in the lap of the Great Himalayas. (Regmi, 165) Lumbini is best beautified in the literature of Sanskrit and Pali . The beauty of the garden was more enhanced by the greenery and the Sal trees and it was looked after by the clans of the Kolias and the Shakyas . King Suddhodana who was the father of Lord Buddha was a Kshatriya caste and he was from the Shakya dynasty. It was in the month of May, 642 BC when Maya Devi on her way to Devadaha , her parents home gave birth to Lord Buddha while resting under a sal tree . The nativity scene of Lord Buddha was built by the Malla kings during their rule which lasted from the 11th to the 15th century in the Karnali zone of Nepal . This wonderful work of sculpture which was initiated by the kings of the Naga Dynasty is worshipped not only by the Buddhists but by the Hindus as well. When Lumbini was visited by Ashoka, the Emperor, in 249 BC, it was a prosperous village. The stone pillar with a horse on its top and the four stupas which we come across on our visit to Lumbini was built by him during this period . From the inscription on the Stone Pillar we can also derive the information that it was during this visit that taxes were reduced on the village and it was subjected to only eight parts. (Insoll, 66) However despite being one of the stalwarts in Indian History, Lumbini was subjected to negligence for several centuries till the time a famous German archeologist while traveling around the foothills of the Churiya range discovered the great pillar in the year 1895 . His name was Feuhrer. At a later stage the existence of a Brick temple and a sculpture of sandstone carrying images of Buddha’s birth was found. After further exploration it was found that the temple of Maya Devi was possibly built on one of the Ashokan stupa itself . On the south of this temple is a bathing pool named Puskarni which is considered to be sacred and the pages of history reveal that in this pool Maya Devi took a bath before giving birth to Buddha. In 1996 an archeological survey carried out is said to have found the exact location of Lord Buddha’s birth , if it gets recognition it will definitely lead to more pilgrims visiting this holy place . Several shrines is said to have been built by the devotees recently which makes it even more beautiful . (Lumbini – birthplace of the Buddha) The stoneslab which is located near the Sanctum Sanctorum is the subject of most interest amongst the followers of Buddhism and historians because it marks the exact place where Buddha was born . The bas – relief image of Maya Devi holding on to a branch of the sal tree with her right hand and Buddha standing on a lotus pedestal with an oval halo circling his head which previously was a part of the White temple is now shifted has been totally removed to make further excavations possible. One of the major attractions of Lumbini is the Buddhist temple which is built in accordance with the Buddhist shrines of modern times in Nepal. Inside the temple there is a large prayer hall which contains an image of Buddha . The walls are decorated with a style that existed during the Medieval times. When we shift our attention to the places around Lumbini , we are reminded of the famous place called Kapilavastu, a place located 27 km west of Lumbini which is considered to be the capital of Shakya Republic. According to historians Lord Buddha spent the first thirteen years of his life in this place . Surveys reveal the ruins of stupas and monasteries and of walls which were made of bricks. When we travel for about 10 km to the northwest of Taulihawa we come across a place called Aroarakot which is believed to be the natal town of Lord Buddha. A pillar built by Emperor Ashoka can be found in a village called Gotihawa which is about 5 km away from Taulihawa. Only the lower portion of the stupa is intact while the upper no longer exists. Another stupa which has been built with Mauryan bricks is joined to the northeast side of this stupa . A village named Kudan , which is located to the southwest of Taulihawa contains the structural ruins. In the year 1962 , four mounds were excavated from this place. Niglihawa, a place of interest of the historians is famous for the remains of an Ashokan pillar. This place contains four tanks and on the western side of the tank we find two broken pieces of the pillar built by Ashoka . The upper part of the pillar is found to be lying flat on the ground while the lower portion is still standing . It is believed that when Lord Buddha visited this place after 20 years he himself worshipped the stupa because of which still stands erected. Sagarhawa, a forest area lies to the north of Taulihawa. This place is famous because of the presence of a massive rectangular tank named Lumbusagar. (Rijal) The ruins of this tank were later identified by A . Fuhrer. In the year 1997, Lumbini was approved by UNESCO , as a ‘World Heritage Site’ and it was one of the great attractions of the World Heritage program . It has been specifically mentioned that Lumbini which is surrounded by monasteries can entertain further construction of monasteries only. Nothing else can be a part of its surroundings. Whereas in other holy places , we find the presence of hotels , shops and even restaurants , in Lumbini it will probably never happen. However it cannot be counted as a drawback as its mere sight and historical significance is sufficient to attract pilgrims. Lumbini is separated into two monastic zones known as the Eastern zone and the Western Zone. The Eastern zone consists of the ‘Theravadin’ monasteries while the Western zone consists of the Vajrayana and Mahayana monasteries. The holy place which has attracted thousands of pilgrims over the years has a common picture which marks the significance of this place , the site of pilgrims from all across the globe chanting and meditating from early morning till evening. (Zijlmans, 26) It is to be noted that Lumbini is famous more for the person who was born here and not just for its wonderful surroundings. One of the major factors why Lumbini has captured the attraction of so many people from all around the World is because of the principles followed by Lord Buddha. The word ‘Buddha ’ means a person who do not entertain any kind of indiscrimination. It is believed that even the lowliest animals through the blessings of Buddha achieve peace of mind . The philosophy of Buddha which is most appealing is the urge to help others and to do our best so that not only us but others can also benefit from our works . It is thus justified that a man of such huge stature is worshipped all over the World. Lumbini marks the beginning of this great person, a place from where it all began and hence its significance is immense . T. U. Rinpoche expressed his wish for a monastery to be build . He expressed this wish of his to C. N. Rinpoche. In accordance, in accordance to this wish of his the Nepali Government decided to donate a large area of land for the construction of a huge monastery. It will be known as the ‘Pal Thubten Shedrub Ling ‘to the mass. This monastery will consist of a large hall with beautiful shrine. It however should not be referred to as a monastery only but also a temple. There will be three tall statues of 25 feet each which will make us more familiar with the Buddha of not only the past and present but also of the future. There will be also be one thousand 18 inch high statues of Buddha which will convey to us a lot about all the statues of the Buddha . The images of Buddha which act as a source of inspiration for all its followers also enables them to gain purity of the soul to remove all kinds of negative thoughts from our mind. The main image of Lord Buddha has been built in a way which is similar to the style of Nalanda . (Lumbini – birthplace of the Buddha) There are three museums which have been built recently in Lumbini . In the cultural zone we find the Lumbini museum which contains religious manuscripts , kushana and Mauryan coins, stone and metal sculptures and also terra – cotta fragments. Stamps of various countries representing Buddha and The Lumbini is one of the priced possession of this museum. In the village of Tilaurakot , we find the Kapilavastu museum which is located to almost 27 km west of Lumbini. The toys, coins and pottery dated between the seventh century BC and fourth century AD can be found inside the museum. This particular museum also consists of the different kinds of ornaments that prevailed during that period . An institute named ‘Lumbini International Research Institute’, has been built which provides promotes the study of Buddhism and religious matters. Thus Lumbini, popularly known as Lord Buddha’s birthplace is not only a place of historical significance but also a place which guides many to follow the path of Buddhism . It is not only a place for the pilgrims but for students as well, in short a place of knowledge . (British Broadcasting Corporation, 1; Lumbini – birthplace of the Buddha) During the reign of king Sinhabanu, Kapilavastu was peaceful. Peace also was retained in country of Devadaha where Suprabuddha was ruling. When he, at a later stage married a woman named Lumbini, both of them often visited a beautiful grove close to the city. The grove however belonged to the citizens who were mainly wealthy. At the request of his wife, king Supprabuddha decided to built a grove which was even more beautiful and named it after her wife. Later on in this very grove she gave birth to her first child , Lord Buddha. During her visit to the Lumbini grove, she underwent severe pain and somehow managed to get hold over the branch of a sal tree. At this point of time, Indra (The God of Rain), caused a heavy shower to fall and caused a very heavy wind to flow which was initiated mainly to make the people who were present there to leave the place. Lord Indra then in the disguise of an old woman came to receive the child. Then at first a stream of cold water and then a stream of cold water washed the newly born child and at the very particular place where he was born a spring appeared where Lumbini, his mother bathed. (Beal, 3) This is the history behind Lord Buddha’s birth and the origin from which came the name of his birthplace. (Lumbini – birthplace of the Buddha) Works cited 1. British Broadcasting Corporation, Summary of world broadcasts, British Broadcasting Corporation, 1996 2. Beal, Samuel, Romantic Legends of Sakya Buddha, Kessinger Publishing, 2003 3. Insoll, Timothy, Archaeology and world religion, Routledge, 2001 4. ‘Lumbini – Birthplace of the Buddha’, Buddhist studies, 2008, retrieved on May 3, 2009 from: http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/lumbini.htm 5. Regni, Dilli Raman, Inscriptions of Ancient Nepal, Abhinav Publications, 1983 6. Rijal, Babu Krishna, Archaeological remains of Kapilavastu, Lumbini, and Devadaha, Educational Enterprises, 1979 7. Zijlmans, Kitty, Site-Seeing, CNWS Publications, 2006 Read More