Sacred Places of The Buddhists (1): Lumbini, Nepal (4K)

Lumbini, Nepal — the birthplace of Buddha Śākyamuni — is one of the four principal pilgrimage sites for Buddhists around the world, alongside Bodhi Gaya, Sarnath, and Kushinagar in India. Today, Lumbini is home to an impressive Buddhist archaeological and religious complex spanning more than 750 hectares, developed according to an ambitious master plan designed by the Japanese architect Kenzō Tange. It includes The Sacred Garden, with the Māyā Devī Temple marking the place where Buddha Sakyamuni was born, the Pillar of Emperror Ashoka and the Puskarini Pond, The Monastic Zone, with several meditation centers and dozens of Buddhist temples from diverse countries and traditions, a Cultural center with a library, an auditorium, a research center and a museum, and an area called The New Lumbini Village, with hotels, restaurants and a Japanese pagoda. For Buddhists around the world, it has always been—and remains—a sacred symbol, evoking the birth of the Buddha and his teachings: a path grounded in natural ethics, centered on the practice of meditation and samadhi, and ultimately culminating in the attainment of All-Encompassing Knowledge and Liberation.