Lumbini

Lumbini is the birthplace of Buddha and there is a temple complex set up around the exact spot where the event is alleged to have taken place. Buddha's mother was apparently travelling to her parents' village and stopped by a pond to drink. She then went into labour whilst clutching a tree, which is the same tree that is near the pond they say. She then gave birth to Buddha and the spot is marked by an indented rock.


A temple was built around this spot by Emperor Ashoka and the ruins of this are a place of Buddhist pilgrimage. The photo above is outside the ruined temple and shows the thousands of Buddhist prayer flags draped around the local trees. The photo on the right is of the ruined temple (now covered by a concrete bunker) with Buddhist pilgrims worshipping the exact spot where Buddha was born (see the nuns looking down).

When we arrived in Lumbini it was the last day of a 9-day vigil of prayer for peace by Buddhist devotees. Ten thousand Buddhist monks were in Lumbini, sleeping in acres and acres of tents. One Tibetan Buddhist monk, who currently teaches in a university in Germany, stayed at our hotel as the tents were 'a bit rough' he said. We spend a fascinating few hours sitting around a roaring fire in the hotel grounds, talking about Buddhism, Tibetan history, vegetarianism and a universe of other topics.

The peace and tranquility was shattered by a pack of jackals that came very close to us. They have the most spine-chilling howl that I have ever heard. It was a bit frightening, as the presence of the jackals then elicited stories from fellow travellers of encounters with jackals in Africa, and their ferocity. So we sat a bit closer to the fire and to the Tibetan monk, on the grounds that one of them would protect us. It must have worked. :-)