Lumbini, a place where Buddha was born in 623 BC, is situated in the terai plains of the southern Nepal. The nativity site is marked by a stone pillar reected by Indian Emperor Ashoka in 249 BC to commemorate his pilgrimage to the sacred spot.

Sacred Garden:
Listed in World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Lumbini is being developed as the supreme Buddhist pilgrimage and a symbol of peace. The Sacred Garden where the Buddha was born converges on the Ashoka pillar, which carries an inscription identifying the spot as the birthplace.

Temples and Monasteries
The Lokmani Cula Pagoda, a gleaming gold and white structure gracefully soaring into the sky in the style of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, is also known as the Myanmar Temple.
Nearby, the international Gautami Nuns Temple is a fine replica of the Swayambhu stupa in Kathmandu. There is also a guesthouse for pilgrims here.
The magnificent China Temple, the Korean Temple, the Dharma Swami Maharaja Buddha Vihara and the Nepal Buddha Temple are all located in Sacred Garden.

Museums
The Lumbini Museum, located in the cultural zone, contains Mauryan and Kushana coins, religious manuscripts, terra-cotta fragments, and the stone and metal sculptures. It is also posses an extensive collection of stamps from various countries depicting Lumbini and Buddha.

Lumbini international Research Institute
Located opposite the Lumbini Museum, provides research facilities for the study of Buddhism and religion in general. With 12,000 books on religion, philosophy, art and architecture, are jointly run bu Lumbini Development trust5 and the Reiyukai of Japan.

Kapilvastu Museum is situated 27 km west of Lumbini in the village of Tilaurakot. The museum holds coins, pottery and toys dating between the seventh century BC and fourth century AD.

Tilaurakot
An important archeological site lying to the west of Lumbini, Tilaurakot evokes the ancient palace of King Suddhodhan, Siddhartha Gautam's father, where the Buddha spent his formative years as a Shakya prince. A must for archeology and history buffs.