Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha

Nepal
Date of Inscription: 1997
Criteria: (iii)(vi)
Lumbini Zone, Rupandehi District, Western Terai
N27 28 08 E83 16 34
Ref: 666rev

Brief Description

Siddhartha Gautama, the Lord Buddha, was born in 623 B.C. in the famous gardens of Lumbini, which soon became a place of pilgrimage. Among the pilgrims was the Indian emperor Ashoka, who erected one of his commemorative pillars there. The site is now being developed as a Buddhist pilgrimage centre, where the archaeological remains associated with the birth of the Lord Buddha form a central feature.
Archaeoligical zone in the sacred garden | Junko Okahashi © UNESCO More pictures ...

Justification for Inscription

The Committee decided to inscribe this site on the basis of criteria (iii) and (vi). As the birthplace of the Lord Buddha, the sacred area of Lumbini is one of the holiest places of one of the world's great religions, and its remains contain important evidence about the nature of Buddhist pilgrimage centres from a very early period.

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