Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha

a) Lack of a conservation policy and inappropriate management of the site;

b) Impact on the archaeological remains as well as on the visual integrity of the property by the Maya Devi Temple constructed in 2002.

Total amount provided to the property: USD 7,200 from the Italian Funds-in-Trust in 2006 

On 1 February 2008, the State Party submitted a progress report containing three sections:

a) Response to requests made by the World Heritage Committee at its 30th session (Vilnius, 2006):

No development works have been carried out within the boundaries and in the buffer zone of the property pending the completion of the management plan. However, in the report, references are made to further work on excavation of the surroundings which has been undertaken and the identification of potential areas for possible future excavations. As stressed in the 2006 state of conservation report, it is important to link these activities to an overall research strategy, which will be part of the integrated management plan.

b) Preparation of an integrated management plan:

The report outlines the project to develop an integrated management plan for the property. The proposal has a sound basis and reflects the commitment of the Lumbini Development Trust and the Department of Archaeology.

The State Party stresses the importance of defining and preserving the site-specific elements and attributes that carry its outstanding universal value, which is related to two fundamental aspects: (1) as the birthplace of the Lord Buddha, the sacred area of Lumbini is one of the holiest places of Buddhism, and (2) its archaeological remains contain important evidence about the nature of Buddhist pilgrimage centres from a very early period. To maintain the outstanding universal value of the property, it is necessary to protect the tangible and intangible attributes that represent and embody the two above-mentioned aspects.

The report outlines progress in interaction programmes which have been undertaken, including stakeholder meetingsduring the preparation of the integrated management plan.

c) Follow-up actions in response to the recommendations of the 2005 mission

Another crucial issue raised by the 2005 mission was the impact of the newly constructed (in 2002) Maya Devi Temple on the archaeological remains, as well as on the visual integrity of the property. The World Heritage Committee requested the State Party to implement the corrective measures suggested by the 2005 mission, as follows:

i) for the protection of the fragile archaeological remains

With regard to the protection of the archaeological remains, which are threatened by ground water and humidity, collection of data has been initiated but no monitoring system nor strategy have been developed. The State Party has suggested that there should be an overall approach to the preservation of archaeological remains, which it hopes to finalise during the preparation of the management plan. With regard to the corrective measures proposed for the Temple, waterproofing of the roof, removal of the external staircases have been implemented.

ii) visual aspects of the Maya Devi Temple.

The State Party is going to develop an overall approach towards the rehabilitation of the Maya Devi Temple within the framework of the management plan and implement the remaining corrective measures.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies consider these proposals to be reasonable. In the meantime, measures necessary to control the ground water and monitoring should continue.