Quiet nights sleep in our little damp light room. Decide to hang out half our washing on the outside balustrade in the hope that we might score some sunlight during the day. Send a few items to hotel laundry at 15rup per piece. Breakfast also at hotel, but turns out to be as exciting as the luke warm bucket hotel. Overall feel good hotel but not nirvana.
Plan a circuit of the site which covers three square miles in total. Consider rickshaw, but will see how the legs go instead. Back to a local dhaba post leaving the hotel for some Potato pakora, which is a potato fritter but deep fried in batter versus shallow fryed on a hot plate in oil. Backed up by samosa and chai it makes up for the lack lustre watered down breakfast/porridge before. The manager both this morning and last night, a fourteen year old boy is very savvy, smiley and knows how to direct traffic.
Off to the park which is fenced with brick and metal along the whole perimeter, to access the main gate just past the hire a bikes and rickshaws lined up ready to roll. Owners touting their services to the passing foot traffic. At the entrance to the gate a few varied beggars with either age or disfigurements, though the park authority requests that beggars not be given too. At the main gate the charge to enter the park and more specifically the Maya Devi temple is 200 rup p.p versus 50 rup per the brochure. Initially this feels like a scam but as it is painted on the ticket store wall and it is a World Heritage site, it seems more then reasonable. Someone has to assist the upkeep and it is only fair that tourists pay to assist what they have come to see.
Past the ticket counters it is a stroll through dusty grassed and occasionally swampy land to the Sacred Garden. Architecturally designed by a Japanese Professor, Kenzo Tange in 1970 the North-South running park includes three sectors, sacred garden, monastic zone and New lumbini village. These are joined by gardens lakes and eventually water features, though the gardens are more dry lightly forrested terai plain rather then sculpted park. Following a second gate we encounter our first row of trinket sellers on the side who have what appear to be semi permanent wooden stores. It is like show bag alley at the Easter show but majority Buddha based bits and pieces, beads, bronzed statues, portable prayer wheels and few little Astro boy statues thrown in. Fourteen or fifteen stores all selling very similar bits and pieces.
Wandering through the gates other than western tourists are many devotees. Some garbed monk, in either the Theravada Saffron robes or the Mahayana Maroon robes. Also many Hindu tourists as Buddha is sometimes regarded as an incarnation of Vishnu.
Entering another gated section, a large white building with a small golden nepalese styled stupa with asian eyes and nose painted on the sides. Around from the building leading across to prayer flags draped from big Sal tree and pond are the ruined foundations of stupas and monasteries from the 3rd century BC to the 2nd century AD. The pond, Pushkarini, is believed to be the sacred pond where Maya Devi post bathing gave birth to the Prince who was able to walk his first first seven steps and give an "epoch-making" message shortly thereafter. I am not sure whether I am combining stories but this has to be a step up on the whole Jesus nativity. I have friends who have gone through the whole delivery thing with comparatively big babies but this, Man, painful.
Inside the main building is the marker stone, which marks the exact spot of the birth, the 14th century sandstone nativity sculpture, details worn smooth by years of veneration and surrounding the remains of a 3rd century - 7th century AD temple.
Outside are beautiful Sal? (look like fig) trees that are huge and ancient, draped in thousands of prayer flags. The peace in the southern end of the garden is self evident, even as we saw it first with a Buddhist ceremony in process involving a long line of Theravada monks and twice as many devotees. The pond appears to house these big catfish that float to the surface every now and again, not the fish that I thought might be in such a setup.
Leaving the sacred garden we walked in the midday sun past the current construction site of the main canal and boat stations and across to the Zhong hua Chinese monastery which has large confucian deities guarding the gate. At the entrance the access road was lined with trinket sellers. Inside no one appeared to be watching over the place as some young kids were inscribing their names into one of the covered walkway colonnades. Inside the inner temple was a massive golden Buddha around which were several massive drums and near the entrance a huge cast bell. Also finely carved Chinese styled prayer table. Impressive but without monks felt a little empty.
Further along in the Mahayana section the Tara foundation stupa. Outside slightly kitsch concrete statues through the garden telling the buddha story but inside on the walls and the domed ceiling of the main prayer room were amazingly detailed, hand painted stories and symbols covering the whole roof. It was amazing. You could spend a long time just staring in silence. Leaving we passed one trinket seller and a guy with a non descript grey green cloth bag that he opens whilst signaling for us to come closer and shakes out a cobra. Nice. Soph swings very wide around as do I. In following a back service road we hear something moving in the long grass as we cross back across to the central canal. We see a snake slither back into the grass equally as long as the snake mans.
From the temple we fast track past the Museum and to the massize World peace stupa at the far end of the park. The stupa includes a large gilded statue of the lord buddha depicted as a child (Astro boy). Completed in November 2001, it took eight years to complete.
Back to the monastic zone we returned via the Theravada temples. First the Royal Thai temple, where monks wandered and pictures identified works in the community that they were engaged in. Of all the temples it felt the most lived in. From here further to the Myanmar Golden stupa where our snake friend had setup shop outside. Again swung wide around past further trinkets and into the grounds. The temple looked a little forgotten but was still fairly grand.
All in all there are eighteen temples and meditation centers. To see the ones we had took the best part of four hours on foot. As dusk was less then an hour away we went back via the Maya Devi temple where a few remaining monks were mediating in and amongst the prayer flag forest. Squirrels were playing in the trees and the feeling of calm was very rewarding.
http://www.vividimagination.com.au/
Plan a circuit of the site which covers three square miles in total. Consider rickshaw, but will see how the legs go instead. Back to a local dhaba post leaving the hotel for some Potato pakora, which is a potato fritter but deep fried in batter versus shallow fryed on a hot plate in oil. Backed up by samosa and chai it makes up for the lack lustre watered down breakfast/porridge before. The manager both this morning and last night, a fourteen year old boy is very savvy, smiley and knows how to direct traffic.
Off to the park which is fenced with brick and metal along the whole perimeter, to access the main gate just past the hire a bikes and rickshaws lined up ready to roll. Owners touting their services to the passing foot traffic. At the entrance to the gate a few varied beggars with either age or disfigurements, though the park authority requests that beggars not be given too. At the main gate the charge to enter the park and more specifically the Maya Devi temple is 200 rup p.p versus 50 rup per the brochure. Initially this feels like a scam but as it is painted on the ticket store wall and it is a World Heritage site, it seems more then reasonable. Someone has to assist the upkeep and it is only fair that tourists pay to assist what they have come to see.
Past the ticket counters it is a stroll through dusty grassed and occasionally swampy land to the Sacred Garden. Architecturally designed by a Japanese Professor, Kenzo Tange in 1970 the North-South running park includes three sectors, sacred garden, monastic zone and New lumbini village. These are joined by gardens lakes and eventually water features, though the gardens are more dry lightly forrested terai plain rather then sculpted park. Following a second gate we encounter our first row of trinket sellers on the side who have what appear to be semi permanent wooden stores. It is like show bag alley at the Easter show but majority Buddha based bits and pieces, beads, bronzed statues, portable prayer wheels and few little Astro boy statues thrown in. Fourteen or fifteen stores all selling very similar bits and pieces.
Wandering through the gates other than western tourists are many devotees. Some garbed monk, in either the Theravada Saffron robes or the Mahayana Maroon robes. Also many Hindu tourists as Buddha is sometimes regarded as an incarnation of Vishnu.
 |
| From Nepal, Lumbini. January 2011 |
Entering another gated section, a large white building with a small golden nepalese styled stupa with asian eyes and nose painted on the sides. Around from the building leading across to prayer flags draped from big Sal tree and pond are the ruined foundations of stupas and monasteries from the 3rd century BC to the 2nd century AD. The pond, Pushkarini, is believed to be the sacred pond where Maya Devi post bathing gave birth to the Prince who was able to walk his first first seven steps and give an "epoch-making" message shortly thereafter. I am not sure whether I am combining stories but this has to be a step up on the whole Jesus nativity. I have friends who have gone through the whole delivery thing with comparatively big babies but this, Man, painful.
Inside the main building is the marker stone, which marks the exact spot of the birth, the 14th century sandstone nativity sculpture, details worn smooth by years of veneration and surrounding the remains of a 3rd century - 7th century AD temple.
Outside are beautiful Sal? (look like fig) trees that are huge and ancient, draped in thousands of prayer flags. The peace in the southern end of the garden is self evident, even as we saw it first with a Buddhist ceremony in process involving a long line of Theravada monks and twice as many devotees. The pond appears to house these big catfish that float to the surface every now and again, not the fish that I thought might be in such a setup.
 |
| From Nepal, Lumbini. January 2011 |
Leaving the sacred garden we walked in the midday sun past the current construction site of the main canal and boat stations and across to the Zhong hua Chinese monastery which has large confucian deities guarding the gate. At the entrance the access road was lined with trinket sellers. Inside no one appeared to be watching over the place as some young kids were inscribing their names into one of the covered walkway colonnades. Inside the inner temple was a massive golden Buddha around which were several massive drums and near the entrance a huge cast bell. Also finely carved Chinese styled prayer table. Impressive but without monks felt a little empty.
Further along in the Mahayana section the Tara foundation stupa. Outside slightly kitsch concrete statues through the garden telling the buddha story but inside on the walls and the domed ceiling of the main prayer room were amazingly detailed, hand painted stories and symbols covering the whole roof. It was amazing. You could spend a long time just staring in silence. Leaving we passed one trinket seller and a guy with a non descript grey green cloth bag that he opens whilst signaling for us to come closer and shakes out a cobra. Nice. Soph swings very wide around as do I. In following a back service road we hear something moving in the long grass as we cross back across to the central canal. We see a snake slither back into the grass equally as long as the snake mans.
 |
| From Nepal, Lumbini. January 2011 |
 |
| From Nepal, Lumbini. January 2011 |
From the temple we fast track past the Museum and to the massize World peace stupa at the far end of the park. The stupa includes a large gilded statue of the lord buddha depicted as a child (Astro boy). Completed in November 2001, it took eight years to complete.
Back to the monastic zone we returned via the Theravada temples. First the Royal Thai temple, where monks wandered and pictures identified works in the community that they were engaged in. Of all the temples it felt the most lived in. From here further to the Myanmar Golden stupa where our snake friend had setup shop outside. Again swung wide around past further trinkets and into the grounds. The temple looked a little forgotten but was still fairly grand.
All in all there are eighteen temples and meditation centers. To see the ones we had took the best part of four hours on foot. As dusk was less then an hour away we went back via the Maya Devi temple where a few remaining monks were mediating in and amongst the prayer flag forest. Squirrels were playing in the trees and the feeling of calm was very rewarding.
 |
| From Nepal, Lumbini. January 2011 |
 |
| From Nepal, Lumbini. January 2011 |
http://www.vividimagination.com.au/