Lumbini
 
Lumbini, the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautam, the Shakya prince and the ultimate Buddha, the Enlightened One, is the pilgrimage destination of the world's millions of people faithful to all schools of Buddhism. This nativity site, identified by Indian Emperor, Ashok's commemorative pillar is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979. The main attraction at the Lumbini remains the Sacred Garden spread over 8sq km and possessing all th treasures of the historic area. The Mayadevi temple is the main attraction for pilgrims and archaeologists alike. Here we we find a bas relief of Mayadevi, the Buddha's mother giving birth to him. Standing west to the Mayadevi shrine is the oldest monument of Nepal, the Ashokan pillar. The pillar was erected by Emperor Ashoka in 249 BC to commemorate his pilgrimage to the sacred site. To the south of the pillar, we find the sacred pond, Puskarni, where Queen Mayadevi had taken a bath just before giving birth to the Buddha.
There are many other skillfully-built temples and palaces, delicately-engraved stone and metal images, carved wooden columns and pillars and the history laden shrines and chaityas within the