Nepal 49, Lumbini again

“When you like a flower, you just pluck it.
But when you love a flower, you water it daily”
Gautama Buddha

Heading back down to Lumbini. We stayed in the Hidden Palace again and employed Durga’s brother-in-law Dor to ferry us about. It’s a very good feeling to have people you know and trust in strange places, not that it feels that strange to me now. Although Durga seems to know my every move as apparently his Nephew saw me at the airport. The Durga Mafia is working!

It was lovely in the hotel as they told Clare I was an honoured guest. Clare was soon hugging everyone and making a big impression! I can’t tell you how many photos we have of the staff.

Lumbini the birth place of Buddha was on Clare’s bucket list so, we got there early (it was quite foggy) and made our way to the exact spot within some archeological excavations. I had not visited this the last time due to the queues so, I was very happy. There was so little information about any of it (not even in Nepali) and no photos allowed. The ruins are from 3000 BCE and within the covered area, the remains appear to be mud bricks. It seems rather odd that a ‘dig’ should have so many prayer shawls draped all over it, can you imagine that at York or Tintern? We continued to wander outside and around the much later (fired brick) walls of an early temple and to a Buddha Tree that Buddha’s mother apparently rested under on her way to the place where she gave birth. Here were many monks and Clare who is Christian took her time for prayer. We both recieved blessing scarfs, tikka and a band around our wrist from one monk. This felt to me a very natural thing this time (something I did not feel in the Pashupatinath at all). Maybe the huge old tree (over 2000 years old) had something to do with it. We lit butter candles and incense sticks. We gave a small offering of money but, it was not a requirement.

Dor and I wandered around a pool of green water and left Clare in prayer. The pool apparently at one time was two very ancient wells which indicates how long people had been living here.

Then we all wandered back the a long promenade and were met by hoards of school children all wanting photos with us, including the teachers. Dor stood there looking bemused. This carried on in some of the other temples where Clare was an object of fascination. I’ve said before it’s being like a film star but, with Clare it’s the next level (excuse the pun) and she is so affectionate towards everyone and they respond in kind, it takes us ages to get anywhere!

I would like to give you a potted history of Lumbini but it’s not possible. It was rediscovered in 1895 and ratified by various historians, archeologists etc.  It is another UNESCO world heritage site. It’s an extremely holy site and the government is in the process of developing it, not with houses but with temples. I know I showed you some of the temples before and we visited some of these but, we also, walked a little further this time to visit the Vietnamese Temple. It was extraordinary, it looked abandoned, the gardens unmanicured and there were vegetable plots dotted about in it. Statues of animals and birds throughout the gardens and apart from the people on the door we saw only one female monk sweeping in the grounds. We did hear children chanting in the buildings at the rear.

There were also two very much alive Sarus Cranes in the pond area being fed and cared for. This was our favourite Temple by far! That’s if your allowed to have a favourite.

We were rather pestered by a boy begging outside of here and after purchasing a lotus flower (that was removed from one of the ponds I think) he continued to badger us on and off, even after we came out of the temple grounds. Clare was quite fierce with him but, he had a very thick skin, so we just ignored him and carried on.

The lotus (a water lily) was a deep purple and very scented. It’s a variety that grows wild here too.