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Lumbini
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Lumbini

Birthplace of the Buddha

Plan this trip
2 daysIdeal stay₹1,130From / night₹560Food / day₹130Entry

The UNESCO site where Siddhartha Gautama was born: the Maya Devi Temple over the marker stone, Ashoka's pillar of 249 BCE, the sacred pond, and a long garden of monasteries built by Buddhist countries from Thailand and Myanmar to Germany and China. Only 25 km from the Sunauli border, it is the easiest place in Nepal for Indians to reach overland (Gorakhpur is about 3 hours away). Gautam Buddha International Airport at Bhairahawa is 22 km. Hot from April to June; best from October to March.

Highlights

  • Marker stone in the Maya Devi Temple
  • Ashoka Pillar inscription
  • Cycling the Monastic Zone
  • Thai, Myanmar, Chinese and German monasteries
  • Evening prayers by the sacred pond
  • Tilaurakot, the Shakya palace ruins

Things to do

  • Maya Devi Temple & Ashoka PillarMorning · 2h
  • Cycle the Monastic ZoneAfternoon · 3h
  • World Peace Pagoda at sunsetEvening · 1h 30m
  • Tilaurakot (ancient Kapilvastu) half dayMorning · 4h

Tours & tickets

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When to go

Best time: October – March

Worth knowing

Dashain: Transport Full, Offices and Shops Closed

During Dashain (late September or October, 15 days, the main 4-5 days like India's Navratri and Dussehra) most of Kathmandu goes home to the villages: long-distance buses and domestic flights sell out a week either side, offices, banks and many shops and restaurants close for the main days, and taxis are scarce. Book transport early and carry cash.

Heads up

Tihar: Holidays and Full Buses

Tihar (Nepal's Deepawali, five days, two to three weeks after Dashain) closes offices and many shops for its last days and fills buses again. The lamps and decorations are lovely to see; plan around the transport.

Heads up

Terai Heat

April to June the Terai is as hot as the Indian plains across the border, often 38-42 °C. Sightsee at dawn and after 4 p.m., and book a room with air-conditioning.

  • Dashain (Bada Dashain) — Nepal's biggest festival, 15 days ending on the full moon, with the main days (Phulpati to Vijaya Dashami, the day of tika from elders) like India's Navratri and Dussehra. Kathmandu empties as people go home: buses and domestic flights sell out a week either side, government offices, many shops and some restaurants close for 4-5 days, and prices rise. It falls in the autumn trekking season, so book transport early.
  • Holi (Fagu Purnima) — Colours are thrown in the hills, Kathmandu included, a day before the Terai (Janakpur, Chitwan, Lumbini) celebrates with India. Basantapur and Thamel are the centres in Kathmandu; wear old clothes and keep phones in a bag.
  • Buddha Jayanti — The Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death, on the full moon of Baisakh: Lumbini holds the main ceremonies at the Maya Devi Temple, and Boudhanath and Swayambhunath in Kathmandu are lit with butter lamps and crowded with pilgrims. Lumbini's rooms fill early, and it is already very hot.