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Published: June 18th 2014
LUMBINI
When I first got to Nepal people began telling me that Buddha had been born there, in Lumbini. I have a few Buddhist friends and I felt like if I was in Nepal I ought to make even an extraordinary effort to see the birthplace. The choice was whether to fly or to go overland. I chose to hire a car. Since I was taking a car it seemed pretty reasonable to ask Ashok, my guide from trekking, if he would like to go along, and bring his younger brother and sister, too. I thought it would be nicer than sitting by myself for the whole seven hour trip. Ashok is his siblings' guardian while they go to school in Kathmandu. They visit their parents in the mountains several times a year. He agreed to the trip and I met his brother and sister when the car arrived to pick me up at six a.m. Kabita was wearing a beautiful blue sari and has just started school in the city. She speaks only a few words of English. Subas, the younger brother, has been here longer and seemed to understand most of what we said. Both of
them were very polite and well behaved.
I left most of my luggage in storage at the hotel and I felt good to be traveling light, but my backpack looked pretty heavy compared to Ashok and the kids. They took only the clothes on their back and toothbrushes, I think.
By midmorning I was wondering why I thought this would be a fun trip for the kids. They were both car sick before we had traveled 50 miles. Even with the windows open it was hot and stuffy inside the car. And just sitting in a car can be pretty boring. It was a seven hour trip, not including the stops for rest and food. It was already 2:30 by the time we had gotten rooms and rented rickshaws to the 3 acre site.
After our rickshaw drivers dropped us off, we walked for several hours in the stifling heat and took photos of the monasteries and temples. The buildings were beautiful and ornate and the gardens were impressive, great places for meditation and relaxation. We went into the Nepal Pavilion and walked up a ramp inside to look upon the
birthplace of Buddha, but photographs were not allowed. Ashok’s family is Hindu, but in Nepal the people seem to share many beliefs and take pride in both religions. Hunger, thirst and fatigue finally brought a halt to our tour and we went back to the hotel for dinner. Kabita, 14 and Subas, 10, loved having a TV to watch. Subas played a few free computer games on my laptop.
The next morning I gave the kids a little money to go out for souvenirs. Kabita found the souvenir picture book of the different temples and monasteries and bought one for them and one for me, in English. The Nepalese do not eat breakfast so we left early hoping to avoid some of the heat. On the way out we passed right by the impressive Lumbini Museum and International Research Institute, so the driver dropped us off to take a few photos. Unfortunately it would not be open for another two hours so we just got a few snapshots of the outside of the building.
About 11:30 we saw the cable cars going up to the Hindu Temple Manakamana. I asked Ashok if the kids
would like to go up to see it. Of course they were excited, and I looked forward to going as well. It was twice as expensive as our driver had said it would be, because the price for a foreigner’s ticket was three times more than for Nepalese, but it was the longest cable car ride I have ever had, over ten minutes. The problem was that the cars quit running from 12 noon till 1:30 p.m. and we had caught the last cable car before the lunch break which meant we were stranded in Manakamana for several hours.
Manakamana Temple is dedicated to Bhagwati, an incarnation of the Hindu goddess Parvati and it has a tradition of sacrificing animals. The fee for goats is listed on the board where ticket prices were posted. Hindus who make the pilgrimage to the temple (Manakamana Darshon) to pray believe their wish will be granted. We walked up a narrow road to the temple and took photos. Subas rang the bells and we all got a blessing from an old man who marked our foreheads with an elaborate design. The kids bought a small souvenir of the visit.
There were literally hundreds of people in line waiting to come down again. We were in line for at least an hour waiting for the descent. Due to the unexpected expense of my ticket I had no money with me for lunch in Manakamana and we all had a healthy appetite by the time we got back to the car. We found a restaurant at about 3:00 p.m.
Riding the tram was a little like a carnival ride for the children. On the way down another passenger explained how it took 4 hours for a man to walk to the temple before the tram was built, and even longer for women and children, so they couldn’t do it often.
This was a nice break for all of us. The driver spent his free time while waiting for us, under the trees where it was cool, visiting with his friends. We got back to Kathmandu around 7 pm. I think it must have been the hottest day of the year.
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Antique Buddhas
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Beauty of Lumbini
Lumbini is quite beautiful and quite amazing. The Mayadevi temple, the garden where Lord Buddha was born, the eternal fire are really awesome. http://www.buddha-statues.info