Places to visit in Lumbini
The Buddha's homeland — Lumbini, Kapilavastu, Ramgram, Devdaha — plus the Tharu heartland of Dang, Nepalgunj's bazaars and the tigers of Bardiya.
Districts: Parasi · Rupandehi · Kapilvastu · Dang · Banke · Bardiya
Lumbini — the Sacred Garden
The place where Queen Maya Devi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. The Maya Devi Temple covers the ancient birth site, beside the Ashoka Pillar of 249 BCE whose inscription names Lumbini — one of the holiest places on Earth for Buddhists, and a World Heritage Site since 1997.
UNESCO World Heritage · birthplace of the Buddha2 min →
Lumbini Monastic Zone & Peace Pagoda
A long garden of monasteries built by Buddhist nations and communities — Thai, Myanmar, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodian, German, Tibetan and more — laid out along a canal in Kenzo Tange's master plan, ending at the white World Peace Pagoda.
Temples of the Buddhist world1 min →%20Buddha%20Tree%20Pakari%20Devadaha%20Rupendehi%20District%20Nepal%20Rajesh%20Dhungana%20(7).jpg?width=640)
◆ Hidden gemDevdaha
The ancient capital of the Koliya clan and the home of the Buddha's mother, Maya Devi, and of Prajapati Gautami, who raised him. Scattered shrines, ponds and old trees in the countryside east of Butwal.
Maya Devi's maternal home1 min →
◆ Hidden gemRamgram Stupa
A grassy brick mound by the Jharahi river that is one of the eight original stupas built over the Buddha's relics after his death. Tradition says Emperor Ashoka opened the others but left this one untouched — making it, many believe, the only original relic stupa still intact.
The relic stupa that was never opened1 min →
Tilaurakot (ancient Kapilavastu)
The walled, moated ruins that Nepali archaeologists identify with Kapilavastu, capital of the Shakyas, where Prince Siddhartha spent his first 29 years before leaving through the eastern gate on his search for truth. Brick foundations under old trees, a small museum and a quiet atmosphere far from Lumbini's crowds.
Where the Buddha grew up2 min →.jpg?width=640)
◆ Hidden gemKudan
Brick stupa mounds south of Taulihawa, traditionally identified with the Nigrodha grove where the Buddha met his father, King Suddhodana, after his enlightenment — and where his son Rahula is said to have been ordained.
Where father and son met again1 min →.jpg?width=640)
◆ Hidden gemGotihawa & Niglihawa Ashoka pillars
Two broken stone pillars set up by Emperor Ashoka in the fields of Kapilvastu to honour earlier Buddhas: Krakuchhanda at Gotihawa and Kanakamuni at Niglihawa, whose inscription records that Ashoka enlarged Kanakamuni's stupa.
Pillars of the Buddhas before Buddha1 min →
◆ Hidden gemJagdishpur Reservoir
A large irrigation reservoir near Tilaurakot that became one of Nepal's best winter wetlands, listed under the Ramsar Convention in 2003 — thousands of ducks, geese and waders, with sarus cranes in the surrounding fields.
Ramsar reservoir for winter birds1 min →.jpg?width=640)
◆ Hidden gemChaughera Ratannath Monastery
A centuries-old monastery of the Kanphatta (split-ear) yogis at Ghorahi in the Dang valley, founded by Ratannath, a disciple of Gorakhnath, and endowed by the kings of the western hills — with a tall pagoda-style temple and Tantric rites.
Yogi monastery of the Nath sect1 min →
Nepalgunj & Bageshwari Temple
The hot, bustling hub of mid-western Nepal, where Hindu, Muslim and Awadhi cultures mix. Home of the Bageshwari goddess temple and the airport for flights to Jumla, Simikot, Rara and Dolpa.
Gateway to the Karnali1 min →
Bardiya National Park
The largest national park of the lowlands — wild, remote and far less visited than Chitwan — with a strong population of Bengal tigers, wild elephants, rhinos, and Ganges river dolphins in the Karnali.
Nepal's best chance to see a wild tiger1 min →Every place on the map
Dots are approximate. Tap one to open the place.