Lumbini Nepal in global eyes

Lumbini Nepal in global eyes

Contents

1. Introduction

2. History

3. Management

4. Events

5. Conclusion

1.    INTRODUCTION-

   Buddhism has around 376 million adherents throughout the world; this number is increasing all the time. Buddhism started in India over 2,500 years ago. The essence of Buddhism is the attainment of enlightenment. It points to a way of life that avoids self-indulgence and self-denial. There is no supreme god or deity in Buddhism. Buddha means 'enlightened'. Siddhartha Gautam, later to become the Buddha, lived in the 5th century BC and was a prince born into a rich family. He had an easy life, living in what is now Nepal. However, when he saw the suffering of old age, sickness and death, he decided to renounce his life in the palace and live among the holy men of the day in search of truth and enlightenment. His search took him six years, but he became enlightened whilst meditating under a Bodhi tree. Following this he dedicated his life to spreading the teaching. The Buddha is not considered a god by his followers. He discovered that the answer lay in what have become known as the Four Noble Truths. Craving and desire keep people on the wheel that is the cycle of birth and rebirth, and it is possible to escape this cycle by following the Four Noble Truths.

Five Moral Precepts

All Buddhists undertake to live by the Five Moral Precepts which mean refraining from:

• harming living things
• taking what is not given
• sexual misconduct
• lying or gossip
• taking intoxicating substances e.g. drugs or drink

2.    History of lumbini Nepal

   Lumbinī-"the lovely “is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupandehi district of Nepal. It is the place where Queen Maya Devi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama, who as the Buddha Gautama founded the Buddhist tradition. The Buddha lived between roughly 563 and 483 BCE. Lumbini is one of four magnets for pilgrimage that sprang up in places pivotal to the life of the Buddha, the others being at Kushinagar, Bodh Gaya and Sarnath. Lumbini was where the Buddha lived until the age of 29. Lumbini has a number of temples, including the Maya Devi temple and others under construction. Also located here is the Puskarini or Holy Pond where the Buddha's mother took the ritual dip prior to his birth and where he, too, had his first bath, as well as the remains of Kapilvastu palace. At other sites near Lumbini, earlier Buddha’s were, according to tradition, born, achieved ultimate awakening and finally relinquished earthly form.

   In the Buddha's time, Lumbini was situated between Kapilavastu and Devadaha Nepal. It was there that the Buddha was born. A pillar now marks the spot of Asoka's visit to Lumbiní. According to an inscription on the pillar, it was placed there by the people then in charge of the park to commemorate Asoka's visit and gifts. The park was previously known as Rummindei, two miles north of Bhagavanpura. It is stated that the Buddha was born in a village of the Sákyans in the Lumbineyya Janapada. The Buddha stayed in Lumbinívana during his visit to Devadaha and there preached the Devadaha Sutta. In 1896 Nepalese archaeologists (effort by Khadga Smasher Rana) discovered a great stone pillar at the site attributed to Asoka. It is believed that the pillar was established by the great king Asoka in about 345 BC. Records made by the Chinese pilgrim Faxian were also used in the process of identifying this religiously acclaimed site.

  Lumbini, as of 1997, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site specifically nominated for the international World Heritage program.The present Lumbini is divided into a ratio of 1:3 which means it is 3 km long for every 1 km wide. In total its 2 km by 6 km. The holy site of Lumbini is bordered by a large monastic zone in which only monasteries can be built, no shops, hotels or restaurants. It is separated into an eastern and western monastic zone, the eastern having the ravadin monasteries, the western having Mahayana and Vajrayana monasteries. The holy site of Lumbini has ruins of ancient monasteries, a sacred Bodhi tree, an ancient bathing pond, the Asoka pillar and the Maya Devi temple, where the precise place of birth of Buddha is located. From early morning to early evening, pilgrims from various countries perform chanting and meditation at the site.

   A Non-governmental organization called "Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation" (APECF) backed by chairman of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and late Prime Minister Prachanda, the Chinese government and a UN group called "United Nations Industrial Development Organization" (UNIDO) signed a deal to develop Lumbini into a "special development zone" with funds worth $3 billion. [6] The venture was a China-UN joint project. A broader 'Lumbini Development National Director Committee' under the leadership of Pushpa Kamal Dahal was formed on October 17th, 2011.The six-member committee included Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) leader Mangal Siddhi Manandhar, Nepali Congress leader Minendra Rijal, Forest Minister Mohammad Wakil Musalman, among other leaders. The committee was given the authority to "draft a master plan to develop Lumbini as a peaceful and tourism area and table the proposal" and the responsibility to gather international support for the same.

Hindus regard the Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu and thousands of Hindu pilgrims come here on the full moon of the Nepali month of Baisakh (April-May) to worship Maya Devi as Rupa Devi, the mother goddess of Lumbini.

Lumbini Tourism Year 2012

   2012 is the special year in Nepal. Despite the fact, that there is rumor of ruin of human civilization from this planet, Nepal is celebrating Visit Lumbini Tourism Year 2012.  People have created a buzz of negative vibe against the common home the Earth. We have to be positive and think about peace, love, fraternity and harmony. Once we think positively, then inevitably the result will come positive this exactly implicates our every action will result in some reactions.  The objective of Visit Lumbini Tourism Year 2012 is not only limited in promoting about the Birthplace of Lord Buddha, but also try to give positive message throughout the world. Promoting the birthplace of Lord Buddha is not a political subject matter neither Lumbini is only the property of the government of Nepal. The holy place Lumbini, the world heritage site, is the property of universe.  Lumbini is the common destination of all the pilgrimages from all across the world. Once you dream about the birthplace of Lord Buddha, then you will definitely reach there and this is the power of positive vibe.

Tourism is the largest industry in Nepal, and the largest source of foreign exchange and revenue. Possessing 8 of the 10 highest mountains in the world, Nepal is a hotspot destination for mountaineers, rock climbers and people seeking adventures. The Hindu and Buddhist heritage of Nepal and its cold weather are also strong attractions.Nepal is the country where Mount Everest, the highest mountain peak in the world, is located. Mountaineering and other types of adventure tourism and ecotourism are important attractions for visitors. The world heritage Lumbini, birthplace of Gautam Buddha, is located in southern Nepal, and there are other important religious pilgrimage sites throughout the country. The tourist industry is seen as a way to alleviate poverty and achieve greater social equity in the country. The government of Nepal has also declared Lumbini Tourism Year 2012 to promote Lumbini - a birthplace of Lord Buddha.

10 days visit plan to Nepal

  

   Dear Guest/visitor,

You are heartily welcome to Nepal.

Here are several tour/trekking company in Nepal & all of them arrange according to your convenient time.

Day 01: arrival In Kathmandu.

Day 02: Kathmandu valley sightseeing (Buddha nath stupa, pashupatinath temple, shoyambhu math stupa & Kathmandu durbar square.

Day 03: drive to Lumbini.

Day 04: Lumbini sightseeing & late afternoon drive to Chitwan national park.

Day 05: Chitwan jungle activities & overnight.

Day 06: Drive to pokhara & boating in Phewa Lake.

Day 07: Drive to sarangkot for sunrise & pokhara valley sightseeing (seti river gorge, tibetean refugees camp, Davis fall & MT international museum).

Day 08: drive back to Kathmandu.

Day 09: Mt flight & Bhaktapur /patan sightseeing then drive to nagarkot for overnight.

Day 10: departures to home.

Wish you have trip to Nepal.

Issues for tourism development in LUMBINI

   Although Nepal has been very rich in such natural beauties and cultural heritages, the tourism sector is not well developped. As Nepal is economically poor, there are no well transportation and communication facilities which are necessary for tourism devlopement. Due to political instability, transport, communication. Some common problems are listed below.

Problems existing in tourism industry in Nepal

Lack of proper transportation facilities.

Lack of entertainment tools or proper production of it.

Lack of Publicity.

Lack of well managed tourist centres.

Lack of well managed foot trails.

Lack of development in cultural and social aspects.

Lack of alternative tourist centre.

Lack of communication facilities.

Political instability.

Lack of security.

Pollution.

Lack of investment.

Lack of proper development of ICT, avoids visitors to book their tour online.

Lack trained tourist guide.

Political instability of country may force tourist to wait and see before they book holidays.

Lack of well-designed package which attracts tourists by government/private sector.

Lack of proper hotel and hospitality which may not encourage tourist for long stay.

Lack of local involvement in the project-local people are every time poor

Lack of inbound and outbound relation with India and china which may be the biggest tourist market compared to Europe and USA

Lack of public awareness about tourism.

Lack of English language at local level.

Possibilities of tourism development in lumbini

-Developing lodging and entertainment based resources.

-public awareness at local level

-proper rules and regulations by government.

-promotional package for tour guide and tour operator

-fun and fair to attract local tourists

-bilateral and multilateral relationship with neighbouring countries

-tourism and hospitality education at school level

-long and short term plan by government.

-media program about English language to local people.

-development of local art and crafts, food and drinks i.e niche product.

-development of proper transportation and communication i.e. airways and roadways.

-Wide publicity of Nepal internationally.

-Conservation of religious and cultural sites.

Possibilities of Tourism Industries in Nepal

  

   Our country consists of many such places and things which attract foreign tourists much. We can’t attract many tourists here unless we manage these all places, things properly and most important factor is unless we conserve them. There are many possibilities which increase the limitation of Nepalese tourism industries which are mentioned as follows:

Rich in Natural Beauties:

   Nepal, so called a part of heaven is rich in nature. That tourist who likes to observe the nature and entertain themselves through the natural beauties comes to Nepal. Mt. Everest, Rara Lake, Fewa Lake, Fishtail, Annapurna etc. are some names of natural beauties which attract the tourists. These places and sceneries are god gifted to Nepal.

Famous country in terms of religion:

   Nepal is regarded as the country of temples and moreover it itself is the country of Nepal four caste and 36 of sub-castes along with having various linguistics, religion, culture, tradition and so on. There are so many religious sites in Nepal. Shoyambhunath, Pashupatinath, Manakamana, Basantapur Durbar square are some examples of it. Tourists are visiting Nepal to observe the religious taste of Nepal.

Varies in culture and eco-system:

   Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Lalitpur are some places in Nepal which are rich in culture, architecture and so on. Not only this, Nepal has got the variation in geographical aspects also. It contains mountain, hill and terai region. Due to this variation in region, there are different cultures as well. Therefore, Nepal is the land and key sources for foreign tourist to study the different subjects regarding culture and eco-system as well.


Thursday, October 18, 2012 
(This assignment was submitted to mr Trilochan Gautam by student of north west college reading work)

-Submitted by:(Meelan sharma, Fadindra khadka, Narayan kumar shrestha)