Lumbini

Monday 2 January 2012: Bus to Bhairawa and a local fume-belcher to Limbini's busy bazaar. Where better to start the New Year?
Tuesday 3: Buddhism is not a religion as it is not based on a god but on a philosophy and moral code thought out by a human being, a man named Siddhartha Gautama, who later became known to the world as Buddha. Here in Limbini, in 563BC, is where he was born.
There's not much to see but Devi Temple that marks the site, Ashoka's pillar and the small adjacent lake are very serene. The rest of the area is a building site of new temples, most reflecting the style of their home country, in various stages of construction.
Wednesday 4: Local bus back to Bhairawa, jeep to Sanauli, the border town with India, and another local bus to the Indian railhead town of Gorakhpur for the night.
Photos of Limbini.