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Lumbini (Sanskrit; lit. the lovely) is a Himalayan town
situated in Nepal near the Indian border. It is
commonly recognized as the birth site of Gautama Buddha, the founder of
Buddhism, who lived between approximately 563
BC and 483 BC.
In 1896, Nepalese archaeologists discovered a great stone pillar at the site, attributed
to Emperor Ashoka. Records made by the Chinese pilgrim Fa Xian were also used in the process of identifying this religiously acclaimed site. For Buddhists, this is one of
four pilgrimage sites based around the life of Gautama Buddha, the
other three being Kushinagar, Bodh
Gaya, and Sarnath.
Lumbini, as of 1997, is an UNESCO World Heritage Site specifically nominated for the
international World heritage program.
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