Short introduction

Siddhartha  Gautam, the Lord Buddha, was born in 623 B.C. in the famous gardens of Lumbini, which soon became a place of pilgrimage. Among the pilgrims was the emperor Ashoka, who erected one of his commemorative pillars there. The site is now being developed as a Buddhist pilgrimage centre, where the archaeological remains associated with the birth of the Lord Buddha form a central feature.

As the birthplace of the Lord Buddha, the sacred area of Lumbini is one of the holiest places of one of the world's great religions, and its remains contain important evidence about the nature of Buddhist pilgrimage centres from a very early period.

In 1956, His late Majesty King Mahendra formally initiated the development of Lumbini, the birthplace of Shakyamuni Buddha. Some ten years later, during his 1967 Nepal visit, the late U Thant, then UN Secretary General, made the Lumbini Development Project an inter-national cause.

Initiated in 1970 the Master Plan was completed in 1978 by the renowned Japanese architect-planner Prof. Kenzo Tange. The Finalisation and acceptance of the Master Plan by His Majesty's Government / Nepal (HMG/N) and the UN created a new wave of enthusiasm among the Buddhists and peace loving people of the world for the fast development of the Lumbini complex in the right perspective.

As a spiritual, historical and archaeological site, Lumbini is unique. It is of major global interest and importance, and was specifically inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997. As such it has the potential to draw a substantial influx of visitors and revenue to this poor and underdeveloped area of Nepal. Indeed, one of the objectives set out in plans for developing the site was to encourage local economic development by increasing the inflow of tourists and pilgrims into the area.

Today the holy site is being developed with international support as the supreme Buddhist pilgrimage and a symbol of world peace. The shrines and monastries that many countries have built or are still building reflect the architectural traditions of the respective countries, and thus giving Lumbini an international feel with a message of universal friendship and brotherhood.

Min Bahadur Pun Magar, the proprietor of Bright Dreams Production presents you audio visual documentary "Panoramic Vision of New Lumbini" covering spiritual, historical, archaeological site and the shrines and mesmerising modern architectural monastries and beautiful gardens of Lumbini.