ASIANOVERLAND.NET SYDNEY TO LONDON DAY 339/95/7: LUMBINI, NEPAL

After our 4 wheel drive exercises (push starting our double decker bus), we needed some spiritual enlightenment, so we stop at Lumbini, Budha’s birthplace, a Buddhist pilgrimage site in Nepal, near the Indian border. It is the place where, according to Buddhist tradition, Queen Mahamayadevi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama in 563 BCE. Gautama, who achieved Enlightenment some time around 528 BCE, became the Buddha and founded Buddhism. Lumbini is very quiet, desolate, secluded and rundown, for a pilgrimage site pivotal to the life of the Buddha, and is an excellent lunch spot. The holy site of Lumbini has ruins of ancient monasteries, a sacred Bodhi tree, an ancient bathing pond, the Ashokan pillar and the Mayadevi Temple.

The UNESCO version is slightly different to my spiel, especially re the date of Buddha's birth:

"The Lord Buddha was born in 623 BC in the sacred area of Lumbini located in the Terai plains of southern Nepal, testified by the inscription on the pillar erected by the Mauryan Emperor Asoka in 249 BC. 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 as early as the 3rd century BC.

The complex of structures within the archaeological conservation area includes the Shakya Tank; the remains within the Maya Devi Temple consisting of brick structures in a cross-wall system dating from the 3rd century BC to the present century and the sandstone Ashoka pillar with its Pali inscription in Brahmi script. Additionally there are the excavated remains of Buddhist viharas (monasteries) of the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD and the remains of Buddhist stupas (memorial shrines) from the 3rd century BC to the 15th century AD. 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."

The Bodhi tree at the Mahabodhi Temple is where Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment (bodhi) while meditating underneath the fig tree. According to Buddhist texts, the Buddha meditated without moving from his seat for seven weeks (49 days) under this tree.

We only stay for site seeing, and not the required 7 weeks for bohdi enlightenment, but are sufficiently enlightened to cross the Nepal/India border.

Our 1980 Kathmandu to London Trip Book records:

“DAY 7 CRASH SITE 24 September

Peter has returned. Has anyone seen Corrie lately?

Firstly, we all push the bus- to get 20 miles down the road & the bus broke down for 2 hours – we’re off again.

Many people left smiling & much lighter?”

Not many people know that our Double Deckers have 4 wheel drive. This is the gear we use when the punters push the bus, which on this occasion was due to the punters playing cards, 500, all night, after the bus had been camped at the crash site for 3 days. Four wheel drive is also useful up steep mountains (like the Himalayas and Lone Pine at Gallipoli), and when you get bogged on the beach, as occurred with us while we had a seafood beach BBQ at Gallipoli Beach. Actually, 4 wheel drive didn’t have enough power at Gallipoli beach, and we required a 5 tonne tractor, which a local Turkish farmer supplied, complete with a running commentary as we passed graveyard after graveyard after graveyard, of the way Ataturk and the Turkish Army at the mountain tops above Gallipoli, mowed down the Aussie and British soldiers, who were on the beach at the bottom of the mountains.

“At last! we made it! Even without a hassle over my cassette/radio! How flat everything is!

We are parked at the local B.P. – Yes BRITISH petroleum – station.

Cricket with locals goes down a treat.

Supper smells good.

Good thing I bought along sunburn balm – Teena has burnt titties & guess wot – yes – a BURNT FANNY – SORRY, LITTLE AREA – Teena doesn’t like that other word!!’”

↑ Day 94 ↓ Day 96