Day 552 - The beginning of Buddha

This morning we left Sauraha on a bus bound for Sunauli, and from there we caught a bus to Lumbini - the place where Buddha was born. After finding a hotel we set off to explore the temple complex where there are many Buddhist temples built by various countries.

As it was nearing dusk we only managed to look at the Mayadevi Temple, which is claimed to have been built in the 3rd Century BC where Buddha was born. Inside the temple is a marker stone that shows exactly where he was born and a nativity sculpture from the 4th Century AD that depicts the scene of the birth. Outside is the holy pond where Buddha's mother bathed before giving birth, and everywhere in sight hundreds of prayer flags create their own personal sky of colour.
In the evening we had a mediocre meal and spent the next few hours battling the mosquitoes in our room before collapsing into bed and leaving the mossies to do their work!

Adlibing the birthplace.