Visit to Lumbini in 2008

04-12-2008

Kathmandu - Lumbini

Early morning we leave in a car, with driver Arjun Dhakal, of Multiadventure, for Lumbini. The Hill top restaurant is a standard resting point on this route. is. We arrive there already at 9:20 hour. Kame and Arjun have breakfast here.
At 10:45 hour we are at the junction in Muglin and 12:05 hour we pass the pick-up point for visiting Island Jungle Resort in Chitwan.

At 5 o'clock we arrive at the entrance of the Lumbini Garden New Crystal Hotel, a beautiful hotel, where Ngima of Multiadventure has made room reservations. Kame and Arjun get also a room here. The hotel, to which is still built, is almost opposite the main entrance of the Sacred Garden. Right opposite the head entrance is the village Buddhanagar.

When Anita and I go for dinner in the hotel restaurant, we are offered to join a large group of monks in a buffet dinner. The monks will arrive later. We accept this gratefully, because we are not really attracted to what is offered on the menu card.
After diner, when we sit in the lobby with a beer, the monks arrive. There are apparently a couple very important persons, because they are received with all regards and they appear to be used to such ceremonies. After their diner they even give a photograph session in the lobby.

We ask who these people are and we are informed that one of them is the Sakya Lama. Seeing our ignorance, following explanation is given: the Sakya Lama, Sakya Trizin, is the leader of one of the four Buddhist sections. Only the Dalai Lama is more important.

The hotel manager tells us that they also will come tomorrow. We made a mental note to be here in time with our cameras. The monks are in Lumbini for a puja which is performed in the courtyard of the monastery next door, approximately 100 meters further along the road. The puja is the 17th Sakya Monlam.

05-12-2008

Sacred Garden and Sakya Monlam

After breakfast we go to the Sacred Garden.
It is already nicely warm, but the dew is still on the flowers.

We visit successively the Maya Devi Temple and surroundings, the eternal peace flame, the copy of the Swayambunath stupa, the Nepalese contribution i.e. the Drubgyud Choeling monastery, the Chinese monastery, the particularly beautiful contribution of the German Tara foundation and the Thai monastery.
After that, we return to the main entrance via the Cambodian monastery and we have lunch in the village.

We spend the afternoon at the Tashi Rabten Ling monastery, where the puja is performed. This is the Sakya Monlam festival for peace, which takes place each year in Lumbini. This year for the 17-th time.

At seven o'clock we are ready in the lobby of the hotel to take pictures at the arrival of the Sakya Lama. Tomorrow we still have another chance.

06-12-2008

Sacred Garden and Sakya Monlam

Today we start at the entirely white Japanese peace pagoda, which lies blinding in the full sun.
When I visit the associated temple, somebody gives me a small drum and from good decency I must participate to the ceremony. In fact I only wished to make a sound recording. I am a bad drum player. Perhaps I got as a result, a reprimand when I slipped into my shoes outside the temple. At least I was thinking that I was outside the temple, but it appeared to be the hall of the temple.

Via the museum we go to the Myanmar Golden Monastery and the Gautami Temple.
Then it is time for the lunch.

The afternoon is a recurrence of yesterday, but during the arrival of the Sakya Lama I make the wrong decision to pay more attention to the behaviour of the spectators then to the important visitors. I correct that during the photograph session, after the diner.