KATHMANDU, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Nepali government has just launched the Visit Lumbini Year 2012 for the sake of promoting the birthplace of Sakyamuni Buddha as the religious and tourist hub.
Lumbini, some 327 km southwest of the Nepali captial of Kathmandu, is a pilgrimage site for the Buddhists around the world.
Lumbini, an UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, is very popular with the devotees and visitors from all over the world as it has the historical evidence that Sakyamuni- Lord Buddha was born here.
According to the legend, Mayadevi, the queen of the Sakya King Suddhodana of Kapilbastu, on the way to her maternal hometown was passing through Lumbini where she took a bath in a pond and gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama who founded Buddhist religion.
Historical facts say the newly born Siddhartha walked seven steps with the footprints having been preserved in Lumbini.
Sakyamuni Buddha lived between roughly 563 and 483 BC.
For pilgrims, Lumbini is one of the four holy sites with link to the life of the Buddha, the others, Kushinagar, Bodh Gaya and Sarnath, are all located in neighboring India.
The Ashoka Pillar is another significant monument which was erected by Indian Emperor Ashoka in 249 BC, referring Lumbini as the birthplace of Lord Buddha in Pali language.
Nepali President Ram Baran Yadav inaugurated the Visit Lumbini Year 2012 on Jan. 14 in Lumbini, with an official target of luring 500,000 tourists to Lumbini this year.
