#222 Nepal...Thanks Shakya!

The two R10 stamps on the right are from 2009 World Heritage Site issue showing Birthplace of Buddha in Lumbini.

Siddhartha Gautama, 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 Indian 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.

Lumbini is in the foothills of the Himalaya,near the Indian border,where the Buddha is said to have lived till the age of 29.

In 1896, Nepalese archaeologists discovered a great stone pillar at the site, attributed to Emperor Ashoka.

The holy site of Lumbini is bordered by a large monastic zone, in which only monasteries can be built, no shops or hotels or restaurants. It is separated into an eastern and western monastic zone, the eastern having the Theravadin monasteries, the western having Mahayana and Vajrayana monasteries.

The holy site of Lumbini has ruins of ancient monasteries, a sacred Bodhi tree, an ancient bathing pond, the Asokan pillar and the Mayadevi temple, where the precise place of birth of Buddha is located. From early morning to early evening, pilgrims from various countries perform chanting and meditation at the site.

The R5 stamp in the middle was issued in 1984 celebrating 20th anniv. of Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union,which is a non-profit, professional association of broadcasting organisations. It currently has 200 members in 57 countries and regions, reaching a potential audience of about 3 billion people.

The R5 stamp on the right,issued in 2002,shows a Traditional Painting by Nepalese artist.