Lumbini as Disneyland

At the sacred site of Siddhartha Gautam's birth, archaeologists run amok, architects are needlessly ostentatious and sects outspend each other. The meaning of the dharma is greatly diluted..It all began with a Buddhist from Burma named U Thant. As UN Secretary General, he made a pilgrimage to Lumbini in 1967 and reportedly wept at seeing the sorry condition of the Buddha's birthplace. His heartache woke Nepalis up to the fact that the preservation of what was clearly an international heritage was an urgent responsibility..A committee, which is now called the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT), was formed to look into ways to develop Lumbini. In 1978, a master plan backed by the UN and designed by world-renowned Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, provided the outline for preserving the ancient ruins as well as turning an inaccessible, barren site into one that would appeal to pilgrims and tourists alike. This ambitious plan was to bring much pride to Nepal's Buddhist legacy..Today, nearly 20 years later, little progress has been made in the effort to develop Lumbini. The Lumbini Development Project has been marked by negligence and corruption, and the lethargic implementation of the grandiose scheme has brought little benefit to the locals, many of whom were displaced by the Project. Archeological work has caused great upheaval within the sacred garden and some of the devout speak of desecration. There seems little doubt that the excavations, which were to unlock the Sakyamuni Buddha's past, have been irresponsible..There are other problems, not the least of which is the master plan itself. Tange's blueprint is ill-suited for the site, because it indirectly promotes unnecessary and boastful competition among sects, and forces this hallowed Buddhist site to be crowded by buildings and monuments. Meanwhile, and more relevant, the Trust's idleness and docility has made it possible for several monastic groups to flout design parameters..A commemorative pillar of ungainly marble tiles put up in memory of King Mahendra back in 1964, seems to have begun the avalanche of inappropriate architecture. This was followed by an eternal flame that was lit to commemorate a disconsolate United Nations anniversary that no one even remembers. Lumbini, the pride of Nepal, birthplace of the Light of Asia, has brought out the darker side of those very administrators, professionals – and monks – who ostensibly seek to honour the Buddha..Birthplace.Siddhartha Gautam's date of birth is disputed, ranging anywhere from 623 BC to 543 BC. On her way from King Suddhodhana's palace in Kapilvastu to Dewadaha, which lies about 40 km east of Lumbini, Queen Mayadevi stopped in Lumbini and gave birth to the prince, who was later to renounce materialism in pursuit of spiritual wealth, and give to the world the philosophy that was called Buddhism..Emperor Ashok made a pilgrimage to Lumbini in 249 BC and erected three pillars in the area. The most famous of these, stands in Lumbini's Sacred Garden, near the pond and Mayadevi temple. Its inscription reads: "Twenty years after his coronation, King Priyadarsi, Beloved of Gods, visited this spot in person and offered worship at this place, because the Buddha, the Sage of the Sakyas, was born here." What exactly the emperor meant by 'here' is contested, but the pillar remains the strongest evidence that the Sakyamuni was born in this area..Chinese travellers Fa Hsein (5th century AD) and Hsuan Tsang (7th century AD) visited Lumbini and left detailed accounts that provide further clues about the Buddha's birthplace and the location of King Suddhodhana's palace, where the prince lived the first 29 years of his life. These sites were lost for eras, to be discovered only in 1895. Khadga Shumsher, the then governor of Palpa, and archaeologist P. C. Mukherji were among the first to excavate the site, before the turn of the century. Excavations have continued throughout this century..Tange's Designs.The Tange master plan divided the eight square km of land into three zones, which were designed to assure the peace and spirituality that are implicit in Buddhism. The tourist village was to be comfortable, yet affordable. The monastic zone's 41 plots would allow different sects of Buddhism to have their place in Lumbini – the Theravadins in the western part separated from the Mahayanans in the eastern part. Groups that purchased plots, signed 99-year contracts and agreed to abide by the rules set by the LDT. The central zone of the Sacred Garden was to be maintained as a sal and sisau forest around a central waterway, in an attempt to recreate the ancient surroundings..While the Tange plan has helped to protect the Sacred Garden from gracious donors who are busy bestowing brick and concrete structures in the area, it has its shortcomings. The most grievous is that it is expensive, requiring U$ 58 million in present-day prices for its completion. While Nepal claims to have spent the equivalent of U$ 10 million to provide infrastructure, the project is overwhelmingly donor-dependent..Marked by corruption, malfeasance and bad management of a politicised leadership and uninterested bureaucrats, less than 15 percent of the Tange plan has been completed. Most of the construction is not yet finished, not all plots have been let, and infrastructural problems remain. While, monastic groups all seem keen to set up loud structures, no one wants to pay for a sewage system that would have little observable credit. Given the reliance on donors' generosity, the time frame for Lumbini's development is indefinite. The expectation of Japanese assistance flooding Lumbini with easy money (which did not happen) hindered realistic planning..The master plan gives preference to those with money, and this has led to unfair representation of Buddhism's various branches. This is reflected in Nepal's own embarrassingly small patch, and by the fact that the monastic zone is dominated by Japanese Mahayana sects. Vajrayana, the Himalaya's own distinctive contribution to Buddhism, is the most neglected, and a Nepali rinpoche complains that the Bhotiya population of the High Himal has to make do with visits to the shrines of other sects..Some Kathmandu planners are concerned that Lumbini will not look 'Nepali' by the time Lumbini is fully developed, due to the absence of Vajrayana monuments and the predominance of contemporary architecture in the complex. Lok Darshan Bajracharya, King Mahendra's private secretary who was appointed chairman of the LDT after the king's death in 1972, does not see this as a problem because, "Buddhism does not belong to one country. It belongs to the whole world." Bajracharya served as the LDT's chairman for a decade, and, as a result, is praised and blamed for much of what has happened, or not happened at Lumbini..Promoting a multi-million dollar enterprise representing spiritual enlightenment, the Tange plan has sparked competition among sects and brought out 'un-Buddhistic' tendencies, such as factionalism – that, too, based on nationality. Visiting pilgrim and tourist groups tend to be restricted to their national monasteries. Korean pilgrims stay in Korean temples, Thais in Thai, making quick forays into the Mayadevi temple, which is really the only 'secular' place amidst the tussle of nationalities..A type of militant Buddhism is emerging in relations between Theravadins and Mahayanans at Lumbini, which seems to reflect developing rivalry between these two branches and the trend toward aggressive proselytising in the larger world. The minority Thai Theravadan monks, to strengthen their position, offer fellowships to young Nepalis to study in Thailand, with the hope to 'purify' other types of Buddhism. Sri Lankan Theravadins are doing the same. The Thais are also building one of the largest icon statues of the Buddha in Lumbini, at a cost of U$ 1.6 million. Burmese and Thai groups have purchased two adjacent plots for construction in this flaunting of worldly wealth..The commercialisation of Buddhism is also seen in the behaviour of some monks who reside in Lumbini. Rather than making do with alms that pilgrims bring, some monks make profits from them. Locals who live outside the Lumbini perimeter maintain that there is immoderate wining and womanising, and one bhikshu is even called Ghatiya Baba ('the lowly one') for his questionable conduct..Disney's World.As the competition between countries and sects is measured in money and monuments, Lumbini is well on the way to becoming a "religious Disneyland," observed a Western scholar of Himalayan Buddhism who was part of a UNESCO-sponsored trip to the site in October..Some monasteries have clearly forsaken their ascetic ideals and taken on a commercial atmosphere in their projected guest houses and curio shops. The Chogye Order monastery of South Korea, when completed, will be able to bed 300 visitors. The W. Linhson Buddhist Congregation of France and Bauddha Dharmankur Sabha of Calcutta, also have plans for large guest houses..The rule meant to keep buildings' heights below 60 feet, so as not to detract from the Ashok pillar and Mayadevi temple, has already been flouted by the Vietnam Phat Quoc Tu. Meanwhile, a Japanese sect that wants to go even higher, Nipponjan Myohoji, has received special permission to purchase land in the tourist zone. It has started construction of a peace pagoda that upon its completion in the year 2000 will soar 155 feet. This project will also block the direct north-south view from the Ashok pillar, "This is a travesty, but there is nobody watching, least of all the Lumbini Development Trust," says a despairing Nepali architect..Mature trees have been cut down. A plan to build a high school for locals, promised at the time of land acquisition, has been scrapped. The Yong Do monastery of South Korea has been built in the middle of a greenery zone. The two monasteries actually within the Sacred Garden (Mustang and Theravada), which were there before the Tange plan was drafted, were supposed to have been relocated but this has not been done. Instead, the Mustang one has started building a restaurant..All these changes are occurring without control, without restriction, and with indirect support of the LDT, who is paying the infrastructure costs. Nothing more vividly highlights the Lumbini guardians' vulnerability to foreign money, than the Trust's inability to enforce the Tange plan. If this laissez-faire attitude continues, with overseers from abroad building according to their whims and fancies, the world will have gained a tourist site, but have lost a spiritual centre..Irresponsible Archaeology.Questionable archaeological work marks the activities within the Sacred Garden, which holds the Mayadevi Mandir and its nativity statue, the pond, the pillar put up by Emperor Ashok, and the (onetime) sacred pipal tree. At the Mayadevi temple, pilgrims who arrive to pay homage to the Buddha's birthplace currently find an excavation site..Three years ago, a contract was signed between the Japanese Buddhist Federation (JBF) and LDT to excavate the temple. The work plan called for keeping precise records relating to the original structure, reassembling the temple using the same bricks in the same positions, publishing frequent progress reports, and finding ways to safeguard the pipal tree, which grew over the temple and was the distinctive feature of the complex..The archaeology team of Satoru Uesaka (Japan) and Babu Krishna Rijal (Nepal) seems to have broken almost every provision in the original contract. The work progresses with bureaucratic smugness, without any reports being made public and little review of the work that has been done. The team includes no anthropologist, no Buddhist scholar, and no historian either, though the inclusion of experts from the various fields would have added much insight and perspective. The only thing that is more surprising is the absence of remonstrations from the national and archaeological community and the lack of press coverage of the goings-on in the Sacred Garden..So far, the JBF-LDT partnership has moved the Mayadevi nativity scene to a temporary shelter, ignoring its locational significance. The cutting down of the sacred pipal tree has provoked greater consternation. They are also planning to build a replica of the Mayadevi mandir somewhere nearby in the Sacred Garden, to house a modern-day replica of the nativity statue that someone made..As with the overall schedule of Lumbini, the excavation seems to proceed without a timeframe. Three years of work are said to have yielded Mauryan punch mark coins, terracotta pieces, and northern black ware pottery, but not a single report has been published. This excavation has extraordinary potential because it holds the possibility of finding pre-Buddha remains, which would provide new information about that earlier era. The archeological world and the public deserve to know about what is probably one of the most important digs in the world.."They are raping the Mayadevi Mandir," exclaims Basanta Bidari, a Nepali archeologist, who has been working in the area for eleven years. He feels that Uesaka's team is reckless, adding that their excessive secrecy strengthens speculation that smuggling is going on. "Why are they doing their work behind a sheet? What have they got to hide?" he asks..Smuggling of artefacts has a long history in Lumbini, as elsewhere in South Asia. Back in 1897, German archeologist, Dr. A. A, Fuhrer, is thought to have taken many pieces. The 17 stupas of Sagarhawa, about 20 km from Lumbini, mentioned in Mukheiji's excavation records, are all gone. Archaeologist Debala Mitra reported 16 votive stupas in the Mayadevi Mandir in 1957, all of which had disappeared by 1962. Many artefacts from Lumbini and its surroundings dating from the Buddha's time, are today, said to be in museums in India..Recently, the JBF stopped its excavation work, having been ordered by Bimal Bahadur Shakya, the previous LDT Member-Secretary, to hand over all slides, videos, negatives and pictures, and to write a report. The archaeologists' team has started working on a report, but Uesaka seems flustered by this demand and makes the point that "archaeology cannot be rushed.".Pipal Tree.Perhaps the most tragic action was the 1993 felling of the pipal, which formed an integral part of Lumbini's mental image for millions. Its age was a matter of dispute – claims ran anywhere from 80 to 500 years old. Mukherji's records show that it was at least a hundred years old. The tree definitely did not exist during the Buddha's lifetime, but since Lumbini's discovery in the modem era, the tree has had a unique religious significance for standing over the Mayadevi temple. No Lumbini photograph, artwork or mental recollection is without this majestic papal, overspreading the rather drab white-washed structure of the temple..The JBF-LDT team claims that the roots were penetrating the mandir and that the tree had to be destroyed in order to preserve the temple. Also, the brick building (built by the Rana, Keshar Shumsher, in the 1920s) stood atop at least six different structures, and, according to the team, could not be excavated without felling the tree..John Sanday, a British architect and restorer who has worked in Kathmandu's Hanuman Dhoka and Cambodia's Angkor Wat, believes that research on preserving the tree was inadequate. There are ways to kill certain roots or to control root growth, says Sanday, who had suggested a work plan to save the pipal as early as 1983. He is clearly disturbed with what has happened. Purna Man Shakya, the then LDT field manager and the man who was ordered to axe the tree, however, feels that there was no way around doing away with the pipal. He is combative: "As a botanist with 30 years' experience, I challenge anyone anywhere in the world to show me how you could have saved that nuisance tree.".There is the unconfirmed report that JBF paid LDT one lakh rupees for the felling, and then used the tree to make dharma bead necklaces and small sculptures to sell in Japan and elsewhere. Bimal Bahadur Shakya, the previous LDT member-secretary, wrote an article in Sadhana, a Nepali digest, stating that wood from the felled tree was being used for such commercial purposes. Ram Briche, a local from Lumbini, says he was one of those who helped make planks for export. But Uesaka of the JBF vehemently denies these charges, insisting that he is being defamed by those who are jealous of his team's work..Uesaka says that the tree trunks have been replanted on either side of the eternal flame, and that saplings have been nurtured from that same tree. The replanted stumps he points to, however, are dead..Without going into veracity of the charges that have been made, suffice it to state that the archaeological team of JBF-LDT has caused rapid and unwelcome alterations in Lumbini. Both the tree and earlier temple are gone. For the moment, pilgrims are left to view the Mayadevi image in a temporary shelter..Amidst the Mosques.It is striking that Lumbini, that has in modern times become a major Buddhist pilgrimage destination, is surrounded by Muslim population. The road from Lumbini to Kapilvastu is lined with 11 newly-built mosques, and more are to follow. Muslims, and a scattering of Hindus, make up the population of the nearby villages of Buddha Nagar, Padaria, and Parsia. Less than 20 years ago, many of these people lived in what is now the Lumbini compound..Today, the Lumbini villagers say that they received inadequate compensation when their land was taken, and that the promised schools, health posts, water system, electricity, and better roads never materialised. The handover happened during the Panchayat years when they could not protest and they say, because of the assurances that were given, they moved without much fuss..The Muslim villagers feel that they have been exploited. Their conviction is only reinforced when they see the vast Buddhist wealth being ostentatiously displayed in Lumbini, by rival monasteries. The sluggish implementation of the master plan has brought little income to the villagers, who are employed only as day labourers. Their familiarity with the area could enable them to earn income from the pilgrim and tourism trades, but they are excluded, as outsiders benefit..The villagers are obviously frustrated at their condition, and the seven large fires that have occurred in the Lumbini grounds, in the last few years, are thought to be acts of arson, presumably motivated by resentment..The pace of life and expectation levels are at such variance within and without the Lumbini complex, that one does wonder at the cocoon that those inside – including the insular monasteries and their heads and funders – have created for themselves. Rijal of the LDT maintains that it is the government's responsibility to care for areas outside Lumbini, but this outlook ignores the dislocation which the LDT itself ordered. Displaced Muslim peasants are suffering in the name of Buddhism..Trust Violation.For years, the Lumbini Development Trust has looked the other way or, not looked at all, while an international heritage was being despoiled. At the same time, the Trust has done little to fulfill its responsibilities of preservation and conservation of other Sakyamuni-related areas, such as, Kapilvastu, Niglihawa, Gotihawa, Sisahania, Kudan and Dewadaha, to which, it was recently given the mandate. Important relics are carelessly thrown about, and some of these sites do not even have controlled boundaries..Lok Darshan Bajracharya, who chaired the Trust from 1975 to 1985, blames LDT's lacklustre performance on the indifference of the present leadership. Speaking of Lumbini, he says, "This kind of negligence did not occur in my time. We planted most of the trees then, and there was no violation of the master plan." There are those who blame the Lumbini mess on the fact that the government in Kathmandu is consistently Hindu-dominated. Others, including Asha Ram Sakya, a former LDT Member-Secretary, single out for blame the political instability of recent years. "Board members change along with governments, and are thus hindered in taking action. Currently, no board is in session, I would wish that the LDT management was less politicised, and more permanent," says Sakya..But, the instability of government, actions of foreigners and religious apathy, can only go so far as to explain the rot in Lumbini. The persons, who have held the chairs and membership of the Trust thus far, whether Hindu or Buddhist, and the mostly unimaginative bureaucrats, who have run Lumbini, must be held accountable more than any other group..U Thant would still weep today, and Nepalis have only themselves to be blamed..The Battle of Kapilvastu. The long-standing controversy about the location of the palace, where the Buddha spent his princely years, continues. Where is Kapilvastu, the capital of King Suddhodhana?.A credit-claiming game is being played out between archaeologists on either side of the border, with Nepalis maintaining that the palace site was in Tilaurakot, and Indians insisting that it was across in Piprahawa or Ganwaria. The controversy has escalated during the last year..In a sense, the debate is an empty quibble, since when the Sakyamuni lived there was no Nepal and no India, either. But modern-day archaeology is imbued with nationalist purpose, and tourism to the authentic Kapilvastu means yen with a capital Y, and hence, the battle over Kapilvastu..Historical Buddhist literature and accounts of Chinese travelers Fa Hsein and Hsuan Tsang, mention Buddha's palace as having high walls, a sal forest nearby, a clear view of the Himalaya, and the Bhagirathi river flowing nearby. Nepali Archaeologists maintain that these are all evident in present-day Tilaurakot..Indian archaeologists Debala Mitra and K.M. Srivastava, on the other hand, maintain that Kapilvastu straddled where Piprahawa and Ganwaria are today. Their arguments are based on the seals on a casket found in Piprahawa in 1988, which read "Om Deveputra Vihare Kapilvastu Bhikshu Mahasanghasa.".Critics of the Indians' thesis maintain that the small rooms at the Piprahawa and Ganwaria excavation, as well as the inscriptions, prove beyond doubt that these were monastic sites rather than a palace complex. Some, even claim that the casket in question was stolen from Nepal by archaeologists keen on claiming Kapilvastu for India..Nepali archaeologists Basanta Bidari and Kosh Prasad Ahcarya, add a further twist by maintaining that the brick types found in the sites in question could not have been made before the 3rd century BC. It would therefore, not be possible to place the brick-structures in either Nepal or India as the palace site, they argue. Their point complements the view of scholar Rhys David, who suggested some hundred years ago, that the palace must have been made of wood, and would not have survived..While the archaeological debates go on, the signboard painters south of the border are active, and there is anecdotal information that some people are presently digging a ditch in Piprahawa to create a river called the Bhagirathi. Zee TV, the channel beamed to India by Star TV, is working on a movie that depicts a Gautam Buddha born and raised south of the line, which in the 20th century would become an international border…