Lumbini, untouched by quake, keen to greet guests

Informing that no temple or monument has been affected in Lumbini region, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, in the devastating April 25 earthquake, the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) called tourists to continue their visit to the holy site.

Issuing a press statement on Sunday, LDT Member-Secretary Ajit Man Tamang said the great tremor that rattled around two dozen districts of central Nepal did not affect Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, and the Mayadevi Temple there.

Likewise, areas associated with Buddha's life including his hometown Kapilvastu; Gotihawa, birthplace of the erstwhile Krakuchhanda Buddha; Niglihawa, birthplace of the erstwhile Konakmuni Buddha; Lord Buddha's maternal uncle's house in Devdaha; Tilaurakot and Ramgram Stupa area are untouched by the tremor.

The Trust under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, hence, informed tourists that they should not feel any kind of insecurity or discomfort to visit the Lumbini region.

"Religious tourism and pilgrimage in the Lumbini region are safe," the statement concluded, "Domestic and foreign pilgrims and tourists are visiting the site."

source: the himalayan times,11 may 2015