Bangkok – A group of Thai Buddhists on a pilgrimage funded by the 4th Region Forward Command of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) traveled to Lumbini garden earlier this week, the birthplace of Prince Siddhartha, covering an area of 2,000 rai (790 acres).
Lumbini was inscribed on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in 1997 as the place where Gautama Buddha was born. It is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in Nepal where Queen Mayadevi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama in 563 BCE. Lumbini has a number of temples, including the renowned Mayadevi Temple. Another historical site is the Puskarini, or the Holy Pond, where the Buddha’s mother took the ritual dip prior to his birth and where he had his first bath.
The Buddhist pilgrims performed morning chanting and made meditation in Mayadevi Temple for the prosperity of themselves and their families and prayed for peace in Thailand’s southern border provinces.
The Buddhist pilgrims said they felt overwhelmed for having this opportunity to visit the birthplace of the Lord Buddha once in their lifetime, and thanked the ISOC for organizing this project.
