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Dutch tourists on foot pilgrimage to Lumbini
Bodhgaya: A group Dutch tourists
have embarked on a pilgrimage on foot from the holy city of Bodhgaya,
place of Lord Buddha's enlightenment, to Lumbini in Nepal, the place of
his birth. The tourists, numbering 23, hailing from the Netherlands, are
taking up the journey on foot. Lord Buddha was born Gautam, a prince,
at Lumbini some 2,600 years back. He left his wife and child one night
in search of enlightenment and attained after years of meditation under
a Pipal (Sacred Fig) tree at Bodhgaya. "We hope we can complete our mission
to walk in the footsteps of Lord Buddha to Lumbini. We hope that we complete
it with peace in our heart, peace for the world - that is very important.
And secondly, there are not many people in the recent history, who are
actually walking on the footsteps of Lord Buddha. I hope that many people
will follow our example," said Martin, a pilgrim. The pilgrims would also
visit several important Buddhist centres en route. Lord Buddha departed
from the world at the age of 80 in Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh. It's also
an interesting facet in Lord Buddha's life that he was born, achieved
enlightenment, and finally salvation on the same day. Buddhists constitute
nearly five million or 0.75 per cent of India's population.
-Feb 17, 2007
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