Lumbini (Sanskrit; lit. the lovely) is a Himalayan town situated in Nepal near the Indian border. It is commonly recognized as the birth site of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, who lived between approximately 563 BC and 483 BC.
In 1896, Nepalese archaeologists discovered a great stone pillar at the site, attributed to Emperor Ashoka. Records made by the Chinese pilgrim Fa Xian were also used in the process of identifying this religiously acclaimed site. For Buddhists, this is one of four pilgrimage sites based around the life of Gautama Buddha, the other three being Kushinagar, Bodh Gaya, and Sarnath.
Lumbini, as of 1997, is an UNESCO World Heritage Site specifically nominated for the international World heritage program.