Lumbini
Lumbini is the birthplace of Gautam Buddha where the apostle of peace, compassion, non-violence and universal brotherhood was born in 624 B.C. It is the most sacred place of Buddhism and lies in the Terai about 250 km south west of Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. It is located near Bhairahawa domestic airport. Lumbini remained neglected for centuries. Further exploration and excavation of the surroundings area revealed the existence of a brick and sandstone sculpture within the temple itself, which depict the scenes of Buddha birth?


Very recently, several Buddhist countries have built several beautiful shrines in Lumbini. An international committee has also been set up for the development of this sacred historical place.


The visit to Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, the realm of the Shakya is not only for spiritual enlightenment but also for solace and satisfaction that one normally gets in a calm and peaceful place like it.


Gorkha
Gorkha is a hill town 110 km east of Pokhara. It is 23 km from the turnoff at Abu Khaireni which lies about midway between Pokhara and Kathmandu. As the ancestral seat of the Shah dynasty and home of the original Gurkha soldiers, Gorkha is a national pilgrimage spot. Its centerpiece is the 17th-century Gorkha Durbar, which is a fort, a palace and a temple with excellent views of the Manaslu range. A side-trip to the hilltop temple of Manakamana is in order. It can be reached by hiking from Abu Khaireni (three hours) or by cable car from Cheres on the main highway (96 km from Pokhara). (Temperature 7-36 degrees Celsius.) King Prithvi Narayan Shah, who unified the kingdom of Nepal during eighteenth century, was born in the township of Gorkha. Situated on a small hillock at an attitude of about 1000 m, Gorkha offers panoramic view of snow-fed mountain.


Then the small kingdom of Gorkha, founded by king Drabya Shah in 1560 A. D. became famous during the dynasty of Ram Shah (1604-1641 A.D.), who earned the reputation of being just to his people. There was a famous proverb in those days which said that one should go to Gorkha if he were looking for justice.


In the middle of eighteenth century there were hundreds of small kingdoms and principalities in what is today's Nepal. The great Prithvi Narayan Shah took the mammoth task of unifying Nepal in the eighteenth century. The Gorkha soldiers under his dynamic leadership eventually succeeded in conquering the Kathmandu valley. The capital of greater Nepal was shifted to Kathmandu since then. But this beautiful township has always remained as the center of attraction for many Nepalese as well as foreign visitors.


Nepalgunj
Nepalgunj is an industrial and trading center 199 km east of Dhangadhi. The Jai Bageswari temple marks the town center. It is the gateway to Royal Bardia National Park (95 km, three hours by car). After the safari, you should drive to Chisapani to view the 500-m long, single-tower bridge over the Karnali. Nepalgunj is the hub of air routes in western Nepal. (Temperature 5-44 degrees Celsius.)


Butwal
Butwal is a key crossroads and bazaar town on the East-West Highway. The road leading north goes to Tansen (39 km) and on to Syangja (plus 81 km) and Pokhara (plus 38 km). Other roads run south to Bhairahawa (24 km), west to Nepalgunj (271 km) and east to Bharatpur (114 km). The local people are mostly Gurungs and Thakalis.


Bhairahawa
Bhairahawa is located in the Terai 24 km south of Butwal, is the gateway to Lumbini (22 km). The road leading north from Bhairahawa intersects the East-West Highway at Butwal. Bhairahawa is a busy entry/exit point for overland visitors. From Sunauli on the Indian border, the rail junction of Gorakhapur is three hours by bus, from where there are trains to all over India.