E-Kantipur

The chief abbot/president and representative of the Royal Government of Cambodia, Venerable Poeuy Metta, the United Trungram Buddhist Fellowship and many other nations and organisations have been waiting for almost a decade for approval of their applications to build a Buddhist monastery at the birthplace of Lord Buddha in Lumbini. There are religious donor countries willing to improve the Bhairahawa airport so that it can handle bigger aircraft allowing foreign pilgrims to fly there directly to visit Lumbini. They also want to establish a maternity hospital for the poor, schools and a university besides undertaking various development projects in and around Lumbini. There are several plots which can be utilised for such productive projects. Several plots which were distributed to various organisations are occupied, but they are not being used. Some construction projects are still incomplete even after so many years have passed.

The reason for such irresponsibility and negligence is the ulterior motive and inefficiency of the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT). The inability of the LDT to contact and create a favourable atmosphere for religious donor agencies has created a stagnant situation at Lumbini. The Venerable and the monks of the various monasteries at Lumbini are not treated with respect. The simple process of acquiring a visa from immigration is made difficult for such religious persons. A sense of security and  protection from the various gangs and mobsters there is sorely lacking. Regular electricity, telecommunications and clean potable drinking water are bare minimum requirements that LDT should be providing.  

In 2006, the newly appointed vice chairman of the LDT decided to approve the applications from Cambodia and Trungram after thoroughly studying their seriousness and capability to comply with all the terms and conditions of the LDT. It was also during this time that the stairs leading to the roof of the hall housing the marker stone was dismantled to prevent devotees from stepping over the statues of Maya Devi and Lord Buddha. The Maya Devi Temple was painted maroon as proposed by UNESCO instead of white which would have required frequent repainting at great expense. The teachings of Lord Buddha were placed prominently at the entrance for all to see and learn. Several financial irregularities were also seriously addressed within this short span of 90 days and much more could have been achieved.   

The Royal Government of Cambodia has started building monasteries in Rajgir, Bodhgaya, Vaishali and Kusinara. These projects were implemented after acquiring the long-awaited permission to construct a Cambodian monastery in Lumbini. However, there has been no significant progress in its Lumbini project.

This scribe and his family had gone on pilgrimage to Bodhgaya and other places. The  Cambodian monks there provided us accommodation. The Venerable Poeuy Metta, who was in the US then, was in constant touch with his disciples in Bodhgaya and other places to make sure that we were being taken good care of. We are grateful and blessed to be able to make friendship and relationship with Cambodia and the monks from there.

The United Trungram Buddhist Fellowship, under its coordinator Karma Tshiring Sherpa, finally got the approval after years of effort. The Fellowship has many plans and projects that will bring development and changes in and around Lumbini. But they are getting very little support from the government.

The LDT has been put under the control of different ministries (Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Sport, Ministry of Culture and others) at different times for no specific reason. This has severely affected the proper preservation, timely development and completion of the Lumbini master plan initiated four decades ago. A unanimous decision by all the various sects of Buddhism, religious teachers, organisations and the LDT should be made for the sole reason of preserving the birth place of Lord Buddha. The LDT should be made autonomous in its formation, functions and management with professional and capable officials to accomplish the specified development projects within the stipulated time frame. The officials should be devoid of political motives and not necessarily sages or gurus.

The LDT should have just one sole responsibility—developing and preserving the World Heritage Site so that a Mecca for the billions of Buddhists is created in Lumbini. This can be achieved only when we have honest, disciplined and religiously motivated officials and workers capable of keeping in regular contact and approaching international Buddhist foundations and associations, donor countries and INGOs and NGOs for their support.

Many potential donors have left Lumbini because we have failed to assure them of our sincerity and honesty. LDT officials should visit Bodhgaya, Rajgir, Sarnath and Kusinara to see how our neighbouring country India is managing its religious sites. They should learn how it can be done easily if we have the will.  

(The author is director, Nepal National Aviation Council and former executive director of Air Kasthamandap)

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