The Second World Buddhist Summit held at Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, in December 2004 had made a commitment to draw up an integrated master plan encompassing over five dozen sites associated with the life and time of Lord Buddha. Some of the chosen sites are Tilaurakot, Kudan, Sagarhawa, Sisaniya, Arorakot and Pipari — all linked to the Lumbini Gardens, the most revered among the sites. The summit, celebrated amidst much fanfare and enthusiasm, was inaugurated by the King with foreign dignitaries and archaeologists in attendance. The summit felt the need to urgently design a plan to preserve the sites, given their historical and archaeological importance. Unfortunately, however, hardly any work has been done on it yet.

All past recommendations listed in at least 19 reports prepared for the sole purpose of developing Lumbini (between 1971 and 2000) remain only on paper. One proposal drawn by Japanese architect Zenji Tange in 1978 on redesigning and renovating the Lumbini Gardens is still to see the light of day. Thanks to the absence of proper plans and policies, no excavation works have started for several years. All this reflects poorly on the implementing agencies. The government’s failure to devise a practical follow-up mechanism and effective action plan continues to baffle all and sundry. Clearly, all the donations and aid collected in the name of Lord Buddha’s birthplace too seem to have fallen into wrong hands. This should be looked into and brought under public scrutiny.