Lumbini — The Lumbini Development Trust unveiled an ambitious $200 million, ten-year master plan on Monday that aims to transform the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama into a world-class pilgrimage and heritage destination.
The plan includes a new international interpretive centre, a network of meditation retreats, electric shuttle services connecting the Sacred Garden with monastic zones, and a major upgrade to drainage and landscaping around the Maya Devi Temple.
The Japanese government and the Asian Development Bank are among the project's key financiers. UNESCO, which lists Lumbini as a World Heritage Site, will provide technical oversight to ensure that construction does not disturb the archaeological buffer zone.
Buddhist organisations from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Japan, and China have expressed strong support. Religious leaders hope the plan will increase annual visitor numbers from the current 1.5 million to more than four million within a decade.