The small town of Lumbini on the Terai plains of Southern Nepal is known throughout the world as he birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha), born in the 6th Century BC to a royal family. The temple complex where Buddha once lived is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an important pilgrimage site for millions of Buddhists who come from far and wide to visit the ancient city. The area has been carefully transformed into a pilgrimage site by the Lumbini Development Trust, using the designs by renowned Japanese architect Kenzo Tange. This NGO has developed three square miles of land and restored the temples and created tranquil gardens, pools and groves. The most significant place in Lumbini is the Maya Devi Temple in which there is a stone image of Queen Maya Devi giving birth to Lord Buddha as she holds on to a branch, now worn down by the strokes of women hoping for a baby. To the south of the temple is a pool where Queen Maya Devi is said to have first bathed Buddha. Another significant sight is the large stone pillar bearing an inscription about the birth of the Buddha, raised by the Indian Emperor Ashoka in 250 BC. Lumbini is also a great place to soak up the atmosphere of village life in southern Nepal where wooden ox carts transport goods, villagers dry cow dung for fuel and tea stalls serve sweet milk tea. A great time to visit is on Mondays for the weekly bazaar when villagers come from miles around to trade items such as grains, spices, pottery, jewellery and saris. Also located near Lumbini is the archaeological site of Kapilvastu, the palace where Lord Buddha spent his formative years. The foundations of the palace can be seen scattered around the site, and archaeologists have uncovered 13 layers of human habitation here dating back to the 8th Century BC.