Sometime during the sixth century BC a solitary, wandering ascetic sat to meditate beneath a shady tree, resolving not to rise until he had attained the ultimate knowledge of spiritual enlightenment.

Thus began Buddhism, one of the world's great religions and pilgrimage traditions.

There are between four and sixteen principal Buddhist pilgrimage sites, with the most important located primarily in the Ganges Valley of India.

The most important place of Buddhist pilgrimage is Lumbini, located near the Nepal-India border. This is where Gautam Buddha was born to a royal family in 556 B.C.E.

The great Buddhist ruler Ashoka visited the site two centuries later, constructing a stupa (mound, usually of earth) and pillar in recognition.

Although largely destroyed now, these remain important marks of the Buddha's birthplace.