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Today on May 17, an event was organised for the unveiling of the statue of UN General Secretary, U Thant in Lumbini. Hosted by Mr Kasai, the formal inaugurations were done by his grand son, Dr Thant Myint-U, Founder and Chairman of Yangon Heritage Trust.
U Thant's first visit to Lumbini in 1967 was pivotal for its development. He was touched and truly inspired during his visit to this sacred site. He may have been spiritually moved by the place but he was also in distress seeing the desolate condition of this landmark site near the border.
Meeting the then King Mahendra and discussing the restoration of Lumbini's sanctity led to the set up of a UN Committee. Renowned for designing the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Kenzo Tange was hired to draw up the master plan for Lumbini. UNDP, UNESCO were also involved in the process.
The project to preserve Lumbini and landscape the sacred garden and surrounding park was to have been finished by 1985, but Tange died in 2005 without seeing the completion of his master plan.
The monumental master plan governed by its north-south axis of a canal that bisects the site, and is straddled by a series of amphitheatres and vast spaces for public meetings. The museum anchors the north, while the concentric circles of the sanctum sanctorum: the sacred garden surrounding the Mayadevi Temple is situated at the south end. The plan includes a monastic zone, a library and Lumbini Village for visitors. The eastern monastic zone was set aside for Theravada Buddhism, while the western zone is for Mahayana Buddhism.
Today, the plan arevstill being implemented, and events such as today's and followed by tomorrow's official programme aims to progress on work and see to the master plan's completion.
