Manufacturing Lumbini

Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has seen sustained development interventions by the United Nations (UN) since 1967, yet its transformation remains incomplete. This study reveals that UN's involvement in Lumbini challenges conventional perceptions of its secular authority by integrating religious piety and devotion into its peacekeeping agendas. The research demonstrates how the UN, as the preeminent patron of Lumbini, mobilized Buddhist ethical principles—compassion (karuṇā), good-will (metta), and nonviolence (ahiṃsā)—to align with its own charter during the Cold War. While these interventions elevated Lumbini's global prestige, they also exposed friction among various stakeholders, highlighting the complexities of harmonizing diverse political and religious interests under a common development goal.

Harcey, B. (2022). Manufacturing Lumbini. Journal of the Council for Research on Religion, 4(1), 12–35. https://doi.org/10.26443/jcreor.v4i1.79