How are the Buddhist sites, Lumbini, Bodhgaya and Kushinagar, used today given their status as Buddhist holy places, and what are the factors that influenced their representation? Gautama Buddha identified these sites as the most worthy of pilgrimage for his followers and these sites would produce a feeling of spiritual urgency.

Lumbini: the birthplace of the Buddha

Bodhgaya: the place of his Enlightenment

Kushinagar: the place where the Buddha died and attained Nirvana

For each site, a historical and current description will be provided.  This description will include information about important historical events, location, population of the city, buildings around the site, the type of government and economic information. Based off the historical and current descriptions, we will analyze how the use of these sites have changed over time and whether the religious importance has been lost, as well as discuss the factors regarding the development of these sites. Our research will explain how the modern era and tourism has affected these Buddhist sites and how the government is profiting from these places.  On the other hand, we will also look at how the sites have remained the same, a very important part of Buddhism and Buddhist pilgrimages. Finally, the aim of this project is to understand how these important Buddhist sites have changed in the modern era.