In the plain south of the first foothill of the Churia range lies Lumbini, birthplace of Gautama, the Buddha. Lumbini is a sacred place for Buddhists from all over the world, standing on an equal footing with holy places sacred to other world religions. A veteran Asian traveler and author of several books writes, 'As millions of Christians look to Jerusalem for inspiration, as millions of Muslims turn to Mecca, so do three hundred million Buddhists see in the Himalayan country of Nepal, a pillar left by the great Emperor Ashoka to mark the site where Buddha was born.’