Said to be the birthplace of the great Buddha, Central Terai is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Nepal. Also a travel base connecting the mainland to neighbor India, it sees thousands of visitors descend upon the area every year. Lumbini, its most famous district, ranks high in the checklists of many Buddhist pilgrims and devotees. Its claim to fame is the Queen Maya Devi Temple, where it is believed that the Queen Maya Devi gave birth to Gautama Siddharta - making it one of the truly significant religious sites on the planet. One can even find there the Puskarini, known as the "Holy Pond," where the queen supposedly took a ritual dip before giving birth and where the child who became the Buddha was first bathed.
Central Terai is not only for the Buddhists, however, as it is also popular among nature-lovers for the Royal Chitwan National Park, which happens to be one of Nepal's biggest attractions. Spanning a vast area of around 932 square kilometers, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site providing sanctuary to some of the world's most endangered species of wildlife.
An example is the Asiatic wild buffalo, a nearly extinct creature whose last breed survive in the park wilderness. One can also find the few remaining examples of the single-horned Indian rhinoceros, as well as the famed Bengal tiger. Other rare species roaming in the park include the musk deer, black bucks, swamp deer, wild bison, sloth bears, and blue bulls. Bird-lovers are sure to be enthralled by the more than 400 kinds of birds residing in the forests, most especially the rare cheer pheasant, including the national bird, the Impevan pheasant. Poachers not allowed.