Destination: Kapilvastu

The Capital of the Shakya clan

Kapilvastu was the capital of the Shakya clan, into which Buddha was born as the son of the clan’s king Suddhodhana. It is said that Buddha had decided he would be born to queen Maya Devi. Legends say his mother had dreamt that a white elephant had entered her womb. Ten months later, as she strolled in a garden in Lumbini, around 50 km from Kapilvastu, Buddha was born in a miracle. It is said he was able to walk and talk soon after his birth and a lotus flower blossomed under his foot at each step. While Lumbini (now in Nepal) is where Buddha was born, it was in Kapilvastu (the modern-day villages of Piprahwa, Ganvaria, and Salagarh in Uttar Pradesh) that he spent the early years of his life, before renouncing material pleasures when he was 30. It is said that as a child, the prince was once found meditating under a tree, whose shadow had remained motionless throughout the day to protect him from the sun.

An astrologer had predicted during his birth that the prince would renounce his royal life if he saw grief. So his father shielded him from the ills of the world. And at 16 years of age, he married the beautiful princess Yashodhara. However, when the prince was 29, he asked to be taken on a chariot ride through the city. While the king made sure all old and sick people had been removed from Buddha’s path, one old man remained and the prince spotted him. After that, the prince traveled outside his protected palace gates three times. On one occasion he saw a sick person, then a corpse and finally an ascetic meditating. Having been exposed to the ills of human life and also to those who seek truth beyond regular life, he asked the king for permission to retire to the forest.

Today Kapilvastu is a laidback town with a mystic charm. There are several stupas scattered around which were built by Ashoka and the Gupta Kings. In 1976 Buddha’s mortal remains were found during excavation and are placed at New Delhi, National Museum.   

Places to see in Kapilavastu

Piprahwa Stupa 

This is the main archaeological site that was discovered during excavations in 1971-76. Inscribed seals discovered here prove that this was the location of Kapilvastu, the capital of the Shakyas.

Salargarh 

Excavation at Salargarh, 200 m from Piprahwa, has revealed a monastery of the Kushana period

Ganvaria 

Two huge brick structures have been excavated in Ganvaria village with impressive projected entrances. The larger of the two has 25 rooms with a gallery at each of the four corners. The rooms and galleries are built around an open courtyard. The smaller complex has 20 rooms. The earliest occupation at this site can be dated to the 8th century BC. The proximity to the ancient site of the stupa at Piprahwa, where the sealings with the legend Kapilvastu were found, the impressive structures, and a large number of antiquities hardly leave any doubt that they were the residential complex of Suddhodhana and his predecessors.

Excursions

Lumbini: Lumbini, Lord Buddha’s birthplace, adequately depicts many artistic arrangements of his birth, like the Maya Devi’s statue in the temple with the same name. Lumbini is also a picturesque and very quiet place making it a heaven for tourists.

Sarnath :

The four-lion statue, a splendid contribution by Ashoka that lies in this place has been adopted as the national emblem. There are many stupas built by Ashoka and temples, the prominent among them are Mulagandha Kuti Vihar, Chaukhandi stupa, Ashok Pillar, and Dhamekha Stupa.

Kushinagar

One of the four must-visits for the Buddhist pilgrims, according to Lord Buddha himself, Kushinagar is the place where Lord Buddha passed away. It was the Centre of the Mallas dynasty who ruled over the place, however, only a little has remained in the ruins related to that period. The structures more prominently represent Ashoka’s dynasty that had built many structures in this place of Buddha’s death.

BY AIR

The little village of Piprahwa is a very important Buddhist pilgrimage since Lord Buddha had spent his first twenty-nine years of life in this region. Excavations by archaeological survey of India have revealed the relation of this place to the Kushan period. An excavated stupa bears text that proves the existence of an ancient monastery named Devaputra in this place. Two mounds have also been excavated at only a little distance (1.5 km) from this village which, is considered to be the ruins of King Suddhodana palace.

The nearest airport is Gorakhpur, 104 km

BY TRAIN
The nearest railway head is at Siddharth Nagar (Naugarh), 20 km

BY BUS
Busses and cabs ply regularly from Gorakhpur.