BUDDHA'S KAPILVASTU UNDER NATIONALISM AND OBSESSION

[We can not leave Tilaurakot without seeing a “ terracotta seal engraved with — “Sa - ka - na – sya” which means ‘it belonged to the Sakyas’. Archaeologists have dated it falling in between 2nd  and 5th Century B. C. We do not insist that present Tilaurakot must have been the ancient Kapilvastu but what we hold is that there are lots of evidence down there which suggest present Tilaurakot is the ancient Kapilvastu. Piprahawa vase photo courtesy :Satinanda E V]

By B. K. rana

Dear Kapilvastu Forum,

Many thanks for your comment on our postings in connection with the Buddha birth place Lumbini, Tilaurakot, Aligadhwa of Uttar Pradesh and  also some other stuff media have reported recently. We post relevant issues concerning the entire Himalayan region, no matter which country they originate from. Yes, we really do.


Now coming to the point, we do not believe there was any India or Nepal in the Buddha’s time so it is unnecessary to point out in the present context that ‘the Buddha was born in a small Indian kingdom’. It is absolutely wrong because we are talking of the Buddha today. There is no denying   that Kapilvastu was a relatively weak and small kingdom but it is also unfair to claim that there was any country like India in the Buddha’s time. But it is of course yes, there were, Mala, Magadha, Kosala, Kalinga, Sravasti etc. and Kapilvastu also.

Basically, we are more concerned about the birth place of the Buddha than Kapilvastu and other issues posted. We also fully understand that there persist at least two different views on the exact location of ancient Kapilvastu. A group of scholars believes it is in present Tilaurakot of Nepal and another group holds it is in Piprahawa of India.

As of the Lumbini, as the Buddha birth place, the Ashokan Pillar’s ‘Hid Bhagavam Jateti Luminigamme’ inscription  is enough, therefore, no more discussion needed. You have also accepted it. Enough said.

Now moving back again, if the Orissan scholars also disregarded Lembai to be another Lumbini and Kapileshowr as another purported Kapilvastu in Bhuvaneshowr, at least two Kapilvastus are on the scene since long (which virtually was not and, therefore is not); one in Uttar Pradesh of India and the other in present Tilaurakot of Nepal. This proposition of two ancient Kapilvastus forwarded by Prof. Thomas William Rhys Davids was rejected long before because there can’t be, at a time, two such Kapilvastus where the Buddha grew up and which he renounced later. There was only one ancient Kapilvastu. No question about it.

Archaeologist P. C. Mukherjee and Historian Vincent A. Smith recognized Nepal’s Tilaurakot as the ancient Kapilvastu which Debala Mitra dismissed in 1961 telling that the structural remains around there do not go beyond the 7th A D. It prompted K. M. Shrivastava to claim Piprahawa as the actual Kapilvastu which William Claxton Peppé had excavated in 1898 and “unearthed a hefty stone coffer containing five reliquary vases. Besides a glittering heap of jewels and gold, one of the vases held ashes. An inscription around the rim recorded that the ashes were the remains of the Buddha, and that they had been deposited by members of his Sakya clan”.(Read more)

The  Piprahawa find can’t be denied they belonged to the Buddha and his clan but they alone can not certainly ascertain that Piprahawa is the ancient Kapilvastu. Therefore P. C. Mukherjee thought it was one of the Sakya colonies with some ruined monasteries. Let evidence speak here.(Read more)

As concerns the forging of another Lumbini in Aligadawa, we have received couple of emails from the Archaeological Survey of India Superintendent in which he does not clearly mention whether another Lumbini is being constructed or not. This is  our  major concern. And if no other Lumbini is being 'forged or constructed' then that's fine.

We can not leave Tilaurakot without seeing a “ terracotta seal engraved with — “Sa - ka - na – sya” which means ‘it belonged to the Sakyas’. Archaeologists have dated it falling in between 2nd  and 5th Century B. C. We do not insist that present Tilaurakot must have been the ancient Kapilvastu but what we hold is that there are lots of evidence down there which suggest present Tilaurakot is the ancient Kapilvastu.

We have no knowledge at all what the concerned departments such as: Archaeological Survey of India and  Department of Archaeology, Kathmandu Nepal would say about it. But we can surely say that the Department of Archaeology, Kathmandu lacks manpower to post vital information like: the on going activities, excavation reports and other important papers on its website. It has even failed to publish its own official journal 'Ancient Nepal' on the website in such a fast moving digital age.

It seems that both Nepalese and Indian people are  obsessed with nationalism. It may seem not that bad. Nationalism is something we must always hold onto  but as concern issues of such profound significance we must let evidence speak for the benefit of the  humanity first.

1. Comment from ' Kapilvastu Forum'


A plenty of blogs had been posted by the Himalayan voice team under the behest of Dr. B K Rana, most of them are related with Lumbini, Tilaurakot and Aligadhwa- all are related to Buddhist circuit. Some of the statements of the several articles are inviting attention of the students of history. 


For example:
1. They have objection on the statement that Buddha born in a small Indian King.
2. That India is forging another Lumbini at Aligadhwa.


Their main point of objection is that there was no existence of India and Nepal at the time of Buddha born. This is correct. The political history of the area is very much interesting that the Nepalese terai was governed by the Koshal and and the many small republics including the Sakyas of Kapilvastu were under the direct subordination of the Koshal kings. This is why they were compelled to marry a girl to Koshal king Passenadi who wanted to marry a Sakyan Girl. After their all unwillingness they could not deny and married a girl whose father was Sakya but mother was a home med. Even the Rummindei inscription is a strong evidence of Political control of Pataliputra over the land of modern Nepalese terai.


Then how the Buddha was not from a small Indian kingdom ? 


The control of Indian kings further carried on over the nepal through the ages. Samudragupta clearly mentions his concurrence over Nepal as a Pratyant Rajya and Harsha also did the same thing.  The B K Rana and his team (edited) making another propaganda that India is forging another Lumbini at Aligadhwa. They clearly ignore the epigraphical evidences found from the excavations of Aligadhwa sites and with arguments they try to deny the fact that Piparahwa is the ancient site of Kapilvastu. I have gone through the press report of a Nepalese publication on Chaitra 3 which is full of wrong informations. Why the India will construct the Lumbini? Lumbini is very much in present day Nepal and in Aligadhwa the ancient Kapilvastu is situated. The Photo published in the paper is of Piprahawa -that is Kapilvastu. Mr. B K Rana should react carefully on the such narrow minded reportings. And at the end The Himalayan voice published many articles which are not historically correct ,particularly one of the Srilankan person.


POSTED BY KAPILVASTU FORUM AT 10:45 AM 1 COMMENTS