[ But of course yes, one thing is certain that your recommendations to re-evaluate and re-excavate sites like Sagarahawa, the bigger mounds south of Tilaurakot, further excavation of Ganwaria, a C - 14 or otherwise dating of Piprahawa relics ( Where is Prof. Robin Connigham, the UNESCO Heritage Evaluation Team Leader's C - 14 report, will UNESCO ever make it public ?) and a careful excavation of Lumbini to undo the damage already done to the site since its discovery etc. are important and timely.]
By B. K. Rana
.jpg)
We think you have not heard one of the prominent Nepalese leaders making a fuss around that Buddha was born in Orissa ? And also the Indian encroachment of Nepalese border and construction of a barrage kind of thing (?) south of Lumbini which might eventually drown the entire Lumbini holy site ! We feel the pain of our motherland. You don't have to feel this pain, do you ?
Discussing those 77 sealings K. M. Shrisvastav found around the mound of Piprahawa of which you mention " 63 refer to monastic institution and 14 to individuals" you write Tilaurakot is the historical Kapailvastu. We think this report hasn't yet reached the ASI ( Archaeological Survey of India) people yet, neither to the field nor to New Delhi ! ?!
We had also to labour hard to find your report down here. The Lumbini International Research Institute LIRI has posted its title head only. May we ask LIRI to post this report online or get it digitized so that people may have a chance to read it ? Although some differing researchers do not want to make any comment on your report saying 'enough said' and to whom you also retort of no academic background of some kind etc. We think this report should go online.
Now coming to both Ashutosh and Sabitrajee's contribution to this new thread; what we would say is that something has been definitely achieved in Lumbini but not enough as expected.
The lousy Nepalese Government has no money to preserve and promote Lumbini or Kapilvastu ( Visit Lumbini and Kapilvastu program, Lumbini International Airport
But of course yes, one thing is certain that your recommendations to re-evaluate and re-excavate sites like Sagarahawa, the bigger mounds south of Tilaurakot, further excavation of Ganwaria, a C - 14 or otherwise dating of Piprahawa relics ( Where is Prof. Robin Connigham, the UNESCO Heritage Evaluation Team Leader's C - 14 report, will UNESCO ever make it public ?) and a careful excavation of Lumbini to undo the damage already done to the site since its discovery etc. are important and timely.
With best,
The Himalayan Voice Team
http://thehimalayanvoice.blogspot.com/
On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 7:35 AM , Max Deeg wrote:
Dear Mr. Shrivastav,
As a regular visiting scholar in Lumbini I have to disagree with your harsh judgement (which may be understandable from a standpoint of frustration). It is certainly not perfect what has been done in Lumbini - and there is more to be done - but the monastic, (up to now small) scholarly and commercial community have done quite a lot since I have arrived there first in 2000. What is your argument - should someone claim Kusinagara because it has not the perfect state of development one expects from the place of the Parinirvana of the Buddha? I have to say that I find these national(ist) or at least nationally uploaded debates about religious and scholarly issues, to say the least, tedious. As I said: it is not a perfect state, but the fact that, for instance, archaeological excavation in Tilaurakot has been taken up again is, especially in the present political situation of instability, a positive sign. We probably agree on the point that things first have to be sorted out in KTM (not least to clear issues with India which is polluting the place by building more and more cement factories in the area) before places like Lumbini can really benefit.
Best Regards,
Max Deeg
Prof. Max Deeg
Head of School
School of Religious and Theological Studies
Date: 15/04/2010 22:58
Subject: Re: Why is Lumbini a Dark Village
Unrelated to this controversy, why is the Birth Place of Lord Buddha not a developed territory? Not sure how many people have visited Lumbini, but no one really expressed an interest to develop it. Few years back when I visited, there wasn't even electricity or water supply. Corrupt Nepal
Sincerely,
Ashutosh Shrivastav
On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 8:13 AM , Ashutosh Shrivastav wrote:
Dear Prof Deeg:
I visited Lumbini in 1999, right before you landed there for the first time in 2000. It's been a decade so the place may have changed. I am not sure but I am quite doubtful of any development. My point was: Why people around the world know who Lord Buddha (collectively Buddhism) is but only a small percentage in the pie know where he was born. It is interesting to watch the expression of people's face when you utter the words like Nepal
Lumbini is a Treasure Trove for Nepal Nepal Nepal
Sincerely,
Ashutosh Shrivastav
www.unnepal.org
On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 10:49 AM , Sabitra Kaphle wrote:
Dear Max,
I agree with your points. I have recently been to Lumbini. I personally feel Lumbini as a place of peace without discrimination. I have been hearing the debates. I asked myself many times why it is the matter of debate. There is no doubt that the Lumbini is the birth place of Buddha. I think the point raised here is the matter of taking advantage of the political instability and developmental retardation of Nepal Nepal
Regarding the darkness, we need to work to get through the darkness so we could spray the beams into the each corner. In Nepal, there are many villages have no access to transport, safe water, communication, services......so on. Comparing this, Lumbini is far more advantaged. Nepal
Regards,
Sabitra
Sabitra Kaphle
Research Higher Degree Student
Southgate Institute for Health, Society and Equity
Level 2, Health Sciences Building
GPO Box 2100
Adelaide SA 5001
Phone: +61 8 7221 8459
Fax: +61 8 7221 8424
Email: sabitrakaphle@gmail.com
