Kapilvastu
General
Information (Kapilvastu)
Kapilvastu or Piprahwa has an important place in the life of Buddha.
It was in Kapilv
astu
where Buddha decided to leave worldly pleasures and decided to
look at life in a new perspective. There is a host of evidence
to prove today that Piprahwa is the Kapilvastu of Buddha's times.
The geographical conditions of Kapilvastu as described in Buddhist
epics are similar to those in Piprahwa. The 'Asthi-patra' found
in 1897-98 A.D. clearly matches the engravings in Piprahwa. The
1971 excavation in Piprahwa revealed clinching evidence in terms
of relics of the Buddha period. The discovery of an earthen pot
which had Kapilvastu engraved on it confirmed Piprahwa's ancient
legacy. Some coins of the same period were also excavated. Piprahwa
lies between two important Buddhist destinations - Lumbini (birth
place of Buddha in Nepal) and Srawasti (where Buddha spent 27
monsoons). The travelling time by road between Lumbini to Piprahwa
is about six hours. The ruins of the old city from where Buddhism
started has several stupas. From the main stupa have been recovered
stone caskets containing relics believed to be that of the Buddha.
Area
: 06 sq. km.
Altitude : 100 mtrs above sea level.
Season : October-April.
Clothing : Summer - Cottons; Winter - Woolens.
Language : Hindi, English.
STD Code : 05544
Excursions (Kapilvastu)
Lumbini : 86 km., situated across the border in Nepal,
Lumbini is the birthplace of Lord Buddha. Buses ply till the border
from where the remaining 26 km has to be covered by private vehicle.
Sightseeing (Kapilvastu)
Stupa Complex : This is the main archaeological site which
was discovered during excavations in 1973-74. The seals and inscriptions
over the lid of the pot discovered read "Om Deoputra Vihare
Kapilvastu Bhikschu Mahasanghasa" and "Om Deoputra Vihare
Kapilvastu Bhikschu Sanghasa". The title Deoputra refers
to Kanishka, a great patron of Buddhism who built the biggest
Vihara at Kapilvastu and renovated the main stupa here.
Travel Information (Kapilvastu)
Rail
: Siddharth Nagar (Naugarh) railway station : 20 km from Kapilvastu.
Some of the major road distances from Kapilvastu are
Gorakhpur-97 km, Kushinagar-148 km, Varanasi-312 km, Lumbini-86
km, Sravasti-147 km, Lucknow-308 km.