Kapilvastu Travel Guide
Kapilvastu,
also known to be modern Piparwahan, lies 110 Km from Gorakhpur. The
place is known to be the birthplace of Lord Buddha. He was born here as
prince Gautama, who lived his early life in an atmosphere of pure luxury
and lavishness. Kapilvastu used to be the capital of the Sakya kingdom.
This is why Buddha is also known as Sakyamuni. He spent his 29 years of
life here. During his princehood, Gautama once got a chance to visit his
city. There he saw an old man, a crippled man, a dead body and a monk.
He felt that all the sorrows of life can be overcome by attaining
monkhood. This led him to leave the life of prince and he left his
palace in search of inner peace and truth. Buddha revisited the city 12
years after attaining enlightment.
Kapilvastu has two villages to visit, Piparhawa and Ganvaria. These
villages are known to be the ancient Kapilvastu city. Archeological
Survey of India, conducted several excavations here during 1970s. The
outcome was several buildings, stupas, monasteries and palaces. One of
the stupa is said to have stored the bone relics of Buddha. An
inscription was found dating back to the Kushan period. Its text read "Om
devaputra vihare Kapilavsastu bhikku sanghasa" (This is the
Devaputra Vihara of the Kapilavastu Bhikshu Sangha).
Getting There
Kapilvastu lies in north of uttar Pradesh. the nearest rail head in
Naugarh, 20 Km, which is connected to the cities of Uttar Pradesh. Some
of the major road distances from Kapilvastu are : Gorakhpur-97 km,
Kushinagar-148 km, Varanasi-312 km, Lumbini-86 km, Sravasti-147 km and
Lucknow-308 km.
History
Kapilvastu finds a mention in the historical epics, Ramayana and
Mahabharata. These stories talk about the people living in north of
India, where current Nepal is situated. Kapilvastu was a part of the
Kathmandu kingdom earlier. Kapilvastu had been a small place during its
early times. During the rule of Sakya clan, Kapilvastu became capital of
the kingdom. Buddha was born here as Gautam, who later profounded
Budhism. Excavations from the area shows that there was a large city
present earlier. After Sakyas, Lichchavis and other dynasties ruled the
city, but it lost its glory gradually and went secluded.
Places of Interest
Stupa Complex
This is the main archaeological site which was discovered during
excavations in 1973-74. It is here, the old inscriptions are found. The
title Deoputra refers to Kanishka, a great patron of Buddhism who built
the biggest Vihara at Kapilvastu and renovated the main stupa here.
Palace Site
Excavations carried out by ASI indicated the ruins of the palace of
King Shuddhodhan, the father of Prince Gautam. It is said to be the
place where Lord Buddha spent the first 29 years of his life.
Accommodations
There are quite a few accommodation facilities near Kapilvastu. One can
find government rest houses and tourists lodges in plenty.
Siddharthanagar (20 Km) has some good stay options.
