FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Pilgrims seeking Buddha’s birthplace in India will be disappointed…

Pilgrims seeking Buddha’s birthplace in India will be disappointed…

Re: “An Epic Pilgrimage”, Around Thailand, yesterday.

The caption to the standalone photo on Page 2 of yesterday’s edition of The Nation erroneously says that the venerable monks pictured would “fly to Nepal and then complete their trek on foot to India, the birthplace of Lord Buddha”.
It has been established and accepted worldwide that Lord Buddha was born in Lumbini, in Nepal, as a son of Shakya King Suddhodhan of Kapilvastu. 
Kapilvastu, which is now one of the 77 districts of Nepal, is situated in the foothills of the Siwalik range, about 27 kilometres west of Lumbini. Its capital is Tilaurakot.
Prince Siddhartha spent the first 29 years of his life with his family in the royal palace at Tilaurakot, before leaving and wandering south in search of knowledge and truth. He is said to have left the royal palace via the eastern gate, known as Mahaviniskramana Dwara, or Mangal Dwara (Auspicious Gate). 
Other landmarks associated with Lord Buddha and the Shakya Kingdom in Kapilvastu include Niglihawa, Araurakot, Sagarhawa, Gotihawa, Kudan and Sisahaniya. These facts have been historically and archaeologically established.
Further information about Lord Buddha’s birthplace can be found at the website of the Lumbini Development Trust: www.lumbinidevtrust.gov.np/kapilvastu.
Janga Bahadur Gurung
Deputy Chief of Mission, 
Nepalese Embassy
 

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