| Kapilvastu |
|
| About
The City |
| Identified
today with ancient Kapilvastu, modem Piprahwa lies at a distance
of 20 km from Siddharthnagar. Kapilvastu was the ancient capital
of the Sakya clan whose ruler was the father of the Buddha,
for which reason the Buddha is also referred to as the Sakyamuni.
The Sakya domain was one of the sixteen independent principalities
of the 6th century BC.
Prince
Gautam, as the Buddha was then known, left his palace in Kapilvastu
at the age of 29, and revisited it 12 years later, long after
he had attained enlightenment.
Today,
Kapilvastu Comprises of Several villages, chief among them
being Piprahwa and Ganvaria. A large stupa stands at the ancient
site which is said to have housed the bone relics of the Buddha.
The presence of these relics are testified by an ancient Brahmi
inscription discovered at Piprahwa. The ruins of the palace
are spread over a large area. |
| Area
: 06 sq. km.
Population
:
3000 (1991 census)
Altitude
:100
mtrs above sea level
Season
: October-April
Clothing
:
Summer - Cottons; Winter - Woolens
Language
: Hindi,
English
Local
Transport :Tempo/Tonga/Rickshaw
STD
Code : 05544
|
| Accessibility |
| Rail
Siddharth Nagar (Naugarh) railway station : 20 km from Kapilvastu.
Road
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 |
| Place
Of Interest |
| 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.
Palace
Site
Excavations
carried out by Dr. K.M. Srivastava indicated the ruins of
the palace of King Shuddhodhan, the father of Prince Gautam
(Lord Buddha). It is said to be the place where Lord Buddha
spent the first 29 years of his life. |
| Accommodation |
| Sri
Lankan Temple Dharamshala |
|
| UP
Tourism Accommodation |
| Rahi
Motel, (UPSTDC). |
| Royal
Retreat (heritage hotel) Mohana, 14 km from Kapilvastu.
|
|
| Resturant |
| Apart
from the Restaurant at UPSTDC Motel, only local eateries are
available. |
| Bank |
| State
Bank of India, at Berdpur, 9 km. from Kapilvastu. |
|
| Post
& Telegraph |
| Berdpur,
8.5 km. from Kapilvastu |
|
| Hospital |
| Primary
Health Centre at Berdpur 8.5 km from Kapilvastu
|
|
| Tourist
Info |
| Tourist
Office, Siddharth Nagar, 20 km from Kapilvastu
|
|
| Excursions
|
| 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. |
