Tilaurakot's claim to fame.

Tilaurakot's clame to Kapilavastu is based mainly on four pieces of evidence. First, according to Buddhist literature, Kapilavastu was situated on a river which they called Bhagirathi. Since there are many Bhagirathis (every community called its fortunate neighbourhood river Bhagurathi which finally was ivested on the Ganga), there can be no end to the dispute."Tilaurakot is situated on the Banganga which is thought to have been called Bhagirathi by the Sakyas", said Prof. Tulsi Ram Baidya, chairman of the Nepal History Association. " there is no river near Piprahava"

Secondaly, a capital town would have been fortified. "We can still see remnants of a moat and walls at the   Tilaurakot site. The walls are 10 feet wide,", said Prof. Baidya. "Unless it was a city, it could not have had walls. The area of Kapilavasthu is around 1,700 feet x 1,300 feet. It was too huge for a monadic complex"

Third, Japanese and Nepalese archaeologists later found painted grey ware in the 3rd century trench that Debala Mitra had dug up. Painted gray ware was as old as 11th century BC in the Indian subcontinent. This means the site could have been occupied as early.

Fourth, a huge hoard of coins has been found at Tilaurakot. Unless it was a palace, there cannot be so many coins.

Then what was Piprahawa ? Nepalese experts say that it could have been part of the Sakya republic and the site of a monastery. They argue that the structural complex excavated by K M Srivastava in Piprahawa have small rooms which are indicative of monk's dwelling units. In the centre there is a platform, perhaps to keep the sacred image.

The area around Tilaurakot is choc-a-block with unexcavated or partly excavated Buddhist sites."There are 65 archaeological sites identified", said Prof.Prof. Baidya . Added Birendra K Yadav, project manager of Lumbini Development Trust: "We want to develop at least seven of them."

The first, of course is Tilaurakot, the site of Kapilavastu. The others are Gotihawa, Kudan, Nigihawa, Arouarakot, Sagarhawa and Sisania. Each place has both archaeological and religious importance.

Gotihawa, four miles from Tilaurakot, has a nine-foot-tall brick stupa is 68 feet in diameter. Close to it has been found headless pillar of Asokan style.Gen. Khadga Shamsher, who worked with archaeologist Dr Alois Anton Fuhrer in the late 19th century, wrote that this could be the Napeakea of the two Chinese travellers, the birth place of Krakuchehunda Buddha, a relative of Goutama. "The distance, 50 li from the city.... tallies with it." wrote the general. Gotihawa, the general thought, is derived from Goshtri, meaning relatives.

Kudan is a village near Tilaurakot where four mounds whre excavated in 1962. the northernmost appeared to be a 30-foot-tall brick stupa. The other mound relieved a compound wall and some terracotta elephants and horses. The third mound had walls of room. The fourth had a brick structure on which a temple had been later built. Buddhists believes this was the place where Suddhodana met the enlightened Gautama.

Niglihawa is of great archaeological, and religious importance. There are many who believes that Buddhism predators Gautama. Kanakamuni Buddha, one of Gautama's predecessors, is believed to have been born here. Asoka visited the place as is clear from a stupa he created here, which was found by Further and Major Waddle in the 19th century. The stupa was found broken, with the bottom part still stuck on the ground and the top peace lying nearby. Villagers used to call it Bhimasena-kinigali or Bimasena's smoking pipe. The pillar also had two peacocks on top. That it was a place of worship till the medieval period is clear from an inscription on the Asokan pillar left by a Malla king in the 12th century. It is also believed that the pillar was removed from its original site in the medieval period just as Feroz Shah brought an Asokan pillar from Meerut to Delhi.

A rectangular fort has been excavated at Araurakot, some 1,500 feet south-east of Nigalihawa. The fort was protected by a ditch, with additional protection to the south and the east which indicated the existence of a citadel. There is a mound indicating the existence of an ancient temple.