Kapilvastu Tourist Place

About the place

Kapilvastu lies at a distance of 20km 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.

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 presences of these relics are testified by an ancient Brahmi inscription discovered at Piprahwa. The ruins of the palace are spread over a large area.

Religious Spots

Stupa Complex

Stupa complex 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

Palace Site is a place where the ruins of the palace of King Shuddhodhan, father of Prince Gautam (Lord Buddha) are excavated by Dr. K.M. Srivastava. It is said that Lord Buddha has spent his first 29 years of life at this palace.
 

How to reach

By Rail : Siddharth Nagar (Naugarh) railway station : 20 km from Kapilvastu.

By 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.