Nepal is a dynamic country. She is like a multi-facet diamond. One can look at it from so many different angles and still never be satisfied. Her legacy goes as far back as the birth of the Himalayan range. Her geography is as varied as her population. This very same geographical diversity was the main course for the emergence of its various ethnic and migrant groups who chose to settle there.  The early historic kingdoms ruled with power and might, sword against sword. She kept her dark secrets away from the prying eyes of foreign powers from the north and south. Centuries rolled by taking turns in war and peace. Simultaneously, trade and explorations were carried out. Because secrets by nature are attractive, those in power continued to advance into her domain in more than one way. The mountains were looked upon as a natural fort to keep two mighty powers apart. The various religions had a strong impact that till now many get confused about its origins. Ancient rulers, warriors, high priests, politicians, caste systems, foreign powers, saints and sages, local inhabitants and migrating families etc all had an impact one way or another in changing her face. Nepal continues to experience so many changes in all aspects of life that what was the truth yesterday, appears to be no longer the truth today.

The following was extracted from a book titled “NEPAL” published by Discovery Channel.

BIRTHPLACE OF LORD BUDDHA

Lumbini in Southern Nepal is the birthplace of Lord Buddha, born in 543 BC as the Sakhya Prince, Siddhartha Gautama. It is situated 21km (13 miles) west of the modern town of Siddharthanagar, formerly known as Bhairahawa, and is set in 13 sq.km. (5 sq.miles) of landscaped gardens.

An important place of pilgrimage for Hindus as well as Buddhists, Lumbini was “lost” for centuries. In the 4^th century AD the Chinese monk, Fa-Hien, travelled to India in search of Buddhist manuscripts and returned with vivid descriptions of the remains he found at Lumbini. Already it was in ruins and had been overgrown by the jungle: Fa-Hien wrote: “On the road people have to guard against elephants and lions.”

Only in 1895 did archaeologists unearth the inscribed pillar, erected to commemorate the visit of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in 249BC. Since 1970 the sacred site has been protected by the Lumbini Development Trust. Excavations have been made and pottery, figurines and coins found among the ancient brick foundations of monasteries and stupas. A new Tibetan monastery has been built, trees planted and a museum, library, hotel and garden are under construction.

The massive Ashoka pillar marks the place of Buddha’s birth and the Mayadevi Temple contains a panel depicting the miraculous event. The myth tells how Buddha was conceived by entering his mother’s womb in the form of a white elephant. When the time came his mother, Mayadevi, leaning on a fig tree, gave birth to Prince Siddhartha from her right side. She placed the newborn child in a lotus flower, but he stood and walked seven steps in each of the four directions, announcing his great destiny. After seven days Mayadevi died.

The original temple was built by Emperor Ashoka and reconstructed in the 5^th century AD in the shikhara style. The present building dates from the 19^th century and is sheltered by an ancient pipal tree. Adjacent is the sacred pond in which Prince Siddhartha was bathed after his birth. Mayadevi is also greatly revered by Hindus.

The story of the Buddha is known to all his followers. He lived a life of luxury, marrying a princess, fathering a child and enjoying his youth. At the age of 29 he ventured beyond the walls of the palace where he encountered a poor man, a sick man and a dead man. He was so disturbed by this suffering that he abandoned his comfortable life to become an ascetic after roaming from place to place for more than 5 years. He finally abandoned his asceticism, and while meditating under a papal tree near Benares (now Varanasi) in India, oblivious to all distractions and temptations, he became enlightened.

Tilaurakot, the ancient capital of Kapilvastu, is 27 km (17 miles) west of Lumbini. In a lovely mango grove, excavations have revealed the brick remains of the eastern and western gates of the palace complex in which Prince Siddhartha lived with his father, King Suddhodhana. The museum in the village contains pieces dating between the 4^th century BC and the 4^th century AD. Near Tilaurakot are the damaged Ashoka pillars of Miglihawa and Kotihaw.

DECISIVE DATES

EARLY HISTORY: 8000 BC – 1200 AD

543 BC: Lord Buddha is born at Lumbini as Prince Siddhartha Gautama. (actual date is disputed)

350 – 100 BC: Ashoka, ruler of the Mauryan empire, spreads Buddhism throughout the Indian sub-continent. Hinduism returns to the north after the Mauryan dynasty falls.

600 – 879 AD: Licchavi ruler Amsuvarman (605-21) composes the first Sanskrit text. His daughter, Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal, marries King Songsten Gampo of Tibet and is deified as the Green Tara for converting him and Tibet to Buddhism, along with her Chinese co-wife, Princess Wencheng, later deified as the White Tara.

MALLA AND SHAH DYNASTIES: 1200 – 1846

1350 – 1482: Jayasthiti Malla (1354-95) establishes the 64 Hindu working castes, which remain operational in society until 1964. Yaksha Malla (1428-82) extends his rule from Biratnagar on the Indo-Nepal border to Gorkha, just outside the Kathmandu Valley.

1482: Following the death of King Yaksha Malla, the Kathmandu Valley is divided and ruled as four city-states: Kathmandu, Patan (Lalitpur), Banepa and Bhaktapur (Bhadgaon). Political rivalries fragment the empire.

1768: Prithvi Narayan Shah (1722 – 75), ruler of Gorkha, conquers Kathmandu and Patan, and takes Bhaktapur a year later, thus founding a united Nepal and the present Shah dynasty. Nepal is off-limits to foreigners, a rule that remains in force until the 1950s.

1814: Nepalese expansion to the south results in war with British India.

1816: The “Treaty of Friendship” is signed which ends two years of war. Nepal’s territory is divided in half; the Terai plains are now part of British India. A British representative is established in Kathmandu, the first Gurkha regiments join the British armed forces.

THE RANA DYNASTY: 1846 – 1951

1857: Britain returns the Terai plains to Nepal in gratitude for their support during the Indian Mutiny.

1865: Nain and Mani Singh, known as the Pundits, secretly enter Nepal, bringing back a wealth of information about the country to British India.

I'm unable to attach the 19th century map of Nepal found in this book. But the fact is, the Nepal border today is definitely not the same. Hopefully, we will no longer continue to bring up the question of Lord Buddha's birthplace. The truth cannot change.