Kapilvastu district in Nepal, the hometown of Prince Siddhartha (Sakya Muni Buddha), is also the birthplace of two earlier Buddhas: Krakuchhanda in Gotihawa and Kanakamuni in Niglihawa, earning it the title “Land of Buddhas.” The region is named after sage Kapila, who advised exiled Kosala royals to settle in Tilaurakot. These settlers became the Sakyas, and their kingdom was called Kapilavastu. Prince Siddhartha spent the first 29 years of his life here. The first nunnery, in Buddhist history, was also established in Kapilavastu. Women from the Sakya clan, including Queen Prajapati Gautami (step-mother of Lord Sakyamuni Buddha), Yasodhara (his wife), and 500 other Sakya women, became the first nuns here in the Ancient Kapilavastu.

About 29km west of Lumbini, on the foothills of the Siwalik range, there stood a magnificent city in Kapilvastu, the Hometown of Sakya Muni, called Tilaurakot. Where great walls and golden pavilions housed a young prince, whose destiny would change the course of human spirituality forever. Within the comfortable embrace of royal privilege, a young Prince Siddhartha lived a life of unimaginable luxury. Sheltered by his father’s wealth and the palace walls, he knew nothing of suffering, nothing of the world beyond his gilded existence. Soft silk clothed his body, delicate music filled his ears, and every desire was met before it could even fully form. But destiny had other plans.

One day, something stirred within the prince’s heart—a profound restlessness that no amount of comfort could silence. The carefully constructed walls of his protected life began to feel like a cage. Beyond the palace gates, a different truth beckoned—a truth of human experience that transcended wealth, comfort, and the narrow boundaries of his royal upbringing. And so, in a moment that would echo through centuries, Siddhartha made a choice that would transform not
just his life, but the spiritual landscape of humanity. He left behind his princely robes, his family,
his guaranteed future—walking away from everything he had ever known.

Tilaurakot in Kapilvastu would forever remain the crucible of his transformation—the place where a privileged prince became the Buddha, where a personal journey of renunciation became a universal path to understanding human suffering and liberation. Kapilvastu itself seemed to breathe with spiritual energy, named after the venerable sage Kapila. Legend tells how this wise hermit once guided exiled royals, suggesting they make this fertile land their home. Those wandering princes would become the Sakya clan, and their settlement would bear the name Kapilavastu—a kingdom destined to be home to profound spiritual leaders.

Archeological discoveries in Tilaurakot: The palace of Prince Siddhartha

Tilaurakot, the walled city, stands out as a remarkable example of ancient palace architecture, characterized by its elevated position, extensive fortification walls, and a surrounding moat. Archaeological excavations have uncovered significant artefacts, including grey ware from the 9th to 8th centuries BC, ceramics from the 6th to 5th centuries BC, and evidence of a coin minting factory. Additionally, the site reveals palace structures, temples, ponds, roads, brick fortifications, and remnants of ancient habitation, spanning thirteen layers of human activity dating from the 9th to 8th centuries BCE to the 2nd to 3rd centuries CE.

These discoveries underscore Tilaurakot’s historical significance as a capital city of Kapilvastu, the Hometown of Sakya Muni. Furthermore, a metal workshop was discovered near the southern defensive wall. According to T.N. Mishra, the site was likely used for producing weapons, agricultural tools, utensils, and coins. The presence of a coin-minting facility further supports the identification of the location as the capital city of the Sakyas.

The oldest artefacts discovered at Tilaurakot, such as wooden posts and Northern Black Polished Ware, date back to a time before Gautam Buddha. To provide context, Sakya Muni Buddha was born 2647 years ago. A remarkably well-preserved Kushan-style goddess was discovered in several broken fragments during the excavation of a later phase at the Eastern Stupa in Tilaurakot.

This artifact indicates the existence of various ritual practices throughout the city and its surrounding areas. In 2014, excavations uncovered a large brick-lined pond within the walled city of Tilaurakot, believed to have been constructed for the leisure of the Sakya royalty. It is understood that the royals used the pond for bathing and later engaged in worship of the goddess Samai Mai. Radiocarbon dating suggests the pond was in use until the Mauryan period (3rd to 2nd century BCE) and was abandoned sometime in the second or third centuries CE.

The Four Gates and Twin Stupas

Four gates have been identified along the fortification wall, one in each cardinal direction. Each gate featured guard rooms and an armory nearby. The Eastern Gate of Tilaurakot, through which Siddhartha Gautama (who would become Gautama Buddha) left his royal life at age 29 to seek enlightenment, holds particular significance.

This was the path Siddhartha took when he departed his privileged life as a prince, renounced his family and royal lineage to begin a journey for enlightenment. The Western city gate served as entry and exit points for farmers, merchants, pilgrims, and residents of the ancient city.

The Twin Stupas

The Twin Stupas located north of the Tilaurakot palace are believed to have been constructed in honour of Lord Sakyamuni Buddha’s parents. The larger stupa commemorates King Suddhodana, while the smaller one is dedicated to Queen Mayadevi, both of whom were cremated at this site along the banks of the Banganga River, which has since shifted 500 meters from its original position.

When the Buddha learned of Suddhodana’s imminent passing, he returned home to preach to him at his deathbed, ultimately leading to Suddhodana attaining Arahantship. Subsequently, the Buddha and his followers organized his funeral at this location.

The Samai Mai temple

The Samai Mai temple is located within the historic palace site of Tilaurakot in Kapilvastu,the Hometown of Sakya Muni. Legend has it that Buddha’s parents, King Suddhodana and Queen Maya Devi, built this temple. It is said that Maya Devi prayed to the goddess for a son who would conquer the world. Some months later, she dreamt of a white elephant entering her womb, leading to the birth of their son, Siddhartha. Maya Devi then offered a clay figure of a white elephant to Samai Mai since her wish was fulfilled. Since then, it is believed that Samai Mai grants the wishes of devotees, who in turn offer terracotta elephants once their prayers are answered.

Siddhartha Gautama’s favourite horse’s burial site

Near the eastern edge of the Tilaurakot palace gate, approximately 100 meters away, stand ruins of a memorial stupa dedicated to Kanthaka, the beloved horse of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha). According to Buddhist tradition, this horse played a crucial role in the future Buddha’s spiritual journey, transporting him from his life of royal privilege to the path of spiritual awakening. Kanthaka, a white horse, was Siddhartha’s trusted companion during significant moments before his renunciation, participating in pivotal events chronicled in Buddhist scriptures. After Siddhartha departed from royal life, the horse was so grief-stricken that it succumbed to heartbreak and died, ultimately being buried at the site where the memorial stupa now stands.

Kudan: The ancient Nyigrodharama

About six kilometers from Tilaurakot is Nyigrodharama, a monastic site with a banyan grove where accommodations were provided for the Buddha during his visit to the city in the year following his Enlightenment. Early Chinese travelers Fa-Hsien and Hiuen Tsang recount various events in their travel writings, including the arrival of Lord Sakya Muni Buddha and his reception by King Suddhodana at Nyigrodharama. This site belonged to a Sākyan named Nigrodha, a monk who introduced Ashoka, the Mauryan Emperor, to Buddhism, and who donated it to the Monastic Order.

Nyigrodharama, in Kudan, mentioned in Buddhist texts, is where Buddha met his father, King Suddhodana, for the first time following his enlightenment. Suddhodana lamented his son’s departure and spent considerable effort attempting to locate him. Seven years later, after word of his enlightenment reached Suddhodana, he sent nine emissaries to invite Siddhartha back to the Shakya land. The Buddha preached to the emissaries and their entourage, who became monks and joined him. Suddhodana then sent a close friend of Siddhartha, Kaludayi, to invite him to return. Kaludayi also chose to become a monk but kept his word to invite the Buddha back to his home. The Buddha accepted his father’s invitation and returned to visit his home. During this visit, he preached the dharma to Suddhodana.

Situated in the northernmost section of the Nyigrodharama garden, in Kapilvastu, the Hometown of Sakya Muni. A stupa is thought to have been constructed during the Sakya period to honor the events and location where Queen Prajapati Gautami presented Lord Sakyamuni Buddha with the Kashaya Vastra, and where Yasodhara invited him and his Sangha for a meal at the Kapilavastu palace. Located in the southeastern corner, the structure known as the Rahula Stupa is thought to have been erected to honor the moment and location where Rahula, the Buddha’s son, was initiated into the monastic order as a novice (shramanera).

Additionally, an octagonal Shiva temple was constructed on its summit at a later time. The garden also has an ancient well is thought to have been constructed before the three stupas at Nyigrodharama. It is believed that Lord Sakyamuni Buddha and his sangha used its water during their time at the Nyigrodharama Garden.

Niglihawa: The Birthplace of Kanakamuni Buddha

Many people think there is only one Ashoka Stupa in Nepal, located in Lumbini. However, there are actually two additional pillars. One of these is found at Niglihawa, where King Ashoka’s inscription remains visible despite the stupa’s fragmented condition. Niglihawa is located approximately 9.0 km from Tilaurakot. Long before Siddhartha would become the Buddha known to millions, Kapilvastu had already been blessed by divine footsteps. Here, in this hallowed ground, two great spiritual masters had previously walked—Krakuchhanda and Kanakamuni—each finding their path to ultimate truth, each leaving invisible footprints of profound transformation. Fa-Hien and Hiuen-Tsang mention the Kanakamuni Stupa and the Asoka Pillar in their travel accounts.

However, the pillar’s base, capital, and the lion figure described by Hiuen-Tsang remain missing. The inscription, engraved on the pillar in Brahmi script and Pali, confirms that Emperor Ashoka expanded the stupa of Kanakamuni Buddha, paid homage, and erected a stone pillar to mark the birthplace of Kanakamuni Buddha during the twentieth year of his coronation.

According to Smith’s 1969 translation, the inscription states: “His Majesty King Priyadarsina, in the 14th year of his reign, enlarged for the second time the stupa of the Buddha Kanakamuni, and in the 20th year of his reign, having come in person, paid reverence and set up a stone pillar.” The pillar also features an inscription from King Ripu Malla, which reads, “Om mani padme hum and Sri Ripu Malla Chiram Jayatu 1234,” dated to the year 1234 of the Saka Era (corresponding to 1312 AD).

Gotihawa: The Birthplace of Krakuchhanda Buddha

Gotihawa, situated approximately 8 km southwest of Taulihawa, is recognized as the sacred site where Krakuchhanda Buddha was born, attained enlightenment, and reunited with his father following his enlightenment. The broken Asoka Pillar in Gotihawa was constructed by Emperor Asoka in 249 BC to commemorate his visit to the birthplace of Krakuchhanda Buddha. The existing pillar stands 3.25 meters tall, with a diameter of 83/79 cm, and is situated on its original masonry foundation. The upper portion of the pillar, which bore an inscription, has long been missing. Notable Chinese travelers Fa-hsien (399-413 AD) and Hiuen Tsang (636 AD) recorded the erection of the pillar, which features a lion capital, at Gotihawa to mark the birthplace of Krakuchhanda Buddha.

The Stupa in Gotihawa, now a mound built by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE, honors Buddha Kakusandha (or Krakuchhanda). The stupa was later expanded during the Sakya and Kushana periods. Gotihawa is believed to be the birthplace and place of enlightenment of Kakusandha, according to Theravada tradition. It lies about 4 kilometers southeast of Kapilvastu, the Hometown of Sakya Muni. Kakusandha is considered the first Buddha of the Bhadrakalpa in Buddhist tradition.