From Indian Side - The Kapilavastu Controversy: Part II
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Source : http://www.akshardhool.com
Notwithstanding the objections raised by Dr. Anton Führer, the
Buddhist world was thrilled with Peppe’s discovery and welcomed the
Buddha relics. It appears that Dr.Führer was quickly unmasked by a
British magistrate, who himself had a stake in the excavation and turned
out to be a fraud. The great stone coffer and its caskets found by
William Peppe at Piprahwa, went to the Indian Museum in Kolkata. After
hearing about the discovery, King Chulalankara or Rama V of Thailand
requested the Indian Government to share Buddha relics with them. Lord
Curzon, a British viceroy of India then presented a portion of the Relic
to Thailand. King Rama V sent Phraya Sukhum Naya-Winit as the Thai
representative to bring in the Buddha Relic. Then Buddhists from Japan,
Burma, Lanka, and Siberia also began to request for a share of the
Buddha Relic. His Majesty distributed the Relic accordingly. The Buddha
relics were installed at the Stupa of Phu-Khao-Thong, Wat Srakessa on
the top of golden mount, Bangkok in 1899.
Even though Dr. Anton Führer’s real motives were unmasked and he was
found to be a fraud, Archeologists from Nepal, who were most unhappy
with this discovery of Buddha relics and the assumption that the
location of Kapilvastu was near about Piprahwa in India, took up the cue
from Führer and refused to accept William Peppe’s discovery as true
relics of Buddha. They had one historic evidence, which disfavoured
Piprahwa being the real Kpilavastu.
No part of ancient Indian history can be vouched as true, unless
there is a confirmation of the same from travelogues of either of the
two Chinese travellers, who had travelled to India in 4th and 7th
centuries. Such is the importance that is attributed to the texts
written by Fa-Hsien in A.D. 399 and Hiuen Tsang in A.D. 629. Out of
these two, the earlier traveller Fa-Hsien describes Kapilavastu in these
words. (Beal translation)
“ Less than a yojana to the east from this brought them to the
city of Kapilavastu; but in it there was neither king nor people. All
was mound and desolation. Of inhabitants there were only some monks and a
score or two of families of the common people. At the spot where stood
the old palace of King Suddhodhana there have been made images of the
prince ( Goutam Buddha) and his mother; and at the places where that son
appeared mounted on a white elephant when he entered his mother’s womb,
and where he turned his carriage round on seeing the sick man after he
had gone out of the city by the eastern gate, topes (Stupa) have been
erected. “
About Lumbini Fa Hsien has been very specific, when he mentions that;
“Fifty le east from the city was a garden, named Lumbini”
Indian archeologist K.M. Srivastava has estimated this distance of 50
Le as about 9 miles. It is therefore quite obvious that according to
Fa-Hsien’s account, Lumbini was about 9 miles east of Kapilavastu.
Indian archeologists claim that Piprahwa is the true site of Kapilvastu,
based on this observation of Fa Hsien.
This observation unfortunately does not match with the account of
Xuen Zang, who travelled in that region about 230 years later. Xuen Zang
has described all the places connected to Buddha’s life story in
Kapilvastu, extensively, Finally he says: (Beal Translation)
“ Outside the south gate of the city, on the left of the road, is a
stupa ; it was here the royal prince contended with the Sakyas in
athletic sports (arts) and pierced with his arrows the iron targets.
From this 30 li south-east is a small stupa. Here there is a fountain,
the waters of which are as clear as a
mirror. Common tradition has called this the arrow fountain
(Sarakupa). To the north-east of the arrow well about 80 or 90 li, we
come to the Lumbini garden.”
From Xuen Zang’s description, it appears that he went about 30 Li to
the southeast to reach the arrow well. From this well he went about 90
Li north-east to reach Lumbini. Some of the archeologists like Dr.Fuhrer
(1897) and P.C. Mukherji (1899) suggested that a village called
Tilaurakot, in the district of Taulihawa, in Nepal, could be site of
Kapilavastu, because it matched the distances given by Xuen Zang.
Tilarakot has a large ensemble of structures, which can be matched with
Xuen Zang’s description. This supported Tilaurkot’s case. No
satisfactory solution could be found and the archeologists continued to
have disagreement about the true Site for Kapilavastu.
After Indian Independence, the dispute continued. Nepal commenced a
series of excavations in 1960′s and found more structures around
Tilaurakot, but failed to locate any relics. In 1962, Mrs. D. Mitra of
the Arachaeological Survey of India led another expedition of
exploration and excavation in the Nepalese tarai. During the course of
her work, she excavated at Kodan and Tilaurakot, but could not find any
evidence identifying Tilaurakot with Kapilavastu.
The Nepalese arguments are essentially based on two stone pillars
supposed to be erected by Emperor Ashoka. At Niglihawa, a place about 8
KM northeast of Tilaurkot, a pillar erected by Emperor Ashoka was
discovered. The lower part of this pillar bears an inscription
testifying this site as the birth spot of the Kanakmuni Buddha. (Not
Goutama Buddha, who is also called as Shakyamuni Buddha.)
Another broken pillar was also discovered at Gotihawa about 5 km
southwest of Tilaurkot. There is no inscription found on the pillar stub
that is left. This site is supposed to be the birth place of
Krakuchhanda Buddha.
Xuen Zang describes both these places along with the Stupa where Buddha’s relics have been preserved in these words.
“ To the south of the city (Kapilavastu) going 50 li or so, we
come to an old town where there is a stupa. This is the place where
Krakuchchhanda Buddha was born. To the north-east of the town of
Krakuchchhanda Buddha, going about 30 li, we come to an old capital (or,
great city) in which there is a stupa. This is to commemorate the spot
where, Kanakamuni Buddha was born. To the south-east of the city is a
stupa where are that Tathagata’s relics (of his bequeathed body} ;
before it is erected a stone pillar about 30 feet high, on the top of
which is carved a lion.48 By its side (or, on its side) is a record
relating the circumstances of his Nirvana. It was erected by
Asoka-raja.”
So we have a very tricky situation here. On one hand, we have near
Tilaurkot, pillars that are supposed to be erected by Emperor Asoka to
mark birth places of Kanakamuni Buddha and Krakuchchanda Buddha but no
Buddha relics. On the other hand we have near Piprahwa, Buddha’s relics
but no Asoka pillars. Another point worth noting: Xuen Zang’s
description mentions about a pillar erected by Asoka-raja near the
Stupa, where Buddha’s relics have been preserved and which has never
been found. However he does not mention having seen any Asoka pillars
near Birth places of Kanakmuni and Krakuchchanda Buddha but only Stupas.
Nepal however continued to be absolutely adamant and decided on its
own that Tilaurkot was Kapilavastu and even renamed the district of
Taulihawa, in Nepal, as Kapilavastu. This is where things stood in 1971,
when an officer of India’s Archeological department, posted at Patna in
Bihar state, decided to revisit the Stupa following a complaint
forwarded to him from the Prime Minister’s Office regarding the poor
upkeep of Piprahwa.
His name was Krishna Mohan Srivastava.
(To be continued)
Also see Related Articles
From Indian Side - The Kapilavastu controversy: Part I
From Indian Side - The Kapilavastu controversy: Part II
From Indian Side - The Kapilavastu controversy: Part III
From Indian Side - The Kapilavastu controversy: Part IV
About the writer
I
am a retired Electronics Engineer. I was a businessman involved in
design and manufacture of various types of Electrical and Electronic
equipments including Electronic gauging systems and electro- magnetic
actuators. I started writing as a hobby, after my retirement. I write
regularly in my English and Marathi Blogs. Links to my other blogs
appear on the right side column of this blog. Having worked throughout
my career with my own hands, , I do often get an urge to do something
creative. For this, I have taken up Paper model making and wooden fret
work. I am deeply interested in Astronomy and satisfy my curiosity with
my Meade ETX 90C telescope. However the conditions in the city of
Pune, India, where I normally stay, can not be said to be very
conducive to my hobby. Recently I have taken liking to study
International strategic moves by nations. You can find number of my
blogposts in this area.
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