Maya Devi Temple, Lumbini
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Maya Devi Temple, Lumbini
OR:
Maya Devi Temple, Lumbini on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

Maya Devi Temple is an ancient
Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism repres ...
situated at the
UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
of
Lumbini Lumbinī ( ne, लुम्बिनी, IPA=ˈlumbini , "the lovely") is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupandehi District of Lumbini Province in Nepal. It is the place where, according to Buddhist tradition, Queen Mahamayadevi gave birth ...
, Nepal and very close to the Indo–Nepal border. It is the main temple at Lumbini, a site traditionally considered the birthplace of
Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...
. The temple stands adjacent to a sacred pool (known as '' puskarni'') and a sacred garden. The archaeological remains at the site were previously dated to the third-century BCE brick buildings constructed by
Ashoka Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...
. A sixth-century BCE timber shrine was discovered in 2013.


2013 discovery

In November 2013, an international team of archaeologists digging under the temple discovered the remains of an ancient tree
shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ...
dated before 550 BCE. The researchers speculated that the site is the earliest evidence of Buddhist structures and the first archaeological evidence of
Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...
's life. The excavation was headed by
Robin Coningham Robin Andrew Evelyn Coningham, FSA, FRAS (born 2 December 1965) is a British archaeologist and academic, specialising in South Asian archaeology and archaeological ethics. He has been Professor of Early Medieval Archaeology since 2005 and UNESC ...
of
Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills ( Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_cha ...
, UK, and Kosh Prasad Acharya of the
Pashupati Area Development Trust Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT; Nepali: पशुपति क्षेत्र विकास कोष) is a trust established to conserve and operate the Pashupatinath Temple Pashupatinath Temple ( ne, श्री पशुप ...
, Nepal. According to Coningham, the shrine is "the earliest Buddhist shrine in the world." The speculations of the researchers were widely reported in international press, to the dismay of the rest of the scientific community, who mostly have disputed the conclusions of the researchers. Julia Shaw, a lecturer in South Asian archaeology at
University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...
, cautioned that the shrine may represent pre-Buddhist tree worship, and that further research is needed. The conclusions drawn by the researchers were also heavily criticized by Buddhist scholar
Richard Gombrich Richard Francis Gombrich (; born 17 July 1937) is a British Indologist and scholar of Sanskrit, Pāli, and Buddhist studies. He was the Boden Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Oxford from 1976 to 2004. He is currently Founder-Presiden ...
.


See also

*
Buddhist architecture Buddhist religious architecture developed in the Indian subcontinent. Three types of structures are associated with the religious architecture of early Buddhism: monasteries ( viharas), places to venerate relics ( stupas), and shrines or prayer ...
* History of Buddhism *
Timeline of Buddhism The purpose of this timeline is to give a detailed account of Buddhism from the birth of Gautama Buddha to the present. Timeline Dates 6th–5th century BCE 4th century BCE 3rd century BCE 2nd century BCE 1st century BCE 1st century ...


Gallery

File:Maya Devi Temple top.jpg, Close up view of the top of Mayadevi Temple. File:Buddha Jayanti-IMG 9113.jpg File:Mayadevi Temple.jpg Lumbini, Buddhist pilgrims 2, Tree, Nepal.jpg Lumbini, Buddha's birthplace 3, Nepal.jpg Lumbini, Buddhist pilgrim, Nepal.jpg


References


External links


Further reading

* Coningham RAE, Acharya KP, Strickland KM ''et al.'' (2013
The earliest Buddhist shrine: excavating the birthplace of the Buddha, Lumbini (Nepal).
''
Antiquity Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to: Historical objects or periods Artifacts *Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures Eras Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...
'' 87: 1104–1123 {{Buddhism topics Buddhist architecture Buddhist archaeological sites Buddhist temples in Nepal 3rd-century BC religious buildings and structures 6th-century BC religious buildings and structures Buildings and structures in Rupandehi District Memorials to Ashoka Archaeological sites in Nepal 3rd-century BC establishments in Nepal