https___worldamity.wordpress.com_2010_03_25_locating-the-lost-kingdom-of-kapilvastu_.xml
https___worldamity.wordpress.com_2010_03__1.xml
1.1 2.1 3.1 3.2 4.1 5.1 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 6.10 7.1 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 8.9 8.10 8.11 8.12 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 10.1 11.1 11.2 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 13.1 13.2 14.1 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 15.8 15.9 15.10 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.7 16.8 16.9 16.10 16.11 16.12 16.13 16.14 16.15 16.16 16.17 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 17.7 17.8 17.9 17.10 17.11 17.12 17.13 17.14 17.15 17.16 17.17 17.18 17.19 18.1 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 19.7 19.8 19.9 19.10 19.11 19.12 20.1 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 21.6 21.7 21.8 21.9 21.10 21.11 21.12 21.13 22.1 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 23.5 23.6 23.7 23.8 23.9 23.10 24.1 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 26.5 26.6 26.7 26.8 27.1 27.2 27.3 27.4 27.5 27.6 28.1 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 29.5 30.1 31.1 31.2 31.3 31.4 31.5 31.6 31.7 32.1 33.1 33.2 34.1 35.1 36.1 37.1 38.1 39.1 40.1 41.1 42.1 43.1 44.1 45.1 46.1 47.1 48.1 49.1 50.1 52.1 53.1
LOCATING THE LOST KINGDOM OF KAPILVASTU Posted by worldamity on March 25, 2010 [The search for the lost city of Kapilvastu started in the mid 19th Century after the translation of the notes of the great Chinese travelers. The British geographer Alexander Cunningham identified Bhuila in Uttar Pradesh as Kapilvastu which was later proven untrue.] By Swoyambhu D. Tuladhar Introduction: The ancient kingdom of Kapilvastu lying at the foothills of the Himalayas spread between the country of Kosala on the west and Koliyas on the east. It was known to be a stable kingdom flourishing during the time of King Suddhodhana, father of Prince Siddhartha Gautam. It was in the city of Kapilvastu that Prince Siddhartha Gautam spent his early years after his birth in Lumbini in 623 BC. We know that once Prince Siddhartha left Kapilvastu in search of truth at the age of 29 and attained enlightenment as Buddha, he did not return to live in Kapilvastu. After the death of King Suddhodhana, a gradual decline set in the country. For a long period Kapilvastu was left utterly desolate and forsaken. It lapsed into oblivion and was ruined beyond recognition. It is not clear how and why exactly the desolation of Kapilvastu started but some construction activities had taken place even after the place was in ruins. Huen Tsian during his visit in 6’hCentury A.D. had mentioned about the monasteries and stupas built over the ruins of the royal precincts. In course of time Kapilvastu was almost forgotten and erased from the world map and the name of Kapilvastu remained known only in the old Buddhist Chronicles. Search For A Lost Kapilvastu: The search for the lost city of Kapilvastu started in the mid 19th Century after the translation of the notes of the great Chinese travelers. The British geographer Alexander Cunningham identified Bhuila in Uttar Pradesh as Kapilvastu which was later proven untrue. In 1895 Kapilvastu was rediscovered along with the Niglihawa Asokan pillar with inscription, but not without controversy. The lost city of Kapilvastu was identified as Tilaura Kot until 1898, when W. Peppe found several relic caskets inside an old stupa in Piprahawa believed to contain the relics of Buddha. On the lid of the smaller vase an inscription was incised mentioning Sakyamuni and Sakya. But the date and the translation of the inscription in old Prakrit and Brahmi script were obscure and inconclusive. There was considerable difference of opinion regarding the date and the meaning of the inscription. The paleographic dating varied from 6″‘ Century BC to 3′” Century AD by various scholars. Different scholars interpreted the translation of the inscription differently. Some scholars interpreted that the relics are those of Buddha and some as those of Kinsmen of Buddha. Conflicting dating and translation confused the identification of Kapilvastu. Vincent A. Smith in Nov. 1900 even suggested the theory of dual Kapilvastu. However, the identification of Kapilvastu was treated as settled, based on the overwhelming evidences provided by the archaeological sites and antiquities around Tilaura Kot, until the discovery of two more caskets below Peppe’s coffer in 1972 by K. M. Srivastava who complicated the matter further by bringing up the new theory of Piprahawa as the original Kapilvastu of the Sakya Clan. He put forward various conjectural hypotheses regarding the relics and the location of Kapilvastu. He was more obsessed with his belief that Piprahawa was the original city of Kapilvastu than analyzing the real facts discovered in Piprahawa and Tilaura Kot. Since then the discussion on the identification of the actual town of Kapilvastu resurfaced again. Today Piprahawa is being recognized and developed as the ancient city of Kapilvastu in India and Tilaura Kot is being developed as the original site of the Kapilvastu in Nepal which sounds quite untrue. This has brought confusion in the World Buddhist community. The dispute of the location of the ancient city of Kapilvastu between scholars of India and Nepal is quite unique. In this planet nowhere do we find such type of scholarly dispute between two countries. Kapilvastu Controversy: Various scholars supporting their opinions and views about the actual location of Kapilvastu came forward with many arguments, reasons, evidences and facts. In this article I will be discussing the position of Kapilvastu as noted by the Chinese travelers and with respect to the position of the three Asokan Pillars found in Nepal Terai because the locations and inscriptions of the pillars are important indications for the actual identification of the lost city of Kapilvastu. Actual historical facts and figures with archaeological evidences will be considered rather than depending upon the mythical legends, romances, stories and hypothetical presumptions. As A. Cunningham (1871) had rightly said “The monuments themselves cannot enable us to indicate the real site, unless an ancient description of the monument is found or it speaks through the inscriptions.” In Kapilvastu we have today the remains of the monument erected in third century BC with clear-cut inscriptions left behind by King Asoka and also seen later by the travelers who visited the site in the sixth century AD. They are the most reliable and authentic evidences supporting to justify the actual identification of Kapilvastu. This vital evidence have been by passed by K.M. Srivastava. From the time of Mahaparinirvana of Buddha till the end of 19″‘ Century AD we know of four great Visitors to Kapilvastu who have left behind valuable evidence which later contributed to the identifications of various Buddhist sites in India, Nepal and Pakistan. They are King Asoka, Chinese traveler Fah Hien, Chinese traveler Huen Tsian and King Ripu Malla. The Three Asokan Pillars: King Asoka visited Kapilvastu in 249 BC with his spiritual advisor Upagupta. He erected numerous stone pillars and stupas. In Nepal three Asokan Pillars have been found so far one each in Lumbini, Niglisagar and Gotihawa. They are the only three structural elements found today credited to Asoka in Kapilvastu. Lumbini and Niglihawa Pillars are inscribed and dated. The Lumbini and Gotihawa Pillars are in situ. Huen Tsian witnessed all the three pillars during his visit to Kapilvastu in 6th Century AD. In 1177 AD Ripu Malla engraved the date of his visit in the Lumbini and Niglihawa Pillar. All three pillars were erected within the dominion of Kapilvastu of which two were in the vicinity of the city of Kapilvastu. Of the two, one of them have been found in Gotihawa and second one at Niglihawa in Nepal. In Gotihawa the lower part of the stump standing on a sandstone base was found. The upper part of the pillar with the inscription has broken off and is missing. Three fragments of the pillars were found around the village and one of them is a portion of the bell shaped base which is about 1′-7″ in height and 1′-8 ’12” broad. The pillar is about 10′- 6″ long and is standing on a sandstone base stone. There is no damage to the surface of the stem and there are no signs of any dents due to the intentional hammering to the pillar. The sharp edges at the point where the pillar was broken indicates that the pillar was damaged due to the natural disaster and the damage is not very old. The assumption that the pillar was carried from some other place to its present position is quite remote and highly unlikely. The pillar is still fixed to its original position. The pillar is standing next to an ancient stupa on a base stone placed in a pit 7-8 feet deep over rock bedding. It is not simple to erect a pillar 30-40 feet tall weighing fifty tons. Great accuracy and engineering precision is required to erect such pillar and is against any engineering norm to dig a pit, prepare a rock foundation, place the base slab, erect 50 ton pillar and then shift it to the intended place. The only uncertainty of the Gotihawa Pillar is that there is no inscription on the pillar. The upper stem with the inscription is missing. The identification of the Gotihawa Pillar with Krakuchanda pillar could be confirmed by the description of Huen Tsian. He had mentioned three pillars erected by Asoka in Kapilvastu commemorating the birthplace Kanakmuni Buddha, Krakuchanda Buddha and Sakyamuni Buddha. The pillar of Lumbinigrama of Sakyamuni Buddha and the Kanakmuni pillar of Niglihawa have been found with inscription so the third one has to be Gotihawa Pillar for there are no records of other pillars erected by Asoka in Kapilvastu. The distance and bearing given by Fah Hien and Huen Tsian between Kapilvastu and the town of Krakuchanda Buddha quite matches with the distance and direction between Tilaura Kot and Gotihawa. Niglihawa Pillar was found the bank of a lake in two pieces. Top portion 14′-9’12” in length was found at the bank of Niglisagar. It was lying over a small tree, which indicates that it was in that position as recently as only 20 years before its discovery. Second 10′-0″ piece was found half buried with inscribed part visible. The pillar was not in situ and the place of its origin is not known but it’s inscription proves that it was previously located at the town of Kanakmuni Buddha about a yojana (7-9 miles) from the city of Kapilvastu. The bottom part of the base along with the base is missing. After closely examining the pillar even though it seems to be badly mutilated it does not look as if the pillar was initially damaged intentionally. The damage must be due to the natural cause. The deep cuts at the edges are not intentional and there are no sign of dents from hammering while trying to damage the pillar. The buried part of the inscribed piece has pointed edges indicating the breakage similar to the Gotihawa Pillar. The pillar exhibited the most important evidence for the identification of Kapilvastu. The inscription confirmed the erection of the commemorative pillar by Asoka for Past Buddha in the town of Kanakmuni. It is mentioned that he doubly enlarged the stupa in his 14Ih year of his reign, personally visited the place and erected the pillar on his 20th year of his reign. There is collateral evidence that the town of Kanakmuni is located at the neighborhood of city of Kapilvastu. Huen Tsian who visited the town nine hundred years after it was erected confirmed the existence of the pillar and its position. As per him it was in a neighborhood of about 6-7 miles South East of the town of Kapilvastu and today it was found at about 3 miles North East of Tilaura Kot. Buhler in his article “The Asoka Edicts of Paderia and Niglihawa” in 1898 after finding Huen Tsian’s note about Kanakmuni Buddha pillar that the city of Kapilvastu should be in the neighborhood of Niglihawa. The finding of both the Gotihawa and Niglisagar pillars at the neighborhood of Tilaura Kot clearly indicates that Tilaura Kot is the actual position of the city of Kapilvastu. It is further backed by the findings of 12-15 feet thick walled fortress surrounded by a moat in Tilaura Kot and the discovery of the terracotta seal containing the legend Sa-ka-na-sya; Pilgrims’ Controversial Directions and Distance Measurements: Fah Hien and Huen Tsang provided the location of the prominent towns, cities and places around the vicinity of Kapilvastu. They have given distances and bearings of all the places with short stories and description. How they measured the distances and fixed the directions are still a big controversy because they both differ from each other about the distances and dissections between places. Their means of transportation and the method used for the measurements of the distances and the directions are unknown to us. We do not know if they had used compasses and other instruments to provide directions and the distances accurately. The bearing was given in eight cardinal directions only. But it is believed that the Chinese had discovered Magnet around I – II Century AD. They both gave the distances mostly in Li Le or Yojana and not in terms of days walk. It is highly probable that the measurement used by Huen Tsian is completely different from what was used by Fah Hien. The exact equivalent values of the Li and Yojana used by them are not clear. Today all we can do is guess using various mathematical interpretations. C. F. Fleet in his article on Imaginary Yojana published in JRAS the value of Yojana ranges between 4.5 to 9 Miles which is quite a big difference. Srivastav’s Failure of Distance Calculation: Cunningham in Ancient Geography of India had also given different equivalents. Kapilvastu is not a big country and the distances between the towns and places are not very long but the roads connecting the towns and the places could not have been straight like the highway connecting Delhi and Jaipur today. The roads in that period were rough and had to pass through rough terrain, thick jungles and cross many small and big rivers. The direct distances from today’s map cannot be used to match the distances noted by the Chinese travelers. The actual distance of the winding road should be considered. K. M. Srivastva had used the direct distance in his identification of Kapilvastu. As he said in his report “The third indication for the identity of Piprahawa with Kapilvastu appeared from the records of the Chinese travelers Fah-Hien. According to him Lumbini (The Birth Place of Buddha) should be nine miles east of Kapilvastu which corresponds very well with the ancient site of Piprahawa”. He failed to consider the distances with respect to other places. The roads must be winding through the jungles, crossing the rivers at the convenient places. Even today the rivers are quite treacherous in Nepalese Terai. So we cannot completely just rely on the distances and directions provided by the Chinese travelers as the clue to identify location of proper city of Kapilvastu. The location and position of the monuments mentioned by the Chinese traveler fifteen hundred years ago and their positions today have to be considered for the identification of the location of Kapilvastu which K. M. Srivastva completely ignored. Fah Hien and Huen Tsang Accounts Differ: The description of Fah Hien and Huen Tsang of their graphic accounts of the various sites in the city of Kapilvastu and its suburbs do not match. There are differences between the description about what they saw and the distances and the bearings provided by them. They visited the same place but described the place differently. This may be probably due to the long time span between their visits. They visited the place 200 hundred years apart and it is apparent that there must have been big changes in the size and position of the places mentioned by them. In two hundred years big changes to the landscaping of the towns and villages are apparent. Some towns and villages must have disappeared from the map altogether with new ones popping up. So it is highly probable that the description of some of the places seen by Huen-Tsian are different from those seen by Fah-Hien two hundred years earlier. But the interesting part here is that their description of the same place with same story is different from one another in size, distance, direction and contents. Their distances and bearings of the spot of Buddha’s Birthplace in Lumbini, Kanakmuni and Krakuchanda Buddha town do not correspond. Fah Hien Did Not Visit Kapilvastu ?: Fah Hien did not see all three Asokan pillars of Kapilvastu. The pillars standing thirty feet above the ground with majestic capital were missed by Fah Hien. Asokan stone pillars must have stood out prominently among the rest of the construction of that period, which is usually of wood or brick with mud mortar. It is inconceivable that any body would miss seeing such a monument had he visited the actual site. Niglihawa Pillar was still standing when Ripu Malla visited the town as late as 12th Century AD. Fah Hien had mentioned the pillars of Jetavana Vihara in Sravasti which were also noted by Huen Tsian 200 years later. Both the Chinese Travelers did not also mention the Piprahawa Stupa which K. M. Srivastava claimed to have been built over the one eight share of Buddha’s relics in Kapilvastu by the Sakyas where as both of them have mentioned the stupa built over the one eight share of Buddha’s relics by the king of Ramagrama. Their description of various sites at Sravasti also matches. This shows that they either did not visit the same city of Kapilvastu or visited different suburbs of Kapilvastu. After analyzing Huen Tsang and Fah Hien notes one can with certainty say that they both saw the same Kapilvastu but Fah Hien saw the wrong town of Kanakmuni and Krakuchanda. Hypothetically it is possible to see another site with layout of monuments similar to Kapilvastu and presume that it is Kapilvastu. It happened in 19th century when A. Cunningham identified Bhuila in the Basti District of Uttar Pradesh as the original Kapilvastu and was later proven wrong. Both the Chinese travelers differ from each other about the location of the Kanakmuni and Krakuchanda towns. Huen Tsian placed the birth place of Krakuchanda Buddha as 50 li South from the Kapilvastu where as Fah Hien placed it 1.4 yojana south west of Kapilvastu. Both have placed Krakuchanda town in the southerly direction whereas Kanakmuni town is placed in the opposite directions. Fah Hien placed Kanakmuni town on the westerly direction where as Huen Tsian in easterly direction. So who is right ? Fah Hien or Huen Tsang ? Srivastava’s Wrong Piprahawa Claim: K. M. Srivastava has claimed that Fah-Hien’s position about Kapilvastu is the correct one. If we assume the position of Piprahawa as Kapilvastu as suggested by K. M. Srivastava the town of Kanakmuni and Krakuchanda have to be around Piprahawa and the broken pillars of Niglisagar and Gotihawa must have been transported from about 7-8 miles west and 11-12 miles south west of Piprahawa respectively which is quite remote. There is no way to prove that they were taken to Niglihawa and Gotihawa from the vicinity of Piprahawa. Above all there are no traces of existence of any one of the numerous ancient towns in the neighborhood of Piprahawa. The old Buddhist Chronicles and the description of the Chinese Travelers had mentioned the existence of many towns and villages in the neighborhood of the city of Kapilvastu. Piprahawa Evidences Not substantial: In the neighborhood of Piprahawa within a radius of 6-7 miles no important monuments of Archaeological value have been found except in Sanitaria (See plate I). Piprahawa by its archaeological findings and its location do not have the character of a central town or a political center of a state or a country. Every town or city, which seats the political power and is the economical center acts like a core nucleus with satellite towns radiating in all directions from it. The city of Kapilvastu may not be a big town or city but was the center of a country or a state. The evidences found in Piprahawa are not substantial enough to back the identification of the old lost city of Kapilvastu. Evidences found in Piprahawa do not reflect any urban – K. M. Srivastava-Excavation at Piprahawa and character. Piprahawa by its findings is a large monastic Ganwaria zone on the remote southern border of Kapilvastu and the Stupa found belonged to a group of various ranking monks of the Monastery. Conclusion: As mentioned in the old Buddhist Chronicles and the description of the Chinese Travelers in the neighborhood of Tilaurakot many ancient remains of Archaeological value of that period have been found to back the identification of Kapilvastu. Tilaurakot is surrounded by towns and villages with ancient monuments within a radius of 8-10 miles like Taulihawa, Niglihawa, Sgrahawa, Gotihawa, Chitradei, Arura Kot, Lori-Kudan, Chitradei etc. Thus, in a nutshell, based on the description of the Chinese travelers, the of Gotihawa Asokan Pillar, Inscription of Niglihawa Asokan pillar, the thick walled fortress with moat in Tilaurakot, the seal denoting Sa-ka~na-syan, numerous archaeological sites and antiquities discovered around Tilaurakot, we can conclude that the ancient city of Kapilvastu has to be located in close vicinity of Tilaurakot and not Piprahawa. References: – A. Cunningham – ASI Report – A. Fuhrer – Antiquities of Buddha Sakyamuni’s Birthplace – Amar Nath Khanna-Archaeology of India – Babu Krishna Rijal-Kapilvastu Lumbini Devadaha – Debla Mitra-Excavation at Tilaura Kot and Kodan – Epigraphica lndica Vol. – P. C. Mukherji- Antiquities of Kapilvastu Terai of Nepal – Samuel Beal-The Travels of Fah Hien’ and Sung-Yun – Samuel Beal-Buddhist Records of the Western World – Thomas Watters-On Yuan Chwang’s Travel to India – W. C. Peppe- Piprahawa Stupa, Containing the Relics of Buddha JRAS 1898 – W. Vost – Identification in the Region of Kapilvastu, JRAS 1906 – Giovanni Veradi – Excavation at Gotihawa and a Territorial Survey in Kapilvastu District of Nepal – James Legge-The Travels of Fah Hien One Response to “LOCATING THE LOST KINGDOM OF KAPILVASTU” November 30, 2010 at 9:14 pm Archeologists confirm Lumbini as Buddha’s birthplace Prof Sudarshan on Mayadevi Temple Lumbini Locating the lost kingdom of Kapilvastu Google corrected its mistake How has UNESCO Inscribed Lumbini as the Birthplace of Buddha […]
1.1 2.1 3.1 4.1 4.2 5.1 6.1 6.2 6.3 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 7.10 8.1 9.1 10.1 10.2 11.1 11.2 12.1 12.2 13.1 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 15.1 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.7 16.8 16.9 16.10 17.1 18.1 19.1 19.2 20.1 20.2 21.1 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 22.6 22.7 22.8 22.9 22.10 22.11 23.1 23.2 24.1 25.1 26.1 27.1 28.1 28.2 28.3 28.4 28.5 28.6 29.1 31.1 32.1 33.1 34.1 36.1 37.1 38.1 38.2 38.3 38.4 39.1 39.2 39.3 40.1 40.2 41.1 41.2 41.3 41.4 41.5 41.6 42.1 42.2 42.3 43.1 44.1 45.1 46.1 46.2 47.1 47.2 48.1 48.2 48.3 48.4 48.5 48.6 49.1 49.2 49.3 49.4 50.1 50.2 50.3 51.1 51.2 51.3 52.1 52.2 52.3 52.4 52.5 52.6 53.1 53.2 53.3 53.4 53.5 54.1 54.2 54.3 54.4 54.5 54.6 54.7 54.8 55.1 56.1 57.1 58.1 59.1 60.1 61.1 62.1
भारतले लुम्बिनी उतै रहेको प्रमाणित गर्यो भने नेपाल शिरविनाको मुर्कट्टो हुनेछ बुद्ध भारतमा जन्मिएको दाबी र नेपालले नक्कलमात्रै गर्न खोजे पनि असफल भएको आरोपसहित नेपालको जस्तै ‘भग्नावशेष’ बनाउन करोडौँका प्रोजेक्ट तयार गरी रातदिन ट्रयाक्टर र मजदुर खटाएर गौतमबुद्धको मावली देवदह, जन्मस्थल लुम्बिनी र दरबार तिलौराकोट प्याकेजमै भारतमा बनाइँदै छ (हेर्नुहोस्, नयाँ पत्रिका, ४ चैत २०६६) । भारतीय चलचित्र ‘चाँदनी चोक टु चाइना’ मा बुद्धको जन्म भारतमा भएको भनिएको छ । नेपालको सेन्सरबोर्डले उक्त वाक्य काटेर चलचित्र प्रदर्शनको अनुमति दिएको थियो, तर विद्यार्थी र सञ्चारमाध्यमले विरोध गरेपछि सरकार निषेध गर्न बाध्य भयो । हालै सरकारले पशुपतिका भारतीय भट्ट हटाएर नेपाली पुजारी राखेपछि भारतीय राजदूत, सिनेकलाकार गोविन्दा र समाजवादी दलका नेताले दबाबमूलक अभिव्यक्ति राख्दै नेपालको सार्वभौमसत्तामा हस्तक्षेप गरे पनि यहाँको अदालतले भारतीय भट्टलाई नै पुनर्नियुक्त गर्यो । यसरी भारतीय हस्तक्षेप हुँदा पशुपतिबारे कोही नबोल्नु तर एउटा सानो सिनेमाको घटनामा सारा देशले नै पीडाबोध गरी लुम्बिनीको समर्थनमा बोल्नुले राष्ट्रियताका सम्बन्धमा लुम्बिनीको ठूलो महत्त्व छ र देशवासीका आँखामा लुम्बिनी महान् छ भन्ने देखाउँछ । बुद्धबारे भ्रम : भविष्यमा बुद्ध हुने मनुष्य वा मनुष्येतर प्राणी बोधिसत्व हो भने बुद्धत्व प्राप्त व्यक्ति बुद्ध हो । बुद्धत्व लाभ गरे पनि धर्मोपदेश नगरेका अनगिन्ती ‘प्रत्येक बुद्ध’, धर्मोपदेश गरेका अढाई दर्जन ‘सम्यक् सम्बुद्ध’ र भविष्यको गर्भमा रहेका ‘मैत्रेय बुद्ध’ गरी तीन प्रकारका बुद्ध थेरवादी/हीनयानी बौद्धग्रन्थ त्रिपिटकमा फेला पर्दछन् । दीपङ्कर बुद्धबाट सुरु भएको सम्यक् सम्बुद्धको सूचीमा कालान्तरमा कोण्डञ्ञ, मङ्गल, सुमन, रेवत, सोभित, अनोमदस्सी, पदुम, नारद, पदुमुत्तर, सुमेध, सुजात, पियदस्सी, अत्थदस्सी, धम्मदस्सी, सिद्धत्थ, तिस्स, फुस्स, विपस्सी, सिखी, वेस्सभू, ककुसन्ध, कोणागमन, कस्सप र गौतमबुद्ध देखा पर्छन् । यी सम्यक् सम्बुद्धमध्ये तीनजना हालको नेपालमा अवस्थित कपिलवस्तुमा जन्मिएको ग्रन्थप्रमाण छ । यी सबै बुद्धमध्ये लुम्बिनीमा जन्मेका गौतम बुद्ध किन पनि बढी लोकपि्रय भए भने उनको परिनिर्वाणपछि मात्रै त्रिपिटक लेखनका लागि संगायनाहरू हुन सके । ग्रन्थप्रमाणअनुसार गौतमबुद्धले बुद्धत्व प्राप्त गर्नुअघि उपर्युक्त सम्यक् सम्बुद्धहरूका समयमा क्रमशः सुमेध तपस्वी, विजितावी चक्रवर्ती राजा, सुरुचि ब्राह्मण, अतुल नागराजा, अतिदेव ब्राह्मण, अजित ब्राह्मण, यक्ष सेनापति, सिंह, तपस्वी, जटिल महानागरिक, उत्तर ब्राह्मण, चक्रवर्ती राजा, कस्सप ब्राह्मण, सुसिम तपस्वी, देवराज इन्द्र, मङ्गल तपस्वी, सुजात क्षत्रिय, विजितावी क्षत्रिय, अतुल नागराज, अरिन्दम राजा, सुदस्सन राजा, खेम राजा, पब्बत राजा र ज्योतिपाल ब्राह्मण भई बोधिसत्वका रूपमा अनेक कुशल कर्म गरी पछि बुद्ध हुनका लागि चाहिने पुण्य सञ्चय गरेका थिए । यसरी बुद्धका अनेक प्रकार र संख्या भए पनि अहिलेको विवाद मूलतः गौतमबुद्धको जन्मस्थलसँग जोडिएको देखिन्छ । Read the rest of this entry » PBS is made up of more than 350 local public noncommercial TV stations and reaches more than 115 million people each month through on-air and online content, and, increasingly, in other platforms. PBS content is available on air through its local stations and, for many programs, online, in the form of podcasts, blogs, video clips, and full episodes. Key programs include PBS KIDS & PBS KIDS GO! series, as well as NATURE, MASTERPIECE, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, GREAT PERFORMANCES , BILL MOYERS JOURNAL, TAVIS SMILEY, WASHINGTON WEEK, FRONTLINE and THE PBS NEWSHOUR. “THE BUDDHA” coming to PBS April, 7th, 2010. This PBS documentary explores the life of Prince Siddhartha, today know as the Buddha, whose spiritual quest for enlightenment gave birth to Buddhism. The film, narrated by Richard Gere, includes interviews with the Dalai Lama and airs on PBS April 7. The problem with this documentary is that this is with misinformation about Buddha. This informs that Prince Siddhartha of India. Lots of Nepalese campaigning against this misinformation. Within the PBS Fan Club Ram Kumar Shrestha created Topic Buddha was born in Nepal not in India in its Discussion Board. To leave the comment in the link with the information about video this is the link . In both links lots of Nepalese campaigning against the misinformation. Only after becoming Fan of PBS Fan Club, it is possible to comment in the second link. Buddha and misinformation together? Does not suit. So why not to participate there then? गौतम बुद्ध आजभन्दा २५८५ वर्षअघि हालको नेपालभित्रै पर्ने कपिलवस्तुको तिलौराकोटमा जन्मेको घामजस्तै छर्लङ्ग छ। तिलौराकोटमा पाइएका र अझै उत्खनन्का क्रममा रहेका कतिपय बुद्धकालीन निर्माण सामग्री तथा तत्कालीन समयका चल्तीका सरसामानको पुरातात्विक पुष्टिले यसलाई द्विमति राख्ने कुनै ठाउँ नै दिएका छैनन्। तर पनि यस शाश्वत तथ्यमा भ्रम सिर्जना गर्ने भारतीय नियतलाई छिमेकी मुलुक चीनका साथै जापानका कतिपय प्रकाशनहरुले पनि साथ दिइरहेको देख्दा आश्चर्य लाग्ने गर्दछ। भारतीय सरकार र भारतीय प्रशासनको नियतमा देखिएको कालोपनालाई योगऋषि रामदेवले काठमाडौं आएका बेला आलोचना गरेका छन्। रामदेवले योगका माध्यमले नेपालको समुन्नति र समृद्धिका लागि नेपालको जल, जमिन, जडीबुटी, जनताको जागरण पर्याप्त भएको बताए। शनिवार बिहान काठमाडौंको टुँडिखेलमा योग विज्ञान शिविर सञ्चालनका क्रममा रामदेवले हाल २५ हजार योगप्रशिक्षक अघिल्लो शिविरदेखि हालसम्मका दुई वर्षमा तयार भइसकेको बताउँदै अबका तीन वर्षमा व्यापक परिवर्तन आई देशभर कूल एक लाख योग प्रशिक्षक तयार हुने र पूरै नेपाल योगमय बन्नमा सहज हुने विश्वास व्यक्त गरे। योगऋषि रामदेवले नेपालमा पतञ्जलि योगपीठको केन्द्रीय कार्यालय काठमाडौंमा स्थापना हुने, धुलिखेल र स्याङ्जामा पतञ्जलि योगपीठहरुको सञ्चालन हुने कुरा पनि बताए। तर, कतिपय उनका आलोचकहरुले भने उनले नेपालमा रहेको जडीबुटीमा आँखा गाढेको दाबी गर्दै उनको उद्देश्य नेपालका सबै जडीबुटी कौडीको मोलमा भारत लैजाने तयारी गरेको बताएका छन्। Read the rest of this entry » The Hindu Yoga Guru Swami Ram Dev speaking at a programme in Kathmandu told reporters, “Sita and the Buddha are pride of Nepal. India is worthlessly dragging the Buddha to controversy which is wrong”. Talking to media persons, Swami Ram Dev said, “There is no doubt that Buddha was born Nepal. Now he is a universal character.” Opposing the rumour about Buddha’s birth place being India, he said, “Any enlightened person is a dignity and pride of a nation,” adding, “I will campaign for Nepal if anyone says that Buddha was born in India,” he added. The Swami said that India is a true friend of Nepal as both countries are linked by similar culture, spiritualism and social structure. “Nepal and India are equal brothers and both are independent and sovereign countries. The cultural relationship between the two countries is similar to the present age of democracy since the period of Lord Rama in India.” The Swami who is conducting Yoga classes in Kathmandu and some other parts of the country decried Indian propaganda about the Buddha and its acts of distorting historical and archaeological facts about the Buddha. Lumbini is the birthplace of Lord Buddha and a World Heritage Site. This pilgrimage site in southwest Nepal attracts devout Buddhists from around the world, who arrive to pay homage at the Sacred Garden where the ‘Enlightened One’ was born. A famous landmark is the Ashoka Pillar raised by the great Emperor who converted to Buddhism. Today Lumbini has been enlivened by the multitude of architecturally beautiful temples, stupas and monasteries built by various international Buddhist communities. Birth place of Lord Buddha Lumbini is hallowed ground as Shakyamuni Buddha was born here in southern Nepal more than twenty-five hundred years ago. As a sacred birthplace, it is an important pilgrimage site for Buddhists from around the globe. Many excavations have taken place here around this small town in the southern Terai plains of Nepal. Ruins of the old city are clearly visible and many artifacts were unearthed during the excavation. Shakyamuni Buddha was born a prince to the ruler of the little principality. Important landmarks are the Maya Devi temple and the Ashoka pillar. The remains of many ancient stupas and monasteries can be found in the surroundings of Lumbini The Ashoka pillar is said to have been erected by the Indian Emperor Ashoka in 250 BC and bears an inscription confirming this as the birth place of the Buddha. A stone image of Maya Devi giving birth to Lord Buddha as she holds onto a branch is seen in the Maya Devi temple. The belief that touching it will render a woman fertile has led to erosion as thousands of hands have stroked it. Read the rest of this entry » भारतीय मूलका अमेरिकी पत्रकार फरिद जकारियाको पुस्तक ‘पोस्ट अमेरिकन वल्र्ड’मा बुद्धको जन्म र बौद्धधर्मको उत्पत्ति भारतमा भएको उल्लेख गरेकोमा केही समयअघि दिनानाथ शर्माले आपत्ति जनाएका थिए । जकारियाले गलत नियतले जानी-जानी आफ्नो पुस्तकमार्फत विश्वलाई बुद्धको जन्मस्थल भारत भएको झूटो सन्देश दिनखोजेका शर्माको निष्कर्ष थियो । हुन पनि जकारियाजस्ता बौद्धिक व्यक्तिलाई बुद्धको वास्तविक जन्मस्थल नेपाल हो भन्ने सामान्य ज्ञान नभएको विश्वास गर्न गाह्रो छ । आफ्नो विदेश भ्रमणका क्रममा मैले पनि पश्चिमी मुलुकमात्र नभएर द. कोरिया, जापान, चीन, भियतनाम, थाइल्यान्डजस्ता ठूलो संख्यामा बौद्धधर्म अनुयायी भएका देशमा समेत धेरै शिक्षित व्यक्तिलाई बुद्धको जन्मस्थल लुम्बिनी हो र उक्त भूभाग नेपालमा पर्छ भन्ने ज्ञान नभएको पाएको छु । केही वर्षअघि दक्षिण कोरियामा आयोजित एक वैज्ञानिक सम्मेलनमा भाग लिएको थिएँ । सम्मेलनपछि विदेशी पाहुनालाई सम्मेलनका आयोजकद्वारा कोरियाका विभिन्न सहर अनि राजधानी सोलबाट केही टाढा रमणीय पहाडमा अवस्थित एक बौद्धस्थलको भ्रमण गराइएको थियो । पाहुनाहरू बोकेको टुरिस्ट बसमा एक पेसावर महिला टुरिस्ट गाइड पनि थिइन् । उनले बौद्धस्थलबारे जानकारी दिँदै बुद्धको जीवनीबारे चर्चा गर्न थालिन् । यसैक्रममा उनले बुद्ध भारतमा जन्मिएको बताइन् । उनले सायद यस्तो गलत सन्देश धेरै वर्षदेखि विदेशी एवं स्वदेशी पर्यटकलाई दिँदै आएकी थिइन् । एक पेसावर टुरिस्ट गाइडलाई समेत बुद्धको जन्मस्थल नेपाल हो भन्ने ज्ञान नभएको थाहा पाउँदा निकै अचम्म लागेको थियो । मैले आफू नेपालबाट आएको परिचय दिँदै बसभित्रै उनलाई बुद्ध जन्मेको देश भारत होइन, नेपाल हो भनी सच्याउन खोज्दा उनी अकमक्क परेकी थिइन् । ती कोरियाली महिलालाई वास्तवमै बुद्धको जन्मभूमि नेपाल हो भन्ने थाहा रहेनछ । उनले विद्यार्थी छँदा बुद्धको जन्म र बौद्धधर्मको उत्पत्तिस्थल भारत भनेर पढेकी रहिछन् । बुद्धको जन्मस्थल र नेपालबारे थप अध्ययन गर्न मैले उनलाई आग्रह गरेको थिएँ । उनीमात्र होइन, बसमा यात्रा गरिरहेका सबैजसो विदशी पाहुनालाई पनि लुम्बिनीबारे र बुद्ध जन्मिएको देश नेपाल हो भन्ने थाहा रहेनछ । Read the rest of this entry » [The search for the lost city of Kapilvastu started in the mid 19th Century after the translation of the notes of the great Chinese travelers. The British geographer Alexander Cunningham identified Bhuila in Uttar Pradesh as Kapilvastu which was later proven untrue.] By Swoyambhu D. Tuladhar Introduction: The ancient kingdom of Kapilvastu lying at the foothills of the Himalayas spread between the country of Kosala on the west and Koliyas on the east. It was known to be a stable kingdom flourishing during the time of King Suddhodhana, father of Prince Siddhartha Gautam. It was in the city of Kapilvastu that Prince Siddhartha Gautam spent his early years after his birth in Lumbini in 623 BC. We know that once Prince Siddhartha left Kapilvastu in search of truth at the age of 29 and attained enlightenment as Buddha, he did not return to live in Kapilvastu. After the death of King Suddhodhana, a gradual decline set in the country. For a long period Kapilvastu was left utterly desolate and forsaken. It lapsed into oblivion and was ruined beyond recognition. It is not clear how and why exactly the desolation of Kapilvastu started but some construction activities had taken place even after the place was in ruins. Huen Tsian during his visit in 6’hCentury A.D. had mentioned about the monasteries and stupas built over the ruins of the royal precincts. In course of time Kapilvastu was almost forgotten and erased from the world map and the name of Kapilvastu remained known only in the old Buddhist Chronicles. Read the rest of this entry » Shri B. Joshi Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, India Your Excellency Governor, With due respect and profound belief, we are writing this open letter to you to draw your benign attention, to a very sensitive issue of which Your Excellency and the Uttar Pradesh Government seem to have been put behind lambrequin by some people in the administration that some kinds of archaeologically unwholesome construction works to build another Lumbini and other Buddhist historical sites are in progress in Aligadawa, Uttar Pradesh that you govern Read the rest of this entry » Could you check Quotations by Authors and the map in this article. These links are also with some blonder mistakes. We need to raise our voice there too. Even after flood of criticisms, Newsweek Editor Fareed Zakaria is pretending that nothing happening against his misinformation. A wise man always accepts his mistakes. Let’s wait and see. BELOW IS A TEXT OF A UNESCO DOCUMENT ON HOW IT DECIDED TO INSCRIBE NEPAL’S LUMBINI AS THE BIRTH PLACE OF THE BUDDHA Nepal Date of Inscription: 1997 Criteria: (iii)(vi) Lumbini Zone, Rupandehi District, Western Terai Ref: 666rev Brief Description Siddhartha Gautama, the Lord Buddha, was born in 623 B.C. in the famous gardens of Lumbini, which soon became a place of pilgrimage. Among the pilgrims was the Indian emperor Ashoka, who erected one of his commemorative pillars there. The site is now being developed as a Buddhist pilgrimage centre, where the archaeological remains associated with the birth of the Lord Buddha form a central feature. Read the rest of this entry » [“Tilaurakot is situated on the Banganga which is thought to have been called Bhagirathi by the Sakyans”, said Prof. Tulsi Ram Baidya, Chairman of the Nepal History Association. “There is no river near Piprahawa”. Also please refer to the writer’s another article Kapilavastu India – Nepal battle of sites.] By: Rohan L. Jayetilleke From Nepal With the long drawn dispute over the location of Buddha’s birthplace end in favour of Nepal ? The area around Tilaurakot (Nepal) crowded with unexcavated or partly excavated Buddhist sites. About 65 archaeological sites have been identified and the authorities want to develop at least seven. The remains of the Eastern Gateway of Kapilavastu (At Tilaurakot) through which Gautama Buddha is believed to have walked out at night. A century-old dispute over the location of Kapilavastu, where Prince Siddartha (late Gauthama, the Buddha) grew up, is about to end in favour of Tilaurakot in Nepal, and not Piprahawa, India. “Tilaurakot is situated on the Banganga which is thought to have been called Bhagirathi by the Sakyans”, said Prof. Tulsi Ram Baidya, Chairman of the Nepal History Association. “There is no river near Piprahawa”. Tilaurakot’s claim to Kapilavastu is based primarily on four areas of irrefutable evidence. The place is a derivative not of the name of Kapila, the sage, but an oil producing shrub in Nepalese called Kapila, which is used for medicinal and cooking purposes from time immemorial by the Nepalese, Tilaurakot too means ‘tell or oil and ‘kot’ fields of sesame (dil). Read the rest of this entry » बुद्ध भारतमा जन्मिएका हुन् भनेर किताब छाप्ने भारतले अब नक्कली लुम्बिनी र तिलौराकोट पनि बनाउन थालेको छ । बुद्धको जन्मस्थलसम्बन्धी सबै विश्वमान्यता परिवर्तन गर्न भारतले उत्तरप्रदेशको अलिगढवामा धमाधम निर्माणकार्य गरिरहेको छ । नेपालको कपिलवस्तुसँग सीमा जोडिएको अलिगढवामा नक्कली कपिलवस्तु निर्माणकार्य अन्तिम अवस्थामा छ । उत्तरप्रदेशको सिद्धार्थनगर जिल्लाअन्तर्गत पीपरहवा क्षेत्रलाई भारतले कपिलवस्तु नामकरण गरेर बुद्ध भारतमै जन्मिएका हुन् भन्ने प्रमाणित गर्न खोजिरहेको छ । विश्वशान्तिका अग्रदूत सिद्धार्थ गौतमबुद्धले भारतको बोधगयामा बुद्धत्व प्राप्त गरेका भए पनि उनको जन्म नेपालको लुम्बिनीमा भएको थियो । उनी तिलौराकोटमा राजा शुद्धोधनको दरबारमा जन्मिएका थिए । Read the rest of this entry » While searching “birth place of Buddha” in google, we can see the map pointer inside the area of Nepal, but the location description is definded “Uttar Pradesh, India”. Well everyone is aware of the fact that Buddha was born at Kapilvastu in Nepal and even the pointer is pointed correctly in Lumbini area, but how can the description be written “Uttar Pradesh, India”? This has certainly drawn lots of attention because of wrong information to all the viewers of google maps. Lumbini was a beautiful amusement grove in about 7th century B.C. This horticulture spot was recreated by Koliyas of Devdaha and Sakyas of Kapilvastu. It was a place where Bodhisatwa Siddhartha Gautam put his first step on earth. The prince of the Sakya was born in Nepal in about 563 B.C. He was probably the greatest man ever to live in the Indian sub-continent in the whole of its remarkable history. He was born in orthodox Hindu family and raised accordingly and became the founder of the great religion which has spread far beyond the border of India. According to Buddhist literature, Lumbini was addressed as Pradimoksha Vana and compared to the Chittalate Vana of lord Indra’s paradise in Heaven. Amid the cool shadow of thick Sal trees, the touch of the flowing breeze, and the fragrance of flowers and fruits, the bees of five colors hummed and people used to live with peaceful mind. This place is 22 km. west of Siddhartha Nagar and became a holy pilgrimage site after the death of Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha at his deathbed suggested his disciple Ananda to visit four places among which the first and the foremost place is Lumbini where he was born. Lmbini possess its history even before the birth of Siddhartha. It was a popular ancient northern trade route (Uttarapatha) and a habitual as well as a religious place. After death of Buddha this place was visited by many pilgrims, royalties, and scholars from different parts of the world. The Maurya Emperor of India, Ashoka visited Lumbini in 3rd century B.C., after his renunciation from his regal life after the bloodshed victory of Kalinga. The emperor made a pilgrimage to Lumbini with his spiritual teacher Bikkshu Upagupta and reiterated the legendry fame of the site. He adored the birth place and installed a memorial colossal pillar with inscriptions which reads: Read the rest of this entry » Nawalparasi is one of the most important districts of Nepal from the Archaeological point of view. Besides many archaeological ruins, this district has an ancient stupa in Ramagrama, which according to many scholars is among the oldest stupa of Nepal. It is believed that this contains the relic of Buddha inside this stupa. Rama Grama is situated 5.3 km south east from Parasi, the headquarters of Nawal Parasi, south of Deurawa village, north of Billaspur, east of Ujjaini, west of Deau village and on the bank of the stream Jharahi. Considering its historical and archaeological importance the government has announced this area as Ramagram Municipality. The site is located in 830 41′ 05″ E and 270 29′ 55″ N on the height of 107 m from MSL1 . According to Buddhist literature Sujat was the King of Saketa. He had have four sons and five daughters from his first wife. After her death the king married for second time. When the second queen gave birth to a son, she put her desire and also insisted the king to make her son the heir of the king and he must succeed the throne after the king.. Hence, the nine children of the first queen were forced to leave Saketa Kingdom. The expatriated children moved toward the north side and reached a place where the ascetic Kapila was residing on the bank of the river Bhagirathi, known as Ban Ganga. The anchorite gave them permission to settle there and the site gradually developed. It was given the name of Kapilavastu after the name of ascetic Kapila. The four brothers married their four younger sisters, and they declared the eldest sister Priya as their “queen mother”. In course of time, Priya suffered from Leprosy and left Kapilavastu and resided in a cave in a nearby forest. Coincidentally, the King of Varanasi, named Rama had also been suffering from the same disease. He took his retirement and abandoned his Kingdom to his son and proceeded for Banabas (settling in the forest as a hermit or sage in the same forest). Read the rest of this entry » ‘बुद्धको जन्म लुम्बिनी नेपालमा भएको हो ।’ यी शव्दहरुको अंग्रेजी रुपान्तरण आफ्नो चिनारी कार्ड भिजिटिङ कार्ड मा छाप्ने र आफूसित परिचयमा आउने हरेक मानिसलाई त्यो कार्ड दिने डा. गोविन्दप्रसाद थापालाई धेरै नेपालीले चिन्दछन् । कतिपयले उहाँलाई प्रहरी सेवामा बहाल छँदै विद्यावारिधि गर्ने पहिलो उच्चपदस्थ अधिकृतको रुपमा हेर्दा हुन् । मैले पनि त्यही क्रममा चिनेको हो । बुद्धसित गाँसिएको देशको विशिष्ट पहिचानप्रति गर्व गर्ने र सजग रहने डा. थापाको कार्यशैली प्रशंसनीय छ । ‘देखेको मुलुक’ का लेखक कनकमणि दीक्षितको हेराइ अलिक बेग्लै किसिमको रहेछ । लेखकको रायमा नेपाललाई बुद्ध जन्मेको देश भनेर गर्व गर्नुको खास अर्थ छैन किनभने अढाइ हजार वर्षअघि सिद्धार्थ गौतम जन्मिँदा नेपाल भन्ने राज्य नै थिएन । झट्ट सुन्दा हो पनि इतिहासको सन्दर्भमा आजको भूगोललाई नियाल्दा लेखकको कथनलाई गलत भन्न मिल्दैन । र यो तर्कसित सहमत हुने हो भने केटाकेटीलाई पढाइने बुद्धसम्बन्धी पाठ्य सामग्री फेर्नुपर्छ भन्ने लेखकको दिशा-निर्देशलाई पनि स्वीकार गर्नुपर्ने हुन्छ । लेखको आग्रह त्यस्तै छ । तर कति स्वीकार्य होला यो प्रस्तावः भन्न गाह्रो छ । किनभने ‘उग्रराष्ट्रवाद’ को विरोध गर्ने लेखकको स्वतन्त्रताको सम्मान गर्दागर्दै पनि तथ्यसम्मत सूचना विवरणहरुले स्थापित गरेको यथार्थलाई अस्वीकार गर्ने धृष्टता धेरैले नगर्लान् । र अन्वेषण तथा अनुसन्धानबाट प्रमाणित यथार्थ होः जुन ठाउँमा सिद्धार्थ गौतम जो पछि बुद्ध भए जन्मे त्यो ठाउँ लुम्बिनि हो र लुम्बिनी नेपालमा पर्दछ । भन्नु परोइन यो पर्यटकलाई लोभ्याउने कुरो मात्र होइन । यो बौद्ध-मतावलम्बीहरुको अटुट आस्थाको केन्द्र हो । जापान कोरिया वर्मा श्रीलंका थाइल्याण्ड समेतका देशहरुबाट लुम्बिनी तीर्थाटनमा आउनेहरु मनोराजनको अर्थमा बुझिने पर्यटनका लागि निस्केका डुलुवा होइनन् । बुद्धले ज्ञान पाएको स्थान बोधगया पहिलोपटक उपदेश दिएको ठाउँ सारनाथ र उहाँको महापरिनिर्वाण भएको स्थान कुसीनगर अहिलेको भारत देशमा पर्दछ । यति कुरो भारत सरकारले नै स्वीकार गरिसकेको छ । अन्यथा लुम्बिनीको संरक्षण र प्रवद्र्धनका निम्ति साचालित परियोजनाहरुलाई भारत सरकारका तर्पुबाट दूतावासले किन सहयोग गरिरहन्थ्यो । किन चीन र श्रीलंकाभन्दा पछि परिएला भनेर सावधानि अपनाइरहन्थ्यो अनि बुद्धको जन्मस्थल हो भन्ने कुरामा ढुक्क नभएको भए दलाई लामा पटक-पटक लुम्बिनी आउन नेपाल सरकारसित किन अनुमति मागिरहन्थे सन् १९८१ मा एकपल्ट यस्तो अनुमति पाए पनि । Read the rest of this entry » – त्रिभुवन विश्वविद्यालय केन्द्रीय अंग्रेजी विभागले दोस्रो वर्षको पाठ्यपुस्तकका रूपमा राखेको चाल्र्स भान डोरेको ँअ हिस्ट्री अफ नलेज’ मा ‘बुद्ध उत्तरभारतमा जम्मेका हुन्’ भन्ने गलत सूचना राखिएको थियो । अहिले ँसस्पेन्स्सन’मा परेको छ । – त्रिविको आमसञ्चार तथा पत्रकारिता विभागले स्नातकोत्तर तह दोस्रो वर्षका विद्यार्थीलाई अनिवार्य रूपमा पढाउने ँकम्युनिकेसन फर द डेभलपमेन्ट इन द थर्ड वल्र्ड’ किताबमा पनि बुद्धका विषयमा दोहोरो अर्थ लाग्ने कुरा समेटिएका छन् । ँनेपाल’ देशको कतै उल्लेख छैन । यी त केही उदाहरण मात्र हुन् । नेपालका विश्वविद्यालयमा पाठ्यपुस्तकका रूपमा रहेका पुस्तकमा यस्ता भ्रामक कुरा धेरै भेट्टाउन सकिन्छ । नेपाली विद्यार्थीले नेपालमै जन्मिएका गौतम बुद्धका बारेमा भ्रामक कुरा पढ्नुपरेको छ । विश्वविद्यालयले पाठ्यपुस्तकका रूपमा राखेका विदेशी लेखकका पुस्तकमा बुद्धका बारेमा भ्रामक कुरा पाइने गरेका हुन् । तर, कसैले पनि वास्तविक कुरा लेख्न भारत सरकार र भारतका बुद्धिजीवीसँग कुनै पहलसमेत गरेको छैन । त्रिवि केन्द्रीय अंग्रेजी विभागले दोस्रो वर्षको पाठ्यपुस्तकका रूपमा राखेको चाल्र्स भान डोरेको ‘अ हिस्ट्री अफ नलेज’ मा ‘बुद्ध उत्तरभारतमा जम्मेका हुन्’ भन्ने गलत सूचना राखिएको थियो । गत वर्ष नयाँ पत्रिकामा समाचार प्रकाशित र विद्यार्थीको विरोध भएपछि सो पुस्तक नै पढाउन छाडिएको छ । सो पुस्तक पढाइएको पनि छैन र त्यसको ठाउँमा अर्को नयाँ विषय पनि राखिएको छैन । त्रिभुवन विश्वविद्यालयको पत्रकारिता तथा आमसञ्चार विषयको पाठ्यपुस्तकमा पनि बुद्धका बारेमा विद्यार्थीलाई अलमलमा पार्ने कुरा छन् । त्रिविको आमसञ्चार तथा पत्रकारिता विभागले स्नातकोत्तर तह दोस्रो वर्षका विद्यार्थीलाई अनिवार्य रूपमा पढाउने ‘कम्युनिकेसन फर द डेभलपमेन्ट इन द थर्ड वल्र्ड’ किताबमा पनि बुद्धका विषयमा दोहोरो अर्थ लाग्ने कुरा समेटिएका छन् । पृष्ठ २८८मा रहेको ‘बुद्धिजम एन्ड लिबरेसन’ शीर्षकको पाठमा बुद्धिजमको ‘ओरिजिन’ र ‘बुद्ध लिभ्ड इन एन्सियन्ट नर्थन इन्डिया’ उल्लेख छ । Read the rest of this entry »