The Kapilavastu Controversy Part III

After visiting the Piprahwa Stupa, Krishna Mohan Srivastava, who was a superintending archeologist with the Archeological Survey of India took a decision. He decided to commence immediately, excavations over a wide area in Piprahwa to settle, once for all, the controversy about Kapilavastu. He had the support of a previous report of 1962, written by his co-archeologist, Mrs. D. Mitra, who after extensive excavations in the Tiaurkot area, had reported in unequivocal terms that Kapilavastu ruins can be found only near Piprahwa. Srivastava had a premonition that the relic caskets discovered by William Peppe in 1897-98, could not be the original ones received by Sakyas of Kapilvastu as one of the eight claimants to a portion of relics of the Buddha after he was cremated at Kushinagar and which were solemnized by them in a Stupa, for one simple reason. As mentioned earlier, there was an inscription on one of the smaller urns, which was written in a script, whose style clearly pointed to third century BCE. This meant that more than two centuries had passed from the time of Buddha's cremation in 483 BCE before this urn was solemnized. A noted orientalist and indologist, Sylvain Lévi had already expressed his opinion that this inscription was probably engraved on the occasion of the rebuilding of the ancient Stupa as a mark of earlier solemn dedication. Srivastava had a feeling that the earlier and original relics must be still deep down below the relics found by William Peppe in the Stupa. He started his excavation with a small trench in the north eastern quadrant.

It should be more interesting to read about Srivastava's excavation work in his own words. I quote from a report written by him:

“ A small trench was sunk in its north-eastern quadrant, which revealed interesting features. An outline of the shaft bored by Peppe could be easily observed. At a depth of six metres from the extant top of the stupa, two burnt brick chambers came to light. These chambers, separated from one another by 65 cms. of yellowish compact clay mixed with kankar, were at a much lower level than the spot where the stone box containing the inscribed casket had been found by Peppe. There was a mud deposit, about six centimetres thick, between the last course of the burnt brick stupa and the chambers. The two chambers were identical in shape, measuring 82 x 80 x 37 cms. The specific purpose of the brick chambers, to keep the sacred objects, was apparent enough from the nature of their construction. 

A soapstone casket and a red ware dish placed close to each other were observed in the northern chamber after the top three courses of brick had been removed. This dish was covered by another dish of the same type, which had broken into three pieces. Both the soapstone casket and the dish were found to be carefully packed with the help of bricks and brickbats. The casket contained fragments of charred bone. The contents of the dish could not be distinguished, because it was badly smashed and filled with earth. That there were no bone fragments in it, is, however, certain. The positions of the casket and dishes were different in the southern brick chamber. Two dishes, of the same type and size as in the northern chamber, were placed side by side just below the topmost course of the brick. Both dishes were reduced to fragments. When two further courses of brick were removed, another soapstone casket, bigger in size, came to light. The lid of the casket was found broken. On removal of the earth, which had filled up the casket, charred bones were found inside. Since the relic caskets were found in deposits contemporaneous with the Northern Black Polished Ware, they could be dated to the fifth-fourth centuries B.C., and thus earlier than the inscribed relic casket discovered by Peppe at a higher lever, and also distinguished stratigraphically. The possibility that the stupa at Piprahwa could be the same as that constructed by the Sakyas at Kapilavastu over their share of relics received at Kushinagar increased.”

 one of the soapstone caskets found by Srivastava

Having settled the doubts regarding originality of Piprahwa Stupa and the original relics of Buddha, Srivastava resumed excavation work on the ruins of a monastery on the eastern side. During excavation of the cells and the veranda on the northern side, Srivastava's team was able to find about 40 terracotta sealings at various depths and spots. Most of the sealings were round with few being oval. Each Sealing had one of the following embossed on a side.

1."Om Devaputra Vihare Kapilavastu Bhikkhusamghasa."

(The term Devaputra means Son of Gods, but was a title given to themselves by Kushan Kings like Kanishka or Huvishka. The legend therefore can be read as:)

“ Om of the community of monks of Kapilavastu in the monastery of Kanishka or Huvishka”

2."Maha Kapilavastu Bhikshusamghasa"

Which means

“ Of the community of Buddhist monks of great Kapilavastu”

3.“ Sarandasasa.”

(The third group carry the names of monks. One of them has been read as above)

 sealings bearing the legend "Kapilavastu"

After more excavations Srivastava was also able to find two massive burnt brick structural complexes, with impressive projected entrances to the east and many other structures. In a nearby site at in Ganwaria, even more burnt brick structures were found. There was a surprise silence of about three years, before Archeological survey of India finally announced, much to the heartburn of their Nepali counterparts, that the real Kapilavastu has been found. Srivastava says this, in his report, quite unequivocally and I quote:

“The proximity of these structures to the ancient site of Piprawha, where the sealings with the name of Kapilavastu were found, their impressive size and constructional features and the large quantity of

antiquities found within them, leave little doubt that the structures formed the residential complex of the chief of the capital town, Kapilavastu, i.e., the Sakya King Suddhodhana and his predecessors.”

 Piprahwa Ruins

Archeological Survey of India has now put up signs at the sites in Piprahwa and Ganwaria stating that the sites are, where original Kapilvastu in which Goutama Buddha grew up, stood once. Uttar Pradesh state of India has renamed that area as Kapilavastu and tour operates have started including Piprahwa as Kapilavastu in their tours. New Delhi's National Museum proudly displays the urn containing the Buddha relics.

 Piprahwa Stupa and the ruins

Does it mean that the controversy is now over? It does not seem so. Nepali archeologists and large section of the scholars refuse to accept India's claims and many more studies are going on. They also point out that Indian archeologists have failed to find any ruins of fortifications and gates around the ancient city at Piprahwa, which exist in Tiaurkot. The main lacuna in Nepali standpoint however remains to be absence of a Stupa carrying relics.

 Ganwaria ruins

There is one more loose end, which bothers me. William Peppe, in his detailed description, mentions finding of gold pieces, pearls and all kinds of precious stones in the Piprahwa Stupa along with the caskets. He appears to be a man genuinely interested in Archeology and considering the manner he has chosen to give description of these treasures, found inside Stupa, it seems highly unlikely that he had just disposed of these treasures for his gains. The archeological treasures have to be some where, safely kept by him.

It now appears that this loose end, the other contents found by William Peppe, had surfaced in London in 2004 themselves.

(To be continued)

29 August 2012

The Kapilavastu Controversy: Part II

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 4^th and 7^th 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)

28^th August 2012