Ramagrama stupa
Ramagrama stupa (Nepali: रामग्राम नगरपालिका, also Ramgram, Rāmgrām, Rāmagrāma) is a stupa located in Ramgram Municipality, in the Parasi District of Nepal. This Buddhist pilgrimage site containing relics of Gautama Buddha was constructed between the Mauryan and Gupta periods, according to research by Nepal’s Department of Archaeology.[2][3]
| Ramagrama stupa | |
|---|---|
रामग्राम नगरपालिका | |
Ashoka (right) visits the Ramagrama Stupa (center), at his failed attempt to take relics of the Buddha from the king (left) | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Buddhism |
| Sect | Theravada Buddhism |
| Status | Preserved |
| Location | |
| Location | Ramgram, Parasi District, Lumbini Province, Nepal |
Location in Ramgram, Nepal | |
| Geographic coordinates | 27°29′52″N 83°40′52″E / 27.49778°N 83.68111°ECoordinates: 27°29′52″N 83°40′52″E / 27.49778°N 83.68111°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Stupa |
| Style | Buddhist, Gupta |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 50 metres (160 ft)[1] |
| Width | 50 metres (160 ft)[1] |
| Materials | brick and earth |
History
Gautama Buddha's parents were from two different mahājanapadās (kingdoms) of the Solar dynasty — his father (Śuddhodana) belonged to the Shakya kingdom, while his mother (Maya) was from the Koliya kingdom. According to Buddhist texts, after Buddha's Mahaparinirvana, his cremated remains were divided and distributed among the princes of eight of the sixteen mahājanapadās. Each of the princes constructed a stupa at or near his capital city, within which the respective portion of the ashes was enshrined.[4] These eight stupas were located at:
- Allakappa, a settlement of the Bulī people. The precise location of this place is not currently known.[5][6]
- Kapilavastu, capital city of the Shakya kingdom[7] (the location of this stupa is the subject of some controversy; there is evidence it was actually constructed at Piprahwa)[8][9]
- Kusinārā, capital city of one of the two Malla republics[10]
- Pāvā, capital city of the other Malla republics[11]
- Rājagaha a major city of the Magadha kingdom[12]
- Rāmagrāma, a major city of the Koliya kingdom (this settlement is sometimes referred to as Koliyanagara)[13][14]
- Vesāli, capital city of the Vajjika League[15]
- Veṭhadīpa, a settlement of Veṭhadīpaka Brahmins. The precise location of this place is not currently known.[16]
Some 300 years later, Emperor Ashoka opened seven of these stupas and removed the Buddha relics (his goal was to redistribute the relics into 84,000 stupas which he planned to construct throughout the Maurya Empire). According to legend, the serpent king was guarding the Ramagrama stupa, and prevented Ashoka from unearthing the relic, making it one of the eight undisturbed stupas.
Archaeological research
To this day, Ramagrama stupa remains the only intact and original stupa containing relics of Buddha.[2] The stupa has been an object of great reverence and pilgrimage site since its original construction. The 7-metre-high (23 ft) stupa is now buried under a mound of earth and is awaiting further research.[4] The dimensions of the stupa complex are 10m high and 23.5m in diameter. A geophysical survey revealed a perfect quadrangular Kushan monastery buried below the surface, whose dense concentration of brick prevented crops from growing, leading to the area being known as an "unlucky field".[3]
World Heritage Status
This site was added to the World Heritage Tentative List by UNESCO on May 23, 1996 in the Cultural category.[2]
Gallery
statue and entrance gate at Ramagrama stupa
statue and entrance gate at Ramagrama stupa
pathway leading to Ramagrama stupa
view of Ramagrama stupa
view of Ramagrama stupa
sacred Bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa) at Ramagrama stupa
sacred Bodhi tree at Ramagrama stupa
a bas-relief of the Ramagrama stupa, from the east gateway of Great Stupa at Sanchi, in Raisen District of the State of Madhya Pradesh, India
a bas-relief of the Ramagrama stupa, from the Catalogue of the Museum of Archaeology at Sarnath in 1914
See also
References
- ^ a b Shrestha, SS (2001). "Ramagrama excavation II" (PDF). Ancient Nepal: Journal of the Department of Archaeology. 148: 1–29. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
- ^ a b c UNESCO (2014). "Ramagrama, the relic stupa of Lord Buddha". Tentative Lists. Paris: UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
- ^ a b unesdoc.unesco.org https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000262925. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ a b Shrestha, SS (1999). "Ramagrama excavation" (PDF). Ancient Nepal: Journal of the Department of Archaeology. 142: 1–12. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
- ^ "Allakappa". Palikanon.com. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
- ^ "Bulī". Palikanon.com. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
- ^ "Kapilavatthu". Palikanon.com. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
- ^ Peppe, WC (1898). "The Piprahwa Stupa, containing relics of Buddha". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (Article XXIII): 573–88.
- ^ Srivastava, KM (1980). "Archaeological Excavations at Piprāhwā and Ganwaria and the Identification of Kapilavastu". The Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies. 13 (1): 103–10.
- ^ "Kusinārā". Palikanon.com. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
- ^ "Pāvā". Palikanon.com. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
- ^ "Rājagaha". Palikanon.com. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
- ^ "Rāmagāma". Palikanon.com. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
- ^ "Koliyā". Palikanon.com. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
- ^ "Vesāli". Palikanon.com. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
- ^ "Vethadīpa". Palikanon.com. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
Further reading
- The Accumulate Stupa of Ramagrama
External links
- Ramgram Stupa, the Buddha relic stupa of Nepal
- Ramgram Stupa ko Behal-Nawalparsi (video in Nepali language)