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Ramagrama stupa

Coordinates: 27°29′52″N 83°40′52″E / 27.49778°N 83.68111°E / 27.49778; 83.68111
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Ramagrama stupa
रामग्राम नगरपालिका
Ramagrama, the relic stupa of Lord Buddha
View of Ramagrama stupa
Religion
AffiliationBuddhism
SectTheravada Buddhism
StatusPreserved
Location
LocationNepal Ramgram, Parasi District, Lumbini Province, Nepal
Ramagrama stupa is located in Nepal
Ramagrama stupa
Location in Ramgram, Nepal
Coordinates27°29′52″N 83°40′52″E / 27.49778°N 83.68111°E / 27.49778; 83.68111
Architecture
TypeStupa
StyleBuddhist, Gupta
Specifications
Length50 metres (160 ft)[1]
Width50 metres (160 ft)[1]
Materialsbrick and earth

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]

History

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The Malla Mahajanapada

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:

  1. Allakappa, a settlement of the Bulī people. The precise location of this place is not currently known.[5][6]
  2. 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]
  3. Kusinārā, capital city of one of the two Malla republics[10]
  4. Pāvā, capital city of the other Malla republics[11]
  5. Rājagaha a major city of the Magadha kingdom[12]
  6. Rāmagrāma, a major city of the Koliya kingdom (this settlement is sometimes referred to as Koliyanagara)[13][14]
  7. Vesāli, capital city of the Vajjika League[15]
  8. Veṭhadīpa, a settlement of Veṭhadīpaka Brahmins. The precise location of this place is not currently known.[16]

About three centuries later, Emperor Ashoka sought to remove the relics from all of these eight original stupas, with the intent to distribute them among 84,000 new stupas to be constructed in his kingdom to honor the memory of the Buddha. According to Mahavamsa, when Ashoka reached the Ramagrama stupa, he encountered a powerful Nāga (mythological hybrid creature, part-human and part-snake) that was guarding the stupa, preventing him from removing the relics. This is why the Ramagrama stupa is the only undisturbed stupa of the original eight stupas.[2][17]

Ashoka (right) visits the Ramagrama Stupa (center), at his failed attempt to take relics of the Buddha from the king (left)

According to the Mahavamsa and other Theravāda Buddhist textual traditions, a major flood caused significant structural damage to the Ramagrama stupa and the reliquary containing the Buddha’s corporeal relics was swept away by the river’s current.[18] These relics were subsequently recovered by the nāgas, who are described in Buddhist tradition as having enshrined and venerated them within their realm. It is further stated that in 140 BCE, the Buddhist sangha transported these sacred relics to Sri Lanka, where they were enshrined in the Ruwanwelisaya stupa constructed by King Dutugamunu.[19]

Archaeological research

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The Ramagrama Stupa is believed by Nepalese archaeologists to be the only intact original stupa enshrining the relics of the Buddha.[2] It has been an object of great reverence and a 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 era 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] The core structure of the stupa, presumably containing the relics, remains unexcavated.[20]

Conservation and enhancement

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The Promised Land and The Lumbini Development Trust signed a Memorandum of Understanding on October 23, 2023, dedicated to the protection, preservation, conservation, development, and management of the Ramagrama Stupa with the support from Moksha Foundation.[21] This was undertaken by Lharkyal Lama[22] who is currently the vice-chairman of the Lumbini Development Trust.[23]

On December 12, 2023, Ramagrama hosted a gathering for the World Peace Program. Graced by the Right Honorable Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda), the Prime Minister of Nepal, renowned architect Stefano Boeri unveiled the masterplan for the Conservation and Enhancement of the Ramagrama Stupa.[24][25]

World Heritage status

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This site was added to the World Heritage Tentative List by UNESCO on May 23, 1996 in the Cultural category.[2]

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  • Statue and entrance gate at Ramagrama stupa, Parasi district, Nepal
    Statue and entrance gate at Ramagrama stupa, Parasi district, Nepal
  • Statue and entrance gate at Ramagrama stupa
    Statue and entrance gate at Ramagrama stupa
  • Pathway leading to Ramagrama stupa
    Pathway leading to Ramagrama stupa
  • View of Ramagrama stupa
    View of Ramagrama stupa
  • View of Ramagrama stupa
    View of Ramagrama stupa
  • Sacred Bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa) at Ramagrama stupa
    Sacred Bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa) at Ramagrama stupa
  • Sacred Bodhi tree 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 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
    A bas-relief of the Ramagrama stupa, from the Catalogue of the Museum of Archaeology at Sarnath in 1914

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Shrestha, SS (2001). "Ramagrama excavation II" (PDF). Ancient Nepal: Journal of the Department of Archaeology. 148: 1–29. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d UNESCO (2014). "Ramagrama, the relic stupa of Lord Buddha". Tentative Lists. Paris: UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  3. ^ a b Durham University (April 2018). The Greater Lumbini Area religious and archaeological sites. UNESCO. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b Shrestha, SS (1999). "Ramagrama excavation" (PDF). Ancient Nepal: Journal of the Department of Archaeology. 142: 1–12. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  5. ^ "Allakappa". Palikanon.com. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  6. ^ "Bulī". Palikanon.com. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  7. ^ "Kapilavatthu". Palikanon.com. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  8. ^ Peppe, WC (1898). "The Piprahwa Stupa, containing relics of Buddha". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (Article XXIII): 573–88.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Kusinārā". Palikanon.com. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  11. ^ "Pāvā". Palikanon.com. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  12. ^ "Rājagaha". Palikanon.com. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  13. ^ "Rāmagāma". Palikanon.com. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  14. ^ "Koliyā". Palikanon.com. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  15. ^ "Vesāli". Palikanon.com. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  16. ^ "Vethadīpa". Palikanon.com. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  17. ^ "Ramagrama Stupa". Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  18. ^ Strong, John S. (2007), Relics of the Buddha, Princeton University Press, pp. 160–167, ISBN 978-0-691-11764-5
  19. ^ Strong 2007, p. 133.
  20. ^ "The Rāmagrāma Stūpa and the Relics of the Buddha (MA thesis – Rangjung Yeshe Institute / Kathmandu University Centre for Buddhist Studies)" (PDF).
  21. ^ "Ramagrama Stupa the Sole Undisturbed Original Stupa Containing Relics of Lord Buddha to be Preserved and Developed". yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  22. ^ "Controversial former lawmaker Lharkyal Lama appointed vice-chairman of Lumbini Development Fund". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  23. ^ "Revered Ramgram Stupa is in the spotlight again". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  24. ^ "Prime Minister of Nepal Unveils Renowned Architect Stefano Boeri's Visionary Masterplan for Ramagrama Stupa Conservation and Enhancement" (Press release). PRNewswire. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  25. ^ "Live From Ramgrama: Ramgrama World Peace". Bodhi TV. 11 December 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023 – via youtube.com.

Further reading

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