UNESCO enhanced its efforts to conserve Buddhist sacred and ancient city sites in the Greater Lumbini Area with the aim of preserving a piece of history.
Lumbini was inscribed on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in 1997 as the place where Gautama Buddha was born in 623 BC. The sacred area is one of the holiest places for Buddhists around the world, and it contains crucial evidence about the nature of Buddhist pilgrimage centres from a very early period. Under the project, “Strengthening Conversation and Management of Lumbini, the Birthplace of Lord Buddha”, funded by the Government of Japan, UNESCO supports national authorities to protect and manage Lumbini and to safeguard the cultural assets of the Greater Lumbini Area. Christian Manhart, UNESCO Representative to Nepal, stated that “UNESCO is proud to be associated with this important project at one of holiest Buddhist sites in the world. Better coordination amongst various initiatives is crucial to ensure Lumbini’s protection”. The International Scientific Committee of the project met last week in Lumbini to review the work
done so far, as well as to coordinate activities carried out by the Government of Nepal, development partners and donors. Particular focus lies on Tilaurakot, with the archaeological remains of the ancient Shakya Kingdom where Lord Buddha lived as Prince Siddhartha until the age of 29, and Ramagrama; only unopened relic stupa of Lord Buddha. Both sites are included in Nepal’s Tentative List for future inscription as World Heritage Sites. UNESCO implements this project in corporation with the Department of Archaeology and the Lumbini Development Trust. Robin Conningham, Professor of Archaeology from the Durham University, UK, briefed that the archaeological investigation in Tilaurakot focuses on the morphological and chronological definition of the ancient city site and is investigating a number of monuments both within the city’s walls and outside in the vicinity. A spectacular hoard of 500 silver punch-marked coins of 2nd century BC, were recovered from a monastery area near the Eastern Stupa, outside the ancient walled Tilaurakot city site.
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Publisher:
UNESCO
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(2015
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Type / Script:
Annual Report
in English
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Keywords:
SCIENTIFIC METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH, ARCHAEOLOGY, TILAURAKOT CITY SITE, WORLD WILDLIFE FUND, CONSERVATION OF NATURE, LUMBINI DEVELOPMENT TRUST, EARLY BUDDHISM, URBAN DEVELOPMENT, MAYADEVI TEMPLE IN LUMBINI, TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, RESOURCES CONSERVATION, CULTURAL PROPERTY, COMMON HERITAGE PRINCIPLE, HISTORIC SITES AND MONUMENTS, CULTURAL PROPERTY RESTITUTION
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Thematic Group:
UNESCO
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Educational, Scientific and Cultural
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Thesaurus:
15.02.00
- Protection Of Intellectual And Cultural Property
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