Famous Temples in India

Architecture

The complex of structures within the archaeological conservation area includes the Shakya Tank, the remains within the Maya Devi Temple consisting of brick structures in a cross-wall system dating from the 3rd century B.C to the present century and the sandstone Ashoka pillar with its Pali inscription in Brahmi script. Additionally, there are the excavated remains of Buddhist viharas (monasteries) of the 3rd century B.C to the 5th century A.D and the remains of Buddhist stupas (memorial shrines) from the 3rd century B.C to the 15th century A.D. The site is now being developed as a Buddhist pilgrimage center, where the archaeological remains associated with the birth of the Lord Buddha form a central feature. The archaeological remains of the Buddhist viharas (monasteries) and stupas (memorial shrines) from the 3rd century B.C to the 15th century A.D, provide important evidence about the nature of Buddhist pilgrimage centres from a very early period.

Maya Devi Temple - This temple enclosed in white walls with a typical Buddhist stupa like formation on top houses the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to Maya Devi. As you enter the temple you walk on a wooden walkway going around the ruins. You can see the large-sized bricks arranged in the small box-like formations. It is not a hall, it is not a vihara or monastery – the rooms would be too small. At one end of this hall-like space stands a wall on top of which stands a stone sculpture. It has been so much rubbed that you can hardly see anything. The beauty of the sculpture though is that you can still make out that it is the same Maya Devi sculpture that you have seen elsewhere. The stone called nativity sculpture dominates this room. Buddhist believe that the sculpture has been flattened by the touch of the devotees who worshiped it for ages. Archaeological excavations done under the aegies of Japan Buddhist Federation (JBF) and Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) have made momentus discovery of a series of structures under the latest temple attesting the fact that the site has been of great importance throughout the history. The Mayadevi image and the temple, they are in their rightful place and earlier speculation that it might have belonged to the Lumbini village or some nearby site are proved wrong. Observations at the site indicate that the spot of ground practically below the pedestal of Nativity sculpture has been the focus of worship and central to the varoius stages of construction in the past. At the earliest stage exposed so far, however, the element of veneration was a square brick platform (1.22 m square) of seven courses height including the nonnatural looking 'stone' tablet of longish shape on top, is not centric to the immidiate next stage of building - the rectangular shrine.

The Construction Sequence - The following sequence of construction around the spot of the birth of the Lord can be inferred from the observation of unearthed elements.

The First Stage - The small brick platform with 'stone' on top - The lowest element exposed so far is a cubic brick box 1.22m square with height of 70 cm, with 6 layers of systematically laid brickwork topped by the seventh course with a 'natural stone' (70 cm NS* 40 cm EW* 10 cm thick) on top. The size of bricks used is 38 cm x 25.5 cm x 8 cm. This box is situated on the western side of the later constructions and its top level is 100.15 m. There is a wider paved area around it. The bottom level is 99.4 m, 27 cm higher than the ground level calculated for the second stage of construction. This should suggest a raised mud ground around the structure. Further investigation inside the box has shown that it is solid and does not contain relics. It is thus concluded that the structure is a rudimentary stupa built in a raised ground. This structure formed the 'hermica' like part of the rudimentary stupa, the earth. which was constructed between the birth of Buddha and 245 B.C, the year of Ashoka's visit to the sacred place. tentatively put prior to Ashokan pillar, which can be conjectured as being contemporaneous with the fourth stage or slightly later to it. As the use of brick is seen prior to Ashok, The possible symbolic relation with the seven steps taken by Lord Buddha is hinted by the structure. The stone is clearly not an Ashokan sandstone.

The Second Stage - The large platform with paving - The construction of the platform, measuring 15.70 m x 20.40 m, with paved brickwork appears to have been built next with the object of veneration of the first stage sited in western end of the configuration on the east west axis of the new construction. The principal axis of the rectangle extends east-west and has a 5-degree departure from the true cardinal direction. The raised plinth is about 130 cm higher than the circumambulatory passage all around at level 99.55 m, with the ground level computed at 99.33 m (deducted as top of the 12th course). This stage is proposed prior to the shrine construction as the bonding pattern is primitive in comparision to the foundation pit walls.

The Third Stage - The rectangular building - A rectangular building, a shrine, on a stage two platform, appears to have been built next with the object of veneration of the first stage sited in western middle foundation pit of the fifteen pit foundation configuration. The spot still lies on the east west axis. The principal axis of the rectangle extends east-west and has a 5-degree departure from the true cardinal direction as a result of aligning to the platform. The raised plinth is about 130 cm higher than the circumambulatory passage all around at level 99.55 m, which compares very closely with the Ashokan ground level computed at 99.45 from the study of 'vedica' around the pillar. This close call would suggest a period very close to Ashokan expedition to Lumbini. The lower path apparently was 3m wide. The possible geometric relationship used is the hypotenuse of the rectangle forming the platform equals the long side of the rectangle enclosing the circumambulatory paving. Another close association can be made with the use of 5/8 measure for shortside and 7/9 measure for the long side based on a square mandala of 50 Royal Cubits or 100 Cubits in size.

The set of holes seen along the west side edge of this circumambulatory could belong to timber railing. The foundation trench infill materials indicate the period of construction as Mauryan. The building superstructure could have been timber or corbel vaulted brickwork. The suggestions are based on the remains of the structure that followed and the many post holes are seen. The exact drawing of the location of post holes can lead to an exact determination of the form of the superstructure. The use of timber superstructure would suggest a pre-Ashokan edifice. The size of the superstructure is deducted from the geometric relation seen between the outer two rectangles and the pattern of foundation trenches. The location of the pillar as well as the spot of veneration excludes the possibility of the central entrance from the west or other directions. The chaitya windows were possibly located on all the four 'cardinal' directions as was usual to get the sun entering from such windows to fall on the object of worship. The window panels are relieved outwards by 18.75 cm and this has been interpolated based on the foundation trench offset measure. The apparent reference benchmark was the stupa artefact numbered 14 in its exact NW. This stupa's importance is also attested by the casket find reported in an earlier excavation. As the stupa has a 45-degree angularity from the centre of the unearthed temple structure, this should be thought as contemporary to the temple. From the conjectural geometric relation between the pillar and the foundation structure, it can be concluded that the construction is pre-Ashokan. At least four reasons may be cited in support:

• The infill is Mauryan.
• The pillar is axial to the northern set of five foundation pits.
• The five-degree orientation 'error' of the shrine is corrected by aligning the pillar due true west from the NW corner of the earlier structure.
• The error correction was made through the use of the brick 10-degree laid over the enlarged circumambulatory in the true NE direction at a distance equal to the width of the superstructure.

Stage Four - Raising the Circumambulatory - This stage is very close to the second stage and possibly an Ashokan intervention or was at least done at the same time. At this stage the circumambulatory was walled in with infill buttress walls to enlarge the platform. Paving was added in the west and north sides as an enlargement. The paving addition to the northern side suggests the importance of stupa artefacts numbered 16, 17 and 18. The paving addition to the west indicates its facing direction.

Stage Five - The first three foundation pits shrine - Reported as stage two by the archeologists at work, two sandstone pieces are irregularly places over a refilled heap and these are located about 50cm to the east on the principal axis of the larger stone about a meter below. The hole seems to have been plundered as judged from the irregular fill. The stones were put later to mark the spot after filling for the construction. The stone pieces are Ashokan sandstone. A three pit foundation trench for the construction of the superstructure at this stage is laid out such that the central pit is sited over the sanctum pit of the earlier stage. The superstructure of the earlier shrine was completely removed and levelled to the level of the two stone piece place markers.

Stage Six - The Second three foundation pits shrine.

Stage Seven - The Third three foundation pits shrine.

Stage Eight - Last one hundred years - The above discovery of Mauryan, pre-Gupta, and Gupta brick layers and structures under the platform of Mayadevi temple push whatever structure which was the forerunner of the current temple much further back in history than generally proposed so far. Questions become more vexing then. 

The Formation of Three Foundation Pits - Some such questions and possibilities were presented by me earlier. The particular relevance and possibility of guiding the exploratory archeology to some concrete direction were then presented in the context of possible geometrical planning and layout principles drawn from other early Buddhist sites and literature. The stupa set 5 to 8 may already be those at the site immidiately east of the pillar. The two forming the end ones in the set may be those now seen. The middle two stupas appear be under the archway built at the time of Keser Sumshere possibly the arch form itself was chosen to protect whatever was left of these stupas. Thus we may also suggest and assume that the large square platform to the west is the base for Stupa 4 described by Huen Tsang, then both the tree and the Ashokan Stupa must be located to the general northwest . The position of the pillar alone would also mean as much. In the excavation of 1970-71 and 77-78, the one-room like structure to the north of the platform and west of pillar was excavated and restored to ground level. The so-called pre-Mauryan one-room-structure, the northernmost element seen in the past excavations and now under cover again remains unexplained.

The Garden of Lumbini - The Lumbini Garden covers an area of 2.56 sq. km and encompasses three zones each covering one square mile connected with walkways and a canal. It’s here you’ll find the Marker Stone of Buddha’s birth, the Mayadevi Temple, the Sacred Pond and the Asoka Pillar. On the western side of the Canal are temples belonging to Mahayana Buddhist countries. It has temples of countries like Korea, China, Germany, Canada, Austria, Vietnam, Ladakh, and of course Nepal. On the Eastern side are the temples of countries belonging to Theravada Buddhism. It has temples from Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia & Mahabodhi Society of India, Kolkata & a Gautami Nunnery from Nepal. Somewhere in between, you will find glimpses of Vajrayana Buddhism as well.

Ashoka Pillar - The Ashoka pillar stands at the back wall of the Maya Devi Temple. The inscription on the stone in Pali says that Ashoka himself visited Lumbini and got the pillar erected. It says – ‘Hida Budhe Jate Shakyamuniti‘ meaning Shakyamuni Buddha was born here. It also mentions that since it is the birthplace of Lord Buddha, the taxes of the village were reduced to the 8th part only. 

Votive Stupas - Maya Devi Temple is surrounded by big and small stupas – most of which are also in their ruined state. However, they are much better preserved than the temple itself or maybe they have not been touched as much as the temple has been. There are a couple of large square bases of stupas. There are many circular stupa bases. The information only says they are votive stupas. Votive stupas are built by devotees when their wishes come true. Different stupas belong to different eras – most of them are from 1-3rd C.E.