The eastern city gate of the ancient city of Kapilavastu, where Prince Siddhartha is said to have left his privileged life and begin his spiritual journey and live as a monk.

Tilaurakot: The ancient city of Kapilavastu

Archaeological work has uncovered the childhood home of Prince Siddhartha and identified the gate he left through to begin his journey to enlightenment.

The ancient city of Kapilavastu was the capital of the Sakya Kingdom, of which Buddha was once a prince. – © Frank Biasi

Excavation work at Tilaurakot has uncovered the layout of some of the grand residences and public buildings that would once have filled the ancient city. – © Michael Turtle

The eastern gate of the city of Kapilavastu, where Prince Siddhartha left with his charioteer, Channa, and his favourite horse to pursue the life of an ascetic monk. – © Michael Turtle

There are walkways leading through the large archaeological site at Tilaurakot, showing the highlights of the excavation work. Much of the site is unexcavated. – © Michael Turtle

The Samai Mai tree temple is located on top of a mound that shows evidence of numerous shrines over the course of history. – © Michael Turtle

The ancient city of Kapilavastu was the capital of the Sakya Kingdom, of which Buddha was once a prince. – © Frank Biasi

It was in the ancient city of Kapilavastu that Prince Siddhartha was raised from his birth until the age of 29. This was the capital of the ancient Sakya Kingdom, where the prince was treated to a lavish life of luxury – a way of life that he would ultimately reject to begin his spiritual journey.

When he was 29 years old, Prince Siddhartha left through the eastern gate of Kapilavastu, to start the path to enlightenment as Buddha. Today, you can stand in this exact same spot and look out through the gate, onto the green fields that saw the first steps of this epic journey. This moment has become an important part of modern spiritual journeys.

The remains of the ancient capital are in modern-day Tilaurakot and much of them have been excavated and restored, while archaeological work is still taking place to uncover even more parts of the city and insights into the life of Siddhartha Gautama.

As a major civic centre from about the 9th century BC until the 3rd century AD, there would once have been many grand buildings here. Already, experts have uncovered palace structures, temples, roads and ponds. Some of the artefacts that have been found during excavations are on display at the nearby Kapilavastu Museum.

The nearby Kapilavastu Museum has an exhibition showing some of the items that have been found during the archaeological work here at Tilaurakot. A new museum is being built to house the treasures from the site. – © Michael Turtle

Tilaurakot is also an important site for Hinduism and you’ll notice a rustic modern Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Samai Mai within the ancient walls, where people regularly come to worship.

The Samai Mai tree temple at the Kapilavastu site is located on top of a mound that shows evidence of numerous shrines over the course of history. – © Michael Turtle

As you walk through the site at Tilaurakot, you’ll get a sense of the scale of the city where Buddha grew up – but you’ll also appreciate how isolated he was here, protected by his father. It’s not hard to imagine how, as a young prince, he would have looked beyond the walls of Kapilavastu and felt there was something deeper that he needed to uncover.

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