TRAVERSE 16
and considered a pilgrimage site that all faithful must visit , for it is here that Siddhartha Gautama was born around two thousand , six hundred and fifty years ago . Denouncing his family and related lifestyle , Siddhartha Gautama wandered the lands of Asia becoming ‘ the Awakened One ’ or The Buddha .
Monuments , places of worship , and teaching halls , surround the Holy Pond and its gardens , a beautiful site regardless of faith and sees travellers from all over the world making their own pilgrimages . Of course , there ’ s also the tourist traps scattered throughout the region as brought on by the complex being listed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the 1990s .
A little to the west of Lumbini is another site considered important to followers of Buddhism . Tilauakot , a small , almost insignificant village with a population of around seven thousand people . It ’ s here that many believe the ancient ruins of the city of Kapilavastu are located .
The ruins are impressive in their size , foundational structure and construction , predating most similar cities in Europe by at least a few hundred years . It ’ s believed that Kapilavastu was flourishing around the same time as Siddhartha Gautama began his enlightenment and probably spent the first twenty-nine years of his life amongst the streets and squares .
Archaeological evidence suggests it ’ s all more than likely despite the region
TRAVERSE 16