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Historical sites in Buddha’s birthplace rue apathy
KAPILVASTU (TILAURAKOT), JUN 05 -
The childhood home of Lord Buddha and other historical sites in Tilaurakot are in a dilapidated condition, thanks to the apathy of the government and the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT).
The locals are dismayed by the fact that the government, for the last 25 years, has been providing less than one percent of the total LDT budget to Kapilvastu where Buddha spent 29 years. LDT is responsible for carrying out all renovation and conservation work of the sites of historical and religious importance in Lumbini and Kapilvastu.
In this fiscal year, the government has allocated Rs. 3.1 million for the excavation and development work in Kapilvastu, which is less than one percent of the Trust’s Rs. 110-million budget.
Though Buddha was born in Lumbini, he was brought up in Tilaurakot where he spent 29 years before leaving the palace. But, very little has been done for its promotion.
“Besides Tilaurakot, six other places — Kudan, Niglihawa, Gotihawa, Sishahaniya, Sagrahawa and Araurakot — have some connection with Lord Buddha and hence are historically important,” said Dip Kumar Upadhyay, Nepali Congress lawmaker and former LDT Vice-Chairman. “Except excavation of a few parts of the palace in Tilaurakot, nothing has been done.”
He also laid stress on the need of a separate master plan for the overall development of the historical and archeological places in Kapilvastu. “LDT is solely responsible for the excavation, promotion and conservation of all the seven sites, but it has failed to do anything discernible,” said Upadhyay. “This indicates the need for a separate master plan for the development of Kapilvastu.”
“Neither the government nor the LDT has ever prioritised Kapilvastu,” said Rabindra Nath Thakur, local civil society leader. “If this trend continues, we will be forced to launch protests against such indifference.”
According to Thakur, “Kapilvastu Development Trust” (KDT) is a must for the exploration, conservation and development of archeological Buddhist sites in Kapilvastu. “LDT has always ignored the importance of Kapilvastu since its inception 25 years ago,” said Thakur.
LDT officials, however, do not buy this argument. They say inadequate budget is the main cause for the insufficient promotional work in Kapilvastu.
“Although the Trust is dedicated to the promotion of archeological sites, many promotional plans are pending since long due to inadequate budget,” said Rajendra Bahadur Thapa, LDT member-secretary.
Posted on: 2010-06-06 07:29
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