Ancient site · Monument
Lumbini pillar of Ashoka
A sandstone pillar in Lumbini, southern Nepal, raised by the emperor Ashoka when he visited the birthplace of the Buddha. Its short inscription in Prakrit says the king worshipped here 'because the Buddha Shakyamuni was born here' and made the village of Lumbini free of taxes, paying only an eighth share of its produce.
The pillar was found in 1896, guided by the accounts of the Chinese pilgrims Faxian and Xuanzang, and the inscription helped confirm where the Buddha was born. Lumbini is a World Heritage Site.
- Dates
- c. 249–242 BCE (Ashoka's 20th regnal year)
- Still standing
- Yes
- UNESCO World Heritage
- Yes
- Location
- 27.47° N, 83.28° E
How we know
Its Brahmi inscription states that Ashoka came here twenty years after his coronation because the Buddha was born here.
Nearby sites
- Lauriya Nandangarh pillar c. 243–236 BCE (dating of Ashoka's reign varies)
- Sarnath c. 250 BCE–1194 CE
- Pataliputra (Kumhrar) c. 600 BCE–600 CE
- Nalanda c. 427 CE–c. 1400 CE
- Bharhut railings c. 125–100 BCE (some argue 1st century CE); later abandoned
- Hastinapur Painted Grey Ware town c. 1100–800 BCE (Lal; 2021–22 dig: from c. 1500 BCE); occupied into medieval times