Buddha born in Orissa: Scholars

"We visited the excavated site at Kapileswar and photographed Buddhist sculptures inside Kapileswar temple premises. Besides, we also made photo documentation of Bhaskareswar Siva Linga identified a part of an Asok Pillar, the Bell Capital and Lion Emblem along with Buddhist sculptures at the state museum,"
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(March 19, Bhubaneswar, Sri Lanka Guardian)Indian researchers are busy piecing together "the gathered historical and archaeological evidences" to present them before the Japanese culture minister to claim that Lord Buddha was born in Orissa. The researchers, under the guidance of professor Dr Satyakam Sengupta, a renowned international scholar, are currently in Orissa to gather more evidences, both historical and archaeological, to substantiate their claim in a "scientific" way.

The researchers are scheduled to meet the Japanese culture minister in the last week of this month, informed Dr Sengupta on Tuesday. During their current visit, the scholars have collected research information and photographs from Kapileswar village, the place claimed to Buddha’s birth place.

"We visited the excavated site at Kapileswar and photographed Buddhist sculptures inside Kapileswar temple premises. Besides, we also made photo documentation of Bhaskareswar Siva Linga identified a part of an Asok Pillar, the Bell Capital and Lion Emblem along with Buddhist sculptures at the state museum," said Dr Sengupta.

Dr Chandrabhanu Patel, superintendent of Orissa state Museum, Bh-ubaneswar, who is also part of the scholars team, said important Buddhist relics of Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri, Udaygiri and Dhauli have also been documented. "The visiting scholars have been greatly inspired and convinced about the birth place of Lord Buddha in Orissa," Dr Patel said. It may be mentioned here that Dr Sengupta presented a paper in Utkal University of Culture in August, 2003.
- Sri Lanka Guardian