Heritage · Niglihawa
Two pillars from the same royal year
A half day pairing the Lumbini pillar with the Niglihawa fragments, both inscribed for Ashoka's visit in the 20th year of his reign, to follow the emperor's route across the Shakya country around 249 BCE.
Ashoka's two inscriptions in Nepal record visits in the same year, the 20th of his reign. One honours the birthplace of Gautama Buddha, the other the stupa of Konakamana, a Buddha of the distant past. Seeing them together shows how he moved through this landscape as a pilgrim.
We start at the Lumbini pillar at opening time, while the garden is quiet, and read its five lines. Then we drive about 50 minutes north-west across the plain to Niglihawa, roughly the distance a royal procession might have covered in a day or two.
At Niglihawa we compare the scripts, the phrasing and the condition of the two stones. Back in Lumbini by lunch, or on to Tilaurakot for the afternoon.
Good for
Questions
Did Ashoka visit Lumbini and Niglihawa on the same trip?
Both inscriptions date his visit to the 20th year of his reign, around 249 BCE, so it is very likely they were part of one pilgrimage, though the inscriptions do not say so directly. Ashoka's other edicts mention his tours of pilgrimage, called dhamma-yatras, in this period.
Which Ashoka pillar inscription is better preserved?
The Lumbini inscription is far better preserved: its five lines are clear and complete, partly because that section was underground for centuries. The Niglihawa inscription is on a broken fragment and partly lost, and its letters are more worn. Both are legible with a transcription in hand.
How far is Niglihawa from Lumbini?
About 25 km by road, roughly 50 minutes by private car across the plain via village roads. In a straight line the sites are a little over 20 km apart. Niglihawa is about 7 km north-east of Taulihawa, the Kapilvastu district headquarters.
Also in Niglihawa
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