Apparently Apparel
  • Home
  • Men's
  • Women's
  • Kids & Youth
  • Accessories
  • Home & Living
  • Popular/Trending
  • News Watch
  • Market Watch
  • Weather Watch
  • Quake Watch
  • Sky Watch
  • Space Watch
  • Advertise on AA
  • ZOAT
  • Network
    • Create Profile
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Gaming
    • Scanner
    • Meditate
    • Free Energy
    • Bill of Rights
    • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
    • Contribute
  • Upload News
  • Home
  • Men's
  • Women's
  • Kids & Youth
  • Accessories
  • Home & Living
  • Popular/Trending
  • News Watch
  • Market Watch
  • Weather Watch
  • Quake Watch
  • Sky Watch
  • Space Watch
  • Advertise on AA
  • ZOAT
  • Network
    • Create Profile
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Gaming
    • Scanner
    • Meditate
    • Free Energy
    • Bill of Rights
    • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
    • Contribute
  • Upload News

Apparently Apparel
News Watch

How a hunch led to stunning claim on Buddha birth date

1/5/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Kathmandu (AFP) The two archaeologists had a hunch that the Buddha's birthplace in southern Nepal held secrets that could transform how the world understood the emergence and spread of Buddhism.

Their pursuit would eventually see them excavate the sacred site of Lumbini as monks prayed nearby, leading to the stunning claim that the Buddha was born in the sixth century BC, two centuries earlier than thought.

Veteran Nepalese archaeologist Kosh Prasad Acharya had carried out excavations in Lumbini before in the early 1990s, when Nepal was still ruled by a king and a Maoist insurgency had yet to kick off.

The project ended in 1996 but Acharya remained unsatisfied with the results.

"My belief was that there was another cultural deposit below, which we had not uncovered," the 62-year-old told AFP.

He headed back to his government job in the capital Kathmandu and waited to retire, restless to return to Lumbini.


Picture
monks meditating in front of the Bodhi Tree
The Buddha's birthplace was lost and overgrown by jungle before its rediscovery in 1896, when the presence of a third century BC pillar bearing inscriptions allowed historians to identify it as Lumbini.

Since then, it has been designated a UNESCO world heritage site, visited by millions of Buddhists every year, with numbers expected to rise exponentially in the following decades.

Acharya had just retired from his last job, as the director general of the department of archaeology, when UNESCO asked him to co-direct an investigation of Lumbini's foundations.

The cultural organisation asked Acharya and his longtime collaborator, Robin Coningham, Britain's leading South Asian archaeologist, to head a team that would examine the site so conservators could develop it for growing numbers of visitors.

"In 2010, our first year there, we were pretty much the handmaidens to the conservators," Coningham told AFP in a phone interview from his office at Britain's Durham University, which helped fund the UNESCO project.

Picturea view of the excavations
"The Eureka moment came in 2011, when we came across a brick temple located below the existing Asokan temple, and below that a sort of void.

"It became clear then that there was much more to this excavation."

Over the next two years, archaeologists, geophysicists and hired workmen from Nepal and Britain worked on the site, digging in the presence of meditating monks and nuns.

"It was a very moving, very special experience to dig for traces while pilgrims prayed and paid homage," Acharya said.

They dug for a few weeks each year and sent the samples to laboratories for analysis.

Radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence techniques were used to date fragments of charcoal and grains of sand found at the site.

The archaeologists also found holes, apparently meant to secure posts, in the open void below the brick temple.

"The intact holes suggested that whoever had built the brick temple had taken care not to damage the ancient structure below, suggesting the site was always considered holy," Coningham said.

Lab tests confirmed the existence of roots within the void below the brick structure, suggesting it may have been a shrine where a tree once grew, possibly the hardwood sal tree under which many believe the Buddha was born.

The discovery, revealed in November, sparked huge excitement, but some historians have urged caution, saying the ancient tree shrine could have been built by pre-Buddhist believers.

Picturevisitors gather at the Maya Devi Temple
"The worship of trees, often at simple altars, was a ubiquitous feature of ancient Indian religions," Julia Shaw, a lecturer in South Asian archaeology at University College London told National Geographic's online edition.

"It is also possible that what is being described represents an older tree shrine quite disconnected from the worship of the historical Buddha," Shaw added.

According to Coningham, however, if the Buddhists had appropriated the tree shrine from non-Buddhists, the site would not have survived relatively unscathed.

"Also, the inscriptions at Bodhgaya (where the Buddha achieved enlightenment) reveal a thriving culture of tree worship, which suggests continuity," he added.

Much of what is known about the Buddha's life has its origins in oral tradition. The earliest decipherable written records in the region, the inscriptions of India's Buddhist emperor Asoka, are dated about 250 BC.

Prior to this discovery, most scholars said that the Buddha -- who renounced material wealth to embrace and preach a life of non-attachment -- lived during the fourth century BC, founding a religion that now counts 500 million followers.

Buddhists in Nepal and Sri Lanka, however, have always believed that the sage was born around 623 BC, a date that now seems more accurate.

"It's one of the great puzzles, this discovery reveals the endurance of oral traditions," Coningham said.

"This is one of those very rare times when tradition, belief and archaeology all come together."

source
: Yahoo

Picture
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    News Watch

    Mind-opening news articles, shirts, editorials, & videos that inspire our readers and help liberate them from the status quo. Stay informed.

    Email address:

    Guest Writers/Bloggers Wanted
    Reach 1000's of readers daily!

    Space Watch


    Suggested Books

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Picture
    DUTCHSINSE EARTHQUAKE REPORTER

    Picture
    #1 Global Issue We Face

    Picture
    Public Pyramids Group

    Picture

    News Watch Categories

    All
    2011
    2012
    2013
    2014
    2015
    2017
    2018
    2019
    5D
    5G
    Alaska
    Alchemy
    Alcohol
    Alex Jones
    Aliens
    Alternative
    Ancient Aliens
    Animals
    Anonymous
    Anti-gravity
    Apparel
    Apple
    Archaeology
    Atlantis
    Bermuda Triangle
    Breaking News
    California
    Cannabis
    Celebrities
    Chakras
    Chemtrails
    Climate
    Comedy
    Community
    Consciousness
    Conspiracy
    Contribute To AA
    Cover Ups
    Daily News
    Damon T. Berry
    Dane Wigington
    Deep State
    Demna Gvasalia
    Disclosure
    Diy
    Dna
    Documentary
    Drkstrong
    Drones
    Dutchsinse
    Earth Changes
    Earthquakes
    Economy
    Egypt
    Elon Musk
    Energy
    Environmental
    Ets
    Exclusive
    Exopolitics
    Fashion
    Fluoride
    Food & Dining
    Fracking
    Free Energy
    Frequency Levels
    Fusion
    Futuristic News
    Geoengineering
    Global Alert News
    Government
    Gray State
    Guest Contributors
    Hawaii
    Health
    History
    Hot Headlines
    Human Interest
    Human Origins
    Illuminati
    Industry
    Interesting
    ISV Columbus
    John Rappoport
    Just For Laughs
    Lemuria
    Life
    Life And Health
    Mark Dice
    Mars
    Meta Tech
    Military
    Music
    Mystery
    NASA
    Native American
    Natural Disasters
    Nature
    Obama
    Operation Paperclip
    Opinion
    Orwellian
    Paranormal
    Physics
    Planet Earth
    Pole Shift
    Police State
    Preparedness
    Project Redsun
    Pyramids
    Q
    Russia
    Sacred Geometry
    Samsung
    Science
    Sex
    Solar Activity
    Space
    Space Force
    Spiritual
    Strange Places
    Surfing
    SuspiciousObservers
    Sustainable
    Syria
    Technology
    Tesla
    Thebarcaroller
    The Truth
    Transhumanism
    Trump
    Ufo
    Unexplained
    Urgent News
    Us Economy
    Us News
    Viral Videos
    Volcano
    Weather
    World News
    WW3
    Yoga
    Zach Royer

    Archives

    September 2019
    August 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    October 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    September 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    January 2013
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010

Picture
HAVE A TIP OR STORY TO TELL?  JOIN TODAY & SHARE YOUR STORY!
If you have a breaking news tip or idea, please email: tips@apparentlyapparel.com
Apparently Apparel® is a registered trade name and part of the ZOAT® brands network. © 2007-2019. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy.  All art & news content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. ApparentlyApparel.com is not responsible for content written by contributing artists, authors or news feeds. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. ApparentlyApparel.com assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material.