UNESCO defers decision to recognise Kapilavastu, a site of global Buddhist significance

The Government of Nepal's official nomination to designate Tilaurakot-Kapilavastu — the ancient city of the Shakya Kingdom, described in the early Buddhist texts as the childhood home of the Buddha and the site of his father King Suddhodhana’s palace — as a World Heritage Site was reviewed and deferred by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on July 10, 2025.

- BY DON DE SILVA

The nomination, titled 'Tilaurakot-Kapilavastu: The Archaeological Remains of the Ancient Shakya Kingdom', was considered during the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Paris.

The submission highlights the fact that Tilaurakot is identified as ancient Kapilavastu, the capital of the Sakyan kingdom, the childhood home of the Buddha.

In other words, Tilaurakot is the archaeological site identified as the location of ancient Kapilavastu — the capital of the Sakyan kingdom and the place where the Buddha spent his early life, including at the palace of his father, King Suddhodhana.

Tilaurakot is located in Kapilvastu Municipality, in Kapilvastu District of Lumbini Province, southern Nepal, at approximately 27°32 N latitude and 83°03 E longitude, about 29 kilometres west of Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha.

The site is situated near the Nepal-India border and has been widely identified as ancient Kapilavastu, the capital of the Shakya kingdom and the reputed home of Siddhartha Gotama — the Buddha — before his renunciation.

In its nomination, Nepal presented Tilaurakot as a remarkably preserved ancient urban centre, marked by a walled complex, internal road networks, post-holes, gates, monastic zones, residential areas, and a significant apsidal temple.

Archaeological excavations have uncovered coins, structural foundations, wells, and urban features dating as far back as the 8th century BCE, indicating continuous occupation well into the early centuries of the Common Era.

The Government of Nepal’s submission relied on a combination of detailed archaeological research, textual references, and historical mapping.