| Ramagrama stupa | |
|---|---|
रामग्राम नगरपालिका | |
.jpg) Ashoka (right) visits theRamagrama Stupa (center), at his failed attempt to take relics ofthe Buddha from the king (left) | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Buddhism |
| Sect | Theravada Buddhism |
| Status | Preserved |
| Location | |
| Location |  Ramgram,Parasi District,Lumbini Province,Nepal |
  Location in Ramgram, Nepal | |
| Coordinates | 27°29′52″N83°40′52″E / 27.49778°N 83.68111°E /27.49778; 83.68111 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Stupa |
| Style | Buddhist,Gupta |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 50 metres (160 ft)[1] |
| Width | 50 metres (160 ft)[1] |
| Materials | brick and earth |
| Pilgrimage to |
| Buddha's Holy Sites |
|---|
 |
The Four Main Sites |
Ramagrama stupa (Nepali:रामग्राम नगरपालिका, also Ramgram, Rāmgrām, Rāmagrāma) is astupa located inRamgram Municipality, in theParasi District ofNepal. ThisBuddhist pilgrimage site containingrelics ofGautama Buddha was constructed between theMauryan andGupta periods, according to research by Nepal’sDepartment of Archaeology.[2][3]
Gautama Buddha's parents were from two differentmahājanapadās (kingdoms) of theSolar dynasty — his father (Śuddhodana) belonged to theShakya kingdom, while his mother (Maya) was from theKoliya kingdom. According toBuddhist texts, after Buddha'sMahaparinirvana, his cremated remains were divided and distributed among the princes of eight of the sixteen mahājanapadās. Each of the princes constructed a stupa at or near his capital city, within which the respective portion of the ashes was enshrined.[4] These eight stupas were located at:
About three centuries later, EmperorAshoka sought to remove the relics from all of these eight original stupas, with the intent to distribute them among 84,000 new stupas to be constructed inhis kingdom to honor the memory of the Buddha. According toMahavamsa, when Ashoka reached the Ramagrama stupa, he encountered a powerfulNāga (mythological hybrid creature, part-human and part-snake) that was guarding the stupa, preventing him from removing the relics. This is why the Ramagrama stupa is the only undisturbed stupa of the original eight stupas.[2][17]
In theMahavamsa,Ashoka of theMaurya dynasty chooses not to retrieve Buddha relics in the possession of Nagas at Ramagrama. It was said that on his deathbed, Buddha told aprophecy that of the eight donas of his body relics, one would be venerated by theKoliyas of Ramagrama, then the relics would belong to the Nagas until being enshrined in Sri Lanka. Ashoka is told more prophecy byarhats, who speak of the future enshrinement of these relics by kingDutthagamani.[18]
King Dutthagamini then received from the Sangha the Buddha’s relics upon his head in a casket and departed from the golden pavilion in the midst of manifold offerings and honours made by gods and ‘‘Brahmas’’. Hecircumambulated the relic-chamber three times, entered to it from the east, and when laid the relic-casket on a silver couch one ‘‘koṭi’’ worth, that was arranged in the north side. An image of the Buddha was then, according to the Buddha’s determination,created in the lion’s reclining posture (‘‘sīhaseyya’’), and all the relics were enshrined within that image. When the enshrining of the relics in the Great Stūpa Ruvanveli was completed, the two novices Uttara and Sumana closed the relic-chamber with the stone-blocks that were previously hidden to be used as a
In the Thupavamsa numerous types of beings attended the enshrinement of the relics into the Mahathupa; including the Naga king Mahakala who until recently guarded them. The relics were to be placed atop a golden throne crafted by Visvakarman the divine artificer; the throne brought by Indra. Brahma offers his invisible umbrella of sovereignty, with the king Dutthagamani offering his own. The arhat Indagutta creates a metal canopy over the universe, so that Mara will not interfere, as monks chanted theSutta Pitaka (the Collection of Discourses delivered by the Buddha). Dutthagamani ceremoniously enters with the urn atop his head; but as he is about to place the urn on the golden throne, the relics rise into the air and form Buddha, with each of the 32 major signs and 80 lesser signs of a great man. In this form he performs the twin miracle of fire and water, fulfilling the fifth of his death bed resolutions. One hundred and twenty million gods and humans gain arhatship from this experience. The relics return to the urn and they are laid to rest and the chamber sealed with forty meter stone slabs.[19]
"The relic-chamber shall not shake even by an earthquake; flowers such asjasmine that were offered on that day shall not wither till the end of Buddha Gotama’s Dispensation; the lamps that were kindled with ghee-oil shall not be extinguished; the clay that was mixed with perfume and sandalwood shall not dry; even a single scratch shall not appear within the relic-chamber; stains shall not appear in any of the golden goods that were offered.’ All this occurred by the determination-power of all Arahants present. They determined also that inimical persons shouldnot be able to even see the relic-chamber. Furthermore, by order of king Dutugemunu, the people of Srī Lanka enshrined, along with many other objects such as golden and silver caskets, thousand more of the Buddha's relics over the relic-chamber."[20][21]
The Ramagrama stupa is the only intact and original stupa containing relics of the Buddha.[2] It has been an object of great reverence and a pilgrimage site since its original construction. The 7-metre-high (23 ft) stupa is now buried under a mound of earth and is awaiting further research.[4] The dimensions of the stupa complex are 10m high and 23.5m in diameter. A geophysical survey revealed a perfect quadrangularKushan era monastery buried below the surface, whose dense concentration of brick prevented crops from growing, leading to the area being known as an "unlucky field".[3] The core structure of the stupa, presumably containing the relics, remains unexcavated.
The Promised Land andThe Lumbini Development Trust signed a Memorandum of Understanding on October 23, 2023, dedicated to the protection, preservation, conservation, development, and management of the Ramagrama Stupa with the support fromMoksha Foundation.[22] This was undertaken by Lharkyal Lama[23] who is currently the vice-chairman of the Lumbini Development Trust.[24]
On December 12, 2023, Ramagrama hosted a gathering for the World Peace Program. Graced by the Right HonorablePushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda), the Prime Minister of Nepal, renowned architectStefano Boeri unveiled the masterplan for the Conservation and Enhancement of the Ramagrama Stupa.[25][26]
This site was added to theWorld Heritage Tentative List byUNESCO on May 23, 1996 in the Cultural category.[2]
| Buddhist monasteries in Nepal | ||
|---|---|---|
| Principal temples & pilgrimage sites | ||
| Newar Buddhist temples |
| |
| Vajrayogini temples |
| |
| Theravada Buddhist temples | ||
| Padmasambhava temples & caves |
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| Himalayan Buddhist temples | ||
| Tibetan temples | ||
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