An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c10.s5.11

v1.c10.s5.11

In many cases epigraphs bear neither the name of any king nor dates recorded in any era. Here naturally only palaeography determines the date or approximate period. Thus the well-known *stūpa* at PIPRAHWA yielded amidst a rich deposit of relics an inscribed reliquary bearing a dedicatory record regarding the corporal relics of Buddha. On the basis of the palaeography of the inscription the main period of the structure and associated deposits could be dated to the 3rd century B.C. Based on the inscription as well as the distance and bearing of Lumbinī in relation to Kapilavāstu as given by Fa-Hien, scholars felt that the ancient site of Piprahwa might have formed part of or of the suburbs of Kapilavāstu where the Śākyas, according to Buddhist texts, deposited the corporal remains of Buddha within a *stūpa*. Recent excavation in the close proximity of this *stūpa* brought to light within the remains of a monastery a number of sealings with the legend *oṁ Devaputravihar(e) Kapilavastu-bhikṣu-saṅghasya*, palaeographically datable to the Kushan period. The legend therefore throws light not only on the date of the monastery, most probably constructed at the instance of a Kushan king, but on the location of Kapilavāstu itself. It may be noted that this type of monastic sealings recovered from excavations has helped archaeologists in identifying ancient sites like NĀLANDĀ, KUŚĪNAGARA and RATNAGIRI.