Ancient well, medieval structure discovered during Devdaha excavation

LUMBINI: An ancient well and the remains of a medieval building have been discovered during excavations conducted in Khairdanda, Devdaha Municipality-9, Rupandehi.

The Lumbini Development Trust, in coordination with the Department of Archaeology, carried out the excavation from May 31 to June 30.

The Khairdanda area is believed to be the ancient Devdaha, the capital of the Koliya Republic during the time of Buddha. Devdaha is considered to be the maternal home of Lord Buddha’s mother, Mayadevi.

“During the month-long excavation, we discovered an ancient well, numerous clay lamps, and the remains of a building, possibly used for religious sermons,” said Himal Upreti, the chief of the Archaeology Division of the LDT. “We have observed the structure of the ancient well, and the remnants of the building contain bricks of two different sizes. While the bricks appear to be medieval, their exact age can only be determined through carbon dating.”

Upreti stated that the excavation of ancient artifacts provides evidence that Khairdanda is indeed an archaeological site. “Based on these artifacts, we can infer that the Khairdanda area once housed significant structures, possibly used for religious sermons,” he added.

However, local residents claim that the Khairdanda area in Ghodaha of Devdaha-9 used to be the palace of the rulers of the Koliya Republic. The remains of buildings and the ancient well lend credibility to the locals’ assertions.

Experts, on the other hand, assert that further excavations are required to definitively establish Khairdanda as the ancient Devdaha, the capital of the Koliya Republic.

Siddhicharan Bhattarai, the treasurer of LDT, mentioned that the discovery of ancient artifacts has laid the foundation for future excavations in the Kharidanda area.

Previous excavations have identified Bairmai, Kanyamai, and Bhavanipur in Devdaha Municipality as sites from the time of Buddha.

The excavation team, led by Upreti, included Hari Bhusal from the Department of Archaeology, as well as Navaraj Adhikari, Chandra Prakash Pathak, Antar Hussain Musalman, Bhagya Pokharel, Nisha Panthi, and Ambika Subba.