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History => Ancient and Medieval History => Topic started by: Duncan Head on November 26, 2013, 08:10:23 PM

Title: Earliest Buddhist shrine
Post by: Duncan Head on November 26, 2013, 08:10:23 PM
Not military, but:

QuoteArchaeologists digging at Buddha's birthplace have uncovered remains of the "earliest ever Buddhist shrine".

They unearthed a 6th Century BC timber structure buried within the Maya Devi Temple at Lumbini in Nepal.

The shrine appears to have housed a tree. This links to the Buddha nativity story - his mother gave birth to him while holding on to a tree branch.

Its discovery may settle the dispute over the birth date of the Buddha, the team reports in the journal Antiquity.
From http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25088960 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25088960); the Antiquity article at http://antiquity.ac.uk/ant/087/ant0871104.htm (http://antiquity.ac.uk/ant/087/ant0871104.htm) (requires subscription).