By Kapil Gyawali,Siddharthanagar, June 8: An ancient well has been discovered at Khayardanda in Devdaha Municipality, Rupandehi. The well, constructed using traditional bricks is three and a half feet deep. 

Locals have long claimed that the area was the region of the Koliya Republic, the maternal home of the Buddha, and the discovery of the well has further strengthened the claim.

The well was found intact during an excavation that started on June 6 (Wednesday) by the Lumbini Development Trust and the Department of Archaeology, with financial support from Devdaha Municipality. 

Last year, the Lumbini Development Trust unearthed the upper section of the brick well during their excavation.

Himal Kumar Upreti, a senior archaeological officer of the Lumbini Development Trust, reported that the well has a diameter of two meters and a depth of three and a half feet. “Last year, only the upper part of the well was found. This year, the full structure of the well was discovered, as per the plan to excavate the base,” Upreti said. 

He said that although the well is ancient, its exact age will be determined through carbon dating. The ancient walls and ruins have been found to the south of the well. During the excavation in the Khayardanda area, clay pots and remains of ancient brick walls were discovered.

Upreti added that locals had taken bricks from the site without knowing it was an archaeological site, resulting in visible structural pits. He also said that it was not yet possible to definitively determine the location of Buddha's maternal home, and further archaeological excavation and exploration are needed. 

According to Upreti, ceramics and fragments from Buddha's time and earlier have been found in Panditpur.

Locals of Devdaha in Rupandehi claimed that Buddha's maternal home was located in Devdaha. 

Rajesh Pariyar, an official at the Department of Archaeology, said that continuous excavation and study were needed in the ancient Koliya state areas. He also said that the historical facts and evidence obtained from the Khayardanda excavation would be studied to take further steps in the future.

The excavation team is led by senior archaeological officer Upreti, with officers Rajesh Pariyar, Namraj Adhikari of Lumbini Development Trust, Chandra Prakash Pathak, Antarhusein Musalman and expert Subhechha Pokhrel. 

The excavation is expected to continue for another month.

The excavation in the Khayardanda area of Devdaha Municipality-9 is being conducted with a budget of Rs. 1 million from the Devdaha Municipality. This is the first excavation conducted in partnership with the local municipality.