Oldest Buddhist shrine holds clues to Buddha's birth

Photos: Photos: Oldest Buddhist shrine
Oldest Buddhist shrine – Pilgrims meditate at the Maya Devi Temple, with ancient remains in the background, at Lumbini in Nepal. The site is said to be the birthplace of the Buddha.
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Photos: Photos: Oldest Buddhist shrine
Oldest Buddhist shrine – Archaeologist Robin Coningham of Durham University in the United Kingdom emerges from the dig at the Lumbini Village Mound in Nepal. He led a study describing the oldest Buddhist shrine ever found.
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Photos: Photos: Oldest Buddhist shrine
Oldest Buddhist shrine – Monks chant within the Maya Devi Temple, which enshrines the Buddha's birthplace, at Lumbini in Nepal.
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Photos: Photos: Oldest Buddhist shrine
Oldest Buddhist shrine – Coningham works in the trench in the remains of an ancient monastery. The Maya Devi Temple is in the background.
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Photos: Photos: Oldest Buddhist shrine
Oldest Buddhist shrine – Thai monks inside the Maya Devi Temple meditate over the remains of the oldest Buddhist shrine.
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Photos: Photos: Oldest Buddhist shrine
Oldest Buddhist shrine – Coningham, left, and Kosh Prasad Acharya direct excavations within the Maya Devi Temple. They uncovered a series of ancient temples; the oldest, they say, is from the sixth century B.C.
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Photos: Photos: Oldest Buddhist shrine
Oldest Buddhist shrine – Pilgrims meditate by a stone pillar erected by the ancient King Ashoka in the third century B.C., at the Maya Devi Temple.
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