Oldest Buddhist shrine holds clues to Buddha's birth

By Elizabeth Landau, CNN

Updated 1657 GMT (0057 HKT) November 26, 2013

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.
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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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.
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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Monks chant within the Maya Devi Temple, which enshrines the Buddha's birthplace, at Lumbini in Nepal.
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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Coningham works in the trench in the remains of an ancient monastery. The Maya Devi Temple is in the background.
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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Thai monks inside the Maya Devi Temple meditate over the remains of the oldest Buddhist shrine.
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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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.
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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Pilgrims meditate by a stone pillar erected by the ancient King Ashoka in the third century B.C., at the Maya Devi Temple.
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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