Visiting the Mahavana Forest wasn’t part of our original plans. But after a thoughtful suggestion came from one of the monks at the Dhammadāyāda Meditation Centre, we agreed it would be meaningful to include it in our itinerary, especially as it lay not far from Kapilvastu where the ruins of the Buddha’s parents’ palace still stand. It felt like a natural extension to our journey, one that would deepen our understanding of the Buddha’s life.
The Mahavana Forest is a quiet, unassuming patch of woodland that holds a profound place in early Buddhist history although it is not the sort of place that makes a grand first impression. At a glance, Mahavana looks like any other grove scattered across the countryside with thickets of trees and shaded clearings. But walk a little deeper into its stillness, and we begin to sense the weight of something sacred.

We found a well-trodden path that led gently downhill towards the banks of the Banganga River. As we walked down, we passed by the Mahāsamaya Cave. Though it’s referred to as a cave, it isn’t the deep, echoing type one might imagine. More of a rock shelter or overhang, shallow and simple, than a deep cavern. Yet, it was large enough to seat about eight people in quiet contemplation. We imagined the Buddha sitting here to deliver his discourse to the arahant monks and celestial beings. Inside was a small symbolic Buddha statue, placed there by past devotees and still venerated today by those who make the journey to follow in the Buddha’s footsteps.Soon after, we retraced our steps back to the clearing where the tempos were waiting. On the way down, we made one more important stop at a small gate. Inviting ourselves in, we were drawn to a small enclosure sheltering some Hindu deities. Archaeological findings suggest that a monastery once stood here during the Pāla Dynasty in the eighth century. Stone slabs unearthed in the area bore the symbol of the Noble Eightfold Path representing ethical conduct, concentration, and wisdom along with other early Buddhist motifs. Today, no physical remains of that monastery are visible. There is only a signboard marking the historical importance of the site.
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