Nepal 2025, Day Four (II: Mahavana forest)

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.

Getting there, however, was not without its challenges. Our Toyota Hiace could only take us as far as the Mahavan Sappaya Mahasthan Monastery, where the tarred road gave way to a rough dirt track. From there, the only way forward was by the local tempo, those hardy little three-wheeled motorised vehicles so commonly seen in Nepal. All nine of us squeezed into two tempos. The back row seated three rather snugly, while two more perched precariously on both sides of the driver, holding on to their dear lives.

The ride was bone-rattling. The track was narrow, uneven and littered with loose stones and fallen branches. At times, it felt as if the tempo might topple over as it negotiated bends and ditches, but somehow the vehicle held firm, even under the weight of its passengers. It was every bit as jarring as our earlier drive up to Dhammadāyāda but with the added benefit of daylight, at least we could see what was ahead.

Eventually, we arrived at a clearing: the Mahāsamaya Place. It was here, in the 15th year after his enlightenment and on a full moon day, that the Buddha intervened to resolve a bitter dispute between the kingdoms of Kapilvastu and Koliya over the sharing of the waters of the Rohini River. To bring about lasting peace, he ordained 250 soldiers from each side into the monastic order. It was a bold act of reconciliation and transformation. To these 500 monks, the Buddha later convened the Great Assembly at this very spot and delivered the Mahāsamaya Sutta which was so profound that even celestial beings from distant realms were said to have gathered to listen.

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.