"monastery complex."

#13304680

11 Feb 2026

Professor Robin Coningham, UNESCO Chair on Archaeological Ethics and Practice in Cultural Heritage at Durham University and co-director of the excavations, briefs about the findings during a press conference in Kathmandu, Nepal, on February 11, 2026. A collaborative team of national and international experts from the Department of Archaeology, Government of Nepal, Lumbini Development Trust, and Durham University's UNESCO Chair uncovers Nepal's first example of an apsidal Buddhist temple within the ancient city of Tilaurakot-Kapilavastu, one of the best-preserved Early Historic cities and hinterlands in South Asia. A clear category of temple in South Asia, they are called apsidal as they have a curved end wall that defines the religious focus of the monument, with an entrance platform at the other end. The earliest known examples are cut into rock, with later monuments constructed out of stone, timber, or brick. The monument revealed at Tilaurakot-Kapilavastu, the first discovered in Nepal, follows this exact layout but is unusual in its location. It is a rare example of an apsidal temple constructed within a city rather than in a separate religious complex. The newly discovered apsidal structure is built near the center of the city of Tilaurakot-Kapilavastu over the remains of the city's earlier palatial complex. This central walled complex defines an area of 100 by 100 meters through a massive brick wall measuring 1.5 meters wide. After its abandonment, the complex becomes a focus for veneration, with Buddhist monasteries built over its ruined monumental walls. It is within the courtyard of one of these monasteries that the apsidal temple is built, enshrining and respecting an earlier Buddhist stupa within the earlier monastery.

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#13304681

11 Feb 2026

Professor Robin Coningham, UNESCO Chair on Archaeological Ethics and Practice in Cultural Heritage at Durham University and co-director of the excavations, briefs about the findings during a press conference in Kathmandu, Nepal, on February 11, 2026. A collaborative team of national and international experts from the Department of Archaeology, Government of Nepal, Lumbini Development Trust, and Durham University's UNESCO Chair uncovers Nepal's first example of an apsidal Buddhist temple within the ancient city of Tilaurakot-Kapilavastu, one of the best-preserved Early Historic cities and hinterlands in South Asia. A clear category of temple in South Asia, they are called apsidal as they have a curved end wall that defines the religious focus of the monument, with an entrance platform at the other end. The earliest known examples are cut into rock, with later monuments constructed out of stone, timber, or brick. The monument revealed at Tilaurakot-Kapilavastu, the first discovered in Nepal, follows this exact layout but is unusual in its location. It is a rare example of an apsidal temple constructed within a city rather than in a separate religious complex. The newly discovered apsidal structure is built near the center of the city of Tilaurakot-Kapilavastu over the remains of the city's earlier palatial complex. This central walled complex defines an area of 100 by 100 meters through a massive brick wall measuring 1.5 meters wide. After its abandonment, the complex becomes a focus for veneration, with Buddhist monasteries built over its ruined monumental walls. It is within the courtyard of one of these monasteries that the apsidal temple is built, enshrining and respecting an earlier Buddhist stupa within the earlier monastery.

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#13304676

11 Feb 2026

Professor Robin Coningham, UNESCO Chair on Archaeological Ethics and Practice in Cultural Heritage at Durham University and co-director of the excavations, attends a press conference in Kathmandu, Nepal, on February 11, 2026. A collaborative team of national and international experts from the Department of Archaeology, Government of Nepal, Lumbini Development Trust, and Durham University's UNESCO Chair uncovers Nepal's first example of an apsidal Buddhist temple within the ancient city of Tilaurakot-Kapilavastu, one of the best-preserved Early Historic cities and hinterlands in South Asia. A clear category of temple in South Asia, they are called apsidal as they have a curved end wall that defines the religious focus of the monument, with an entrance platform at the other end. The earliest known examples are cut into rock, with later monuments constructed out of stone, timber, or brick. The monument revealed at Tilaurakot-Kapilavastu, the first discovered in Nepal, follows this exact layout but is unusual in its location. It is a rare example of an apsidal temple constructed within a city rather than in a separate religious complex. The newly discovered apsidal structure is built near the center of the city of Tilaurakot-Kapilavastu over the remains of the city's earlier palatial complex. This central walled complex defines an area of 100 by 100 meters through a massive brick wall measuring 1.5 meters wide. After its abandonment, the complex becomes a focus for veneration, with Buddhist monasteries built over its ruined monumental walls. It is within the courtyard of one of these monasteries that the apsidal temple is built, enshrining and respecting an earlier Buddhist stupa within the earlier monastery.

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#13304678

11 Feb 2026

Professor Robin Coningham, UNESCO Chair on Archaeological Ethics and Practice in Cultural Heritage at Durham University and co-director of the excavations, attends a press conference in Kathmandu, Nepal, on February 11, 2026. A collaborative team of national and international experts from the Department of Archaeology, Government of Nepal, Lumbini Development Trust, and Durham University's UNESCO Chair uncovers Nepal's first example of an apsidal Buddhist temple within the ancient city of Tilaurakot-Kapilavastu, one of the best-preserved Early Historic cities and hinterlands in South Asia. A clear category of temple in South Asia, they are called apsidal as they have a curved end wall that defines the religious focus of the monument, with an entrance platform at the other end. The earliest known examples are cut into rock, with later monuments constructed out of stone, timber, or brick. The monument revealed at Tilaurakot-Kapilavastu, the first discovered in Nepal, follows this exact layout but is unusual in its location. It is a rare example of an apsidal temple constructed within a city rather than in a separate religious complex. The newly discovered apsidal structure is built near the center of the city of Tilaurakot-Kapilavastu over the remains of the city's earlier palatial complex. This central walled complex defines an area of 100 by 100 meters through a massive brick wall measuring 1.5 meters wide. After its abandonment, the complex becomes a focus for veneration, with Buddhist monasteries built over its ruined monumental walls. It is within the courtyard of one of these monasteries that the apsidal temple is built, enshrining and respecting an earlier Buddhist stupa within the earlier monastery.

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#13243350

26 Jan 2026

The aftermath of a Russian missile and drone strike on a building serving as the entrance to the Far Caves labyrinth is seen on the territory of the National Preserve Kyiv Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 26, 2026. The overnight Russian missile and attack UAV strike on January 24 damages building No. 66 of the Lavra complex and partially destroys the facade of building No. 67, the Annunciation of the Conception Church

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#13243351

26 Jan 2026

The aftermath of a Russian missile and drone strike on a building serving as the entrance to the Far Caves labyrinth is seen on the territory of the National Preserve Kyiv Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 26, 2026. The overnight Russian missile and attack UAV strike on January 24 damages building No. 66 of the Lavra complex and partially destroys the facade of building No. 67, the Annunciation of the Conception Church

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#13243352

26 Jan 2026

The aftermath of a Russian missile and drone strike on a building serving as the entrance to the Far Caves labyrinth is seen on the territory of the National Preserve Kyiv Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 26, 2026. The overnight Russian missile and attack UAV strike on January 24 damages building No. 66 of the Lavra complex and partially destroys the facade of building No. 67, the Annunciation of the Conception Church

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#13243353

26 Jan 2026

The aftermath of a Russian missile and drone strike on a building serving as the entrance to the Far Caves labyrinth is seen on the territory of the National Preserve Kyiv Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 26, 2026. The overnight Russian missile and attack UAV strike on January 24 damages building No. 66 of the Lavra complex and partially destroys the facade of building No. 67, the Annunciation of the Conception Church

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#13243354

26 Jan 2026

The aftermath of a Russian missile and drone strike on a building serving as the entrance to the Far Caves labyrinth is seen on the territory of the National Preserve Kyiv Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 26, 2026. The overnight Russian missile and attack UAV strike on January 24 damages building No. 66 of the Lavra complex and partially destroys the facade of building No. 67, the Annunciation of the Conception Church

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#13243355

26 Jan 2026

The aftermath of a Russian missile and drone strike on a building serving as the entrance to the Far Caves labyrinth is seen on the territory of the National Preserve Kyiv Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 26, 2026. The overnight Russian missile and attack UAV strike on January 24 damages building No. 66 of the Lavra complex and partially destroys the facade of building No. 67, the Annunciation of the Conception Church

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#13243356

26 Jan 2026

The aftermath of a Russian missile and drone strike on a building serving as the entrance to the Far Caves labyrinth is seen on the territory of the National Preserve Kyiv Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 26, 2026. The overnight Russian missile and attack UAV strike on January 24 damages building No. 66 of the Lavra complex and partially destroys the facade of building No. 67, the Annunciation of the Conception Church

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#13243357

26 Jan 2026

Journalists visit a building that serves as the entrance to the Far Caves labyrinth, damaged as a result of a Russian missile and drone strike on the territory of the National Preserve Kyiv Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 26, 2026. The overnight Russian missile and attack UAV strike on January 24 damages building No. 66 of the Lavra complex and partially destroys the facade of building No. 67, the Annunciation of the Conception Church

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#13243358

26 Jan 2026

Director General of the National Preserve Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Maksym Ostapenko talks to journalists during a visit to the damaged entrance building to the Far Caves labyrinth in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 26, 2026. The overnight Russian missile and attack UAV strike on January 24 damages building No. 66 of the Lavra complex and partially destroys the facade of building No. 67, the Annunciation of the Conception Church

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#13243359

26 Jan 2026

The aftermath of a Russian missile and drone strike on a building serving as the entrance to the Far Caves labyrinth is seen on the territory of the National Preserve Kyiv Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 26, 2026. The overnight Russian missile and attack UAV strike on January 24 damages building No. 66 of the Lavra complex and partially destroys the facade of building No. 67, the Annunciation of the Conception Church

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#13243360

26 Jan 2026

The aftermath of a Russian missile and drone strike on a building serving as the entrance to the Far Caves labyrinth is seen on the territory of the National Preserve Kyiv Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 26, 2026. The overnight Russian missile and attack UAV strike on January 24 damages building No. 66 of the Lavra complex and partially destroys the facade of building No. 67, the Annunciation of the Conception Church

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#13243361

26 Jan 2026

Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine Ivan Verbytskyi and Director General of the National Preserve Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Maksym Ostapenko speak to the media during a briefing in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 26, 2026. The overnight Russian missile and attack UAV strike on January 24 damages building No. 66 of the Lavra complex and partially destroys the facade of building No. 67, the Annunciation of the Conception Church

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