"EXCLAMATION"

#13304676

11 February 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 February 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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#13304679

11 February 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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#13304680

11 February 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 February 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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#13305087

11 February 2026

Construction workers repair a damaged sewer pipe in Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada, on February 10, 2026.

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#13267794

2 February 2026

Construction workers carry out waste removal and transportation at the construction site of the underground power plant of Pandao Mountain Pumped Storage Power Station in Zhangye City, Gansu Province, China, on February 2, 2026.

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#13267793

2 February 2026

Engineering builders drill and excavate the inclined shaft of the upper reservoir at the construction site of Pandao Mountain Pumped Storage Power Station in Zhangye City, Gansu Province, China, on February 2, 2026.

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#13243771

26 January 2026

Rescue teams use excavators to search for landslide victims in Cisarua, West Bandung, West Java, Indonesia, on January 26, 2026. Based on data from the joint search and rescue (SAR) team, at least 38 bodies are found by 6:30 p.m. Western Indonesian Time (WIB) on Monday, January 26, 2026.

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#13243774

26 January 2026

Rescue teams use excavators to search for landslide victims in Cisarua, West Bandung, West Java, Indonesia, on January 26, 2026. Based on data from the joint search and rescue (SAR) team, at least 38 bodies are found by 6:30 p.m. Western Indonesian Time (WIB) on Monday, January 26, 2026.

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#13241587

25 January 2026

Referee Elena Pelaez explains the decision to Ainoa Campo, player number 8 of RCD Espanyol Women, during the La Liga F Moeve match between RCD Espanyol and C. D. Tenerife at C.E. Dani Jarque in Sant Adria de Besos - Barcelona, Spain, on January 25, 2026.

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#13203626

16 January 2026

Marble Lake, also known as Durga Bera, Tarpania Lake, Blue Dam, or Patal Dam, is an artificial body of water located in Ajodhya Hills, Purulia, West Bengal, India. It forms from the abandonment of an open-pit mine during quarrying activities for the Purulia Pumped Storage Project (PPSP) and other excavations in the region. Discovered during blasting for the region's hydroelectric project, the lake is surrounded by white marble-like rocky outcrops and features deep blue water. Recent geological research identifies these areas, along with their surroundings, as featuring ancient, cooled dykes—vertical sheets of solidified volcanic magma—and is a geologically rich region containing Proterozoic, Precambrian, and metamorphic rocks. Many tourists visit this risky area, especially in winter, but entry is prohibited during the monsoon season due to the risk of flash floods. This photo is taken at Ajodhya Hill, Purulia, West Bengal, India, on January 11, 2026.

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#13203628

16 January 2026

Marble Lake, also known as Durga Bera, Tarpania Lake, Blue Dam, or Patal Dam, is an artificial body of water located in Ajodhya Hills, Purulia, West Bengal, India. It forms from the abandonment of an open-pit mine during quarrying activities for the Purulia Pumped Storage Project (PPSP) and other excavations in the region. Discovered during blasting for the region's hydroelectric project, the lake is surrounded by white marble-like rocky outcrops and features deep blue water. Recent geological research identifies these areas, along with their surroundings, as featuring ancient, cooled dykes—vertical sheets of solidified volcanic magma—and is a geologically rich region containing Proterozoic, Precambrian, and metamorphic rocks. Many tourists visit this risky area, especially in winter, but entry is prohibited during the monsoon season due to the risk of flash floods. This photo is taken in Ajodhya Hill, Purulia, West Bengal, India, on January 11, 2026.

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#13203637

16 January 2026

Marble Lake, also known as Durga Bera, Tarpania Lake, Blue Dam, or Patal Dam, is an artificial body of water located in Ajodhya Hills, Purulia, West Bengal, India. It forms from the abandonment of an open-pit mine during quarrying activities for the Purulia Pumped Storage Project (PPSP) and other excavations in the region. Discovered during blasting for the region's hydroelectric project, the lake is surrounded by white marble-like rocky outcrops and features deep blue water. Recent geological research identifies these areas, along with their surroundings, as featuring ancient, cooled dykes—vertical sheets of solidified volcanic magma—and is a geologically rich region containing Proterozoic, Precambrian, and metamorphic rocks. Many tourists visit this risky area, especially in winter, but entry is prohibited during the monsoon season due to the risk of flash floods. This photo is taken at Ajodhya Hill, Purulia, West Bengal, India, on January 11, 2026.

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#13203639

16 January 2026

Marble Lake, also known as Durga Bera, Tarpania Lake, Blue Dam, or Patal Dam, is an artificial body of water located in Ajodhya Hills, Purulia, West Bengal, India. It forms from the abandonment of an open-pit mine during quarrying activities for the Purulia Pumped Storage Project (PPSP) and other excavations in the region. Discovered during blasting for the region's hydroelectric project, the lake is surrounded by white marble-like rocky outcrops and features deep blue water. Recent geological research identifies these areas, along with their surroundings, as featuring ancient, cooled dykes—vertical sheets of solidified volcanic magma—and is a geologically rich region containing Proterozoic, Precambrian, and metamorphic rocks. Many tourists visit this risky area, especially in winter, but entry is prohibited during the monsoon season due to the risk of flash floods. This photo is taken at Ajodhya Hill, Purulia, West Bengal, India, on January 11, 2026.

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#13203642

16 January 2026

Marble Lake, also known as Durga Bera, Tarpania Lake, Blue Dam, or Patal Dam, is an artificial body of water located in the Ajodhya Hills of Purulia. It forms from the abandonment of an open-pit mine during quarrying activities for the Purulia Pumped Storage Project (PPSP) and other excavations in the region. Discovered during blasting for the region's hydroelectric project, the lake is surrounded by white marble-like rocky outcrops and features deep blue water. Recent geological research identifies these areas, along with their surroundings, as featuring ancient, cooled dykes—vertical sheets of solidified volcanic magma—and is a geologically rich region containing Proterozoic, Precambrian, and metamorphic rocks. Many tourists visit this risky area, especially in winter, but entry is prohibited during the monsoon season due to the risk of flash floods. This photo is taken in Ajodhya Hill, Purulia, West Bengal, India, on January 11, 2026.

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