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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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#13298783

10 February 2026

Fireworks occur before the lighting of the bonfire of San Corrado in Molfetta, Italy, on February 9, 2026. The bonfire of San Corrado in Molfetta is lit on February 9 and celebrates the patron saint by commemorating the arrival of his relics in the 14th century. Legend states that the people of Molfetta, arriving at night with the remains, find the gates closed and warm themselves with a large fire, cooking broad beans and chickpeas. They represent warmth, faith, and popular tradition.

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#13298784

10 February 2026

Fireworks occur before the lighting of the bonfire of San Corrado in Molfetta, Italy, on February 9, 2026. The bonfire of San Corrado in Molfetta is lit on February 9 and celebrates the patron saint by commemorating the arrival of his relics in the 14th century. Legend states that the people of Molfetta, arriving at night with the remains, find the gates closed and warm themselves with a large fire, cooking broad beans and chickpeas. They represent warmth, faith, and popular tradition.

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#13298785

10 February 2026

The bonfire of San Corrado in Molfetta, Italy, is lit on February 9, 2026, and celebrates the patron saint by commemorating the arrival of his relics in the 14th century. Legend has it that the people of Molfetta, arriving at night with the remains, find the gates closed and warm themselves with a large fire, cooking broad beans and chickpeas. They represent warmth, faith, and popular tradition.

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#13298786

10 February 2026

The bonfire of San Corrado in Molfetta, Italy, is lit on February 9, 2026, and celebrates the patron saint by commemorating the arrival of his relics in the 14th century. Legend has it that the people of Molfetta, arriving at night with the remains, find the gates closed and warm themselves with a large fire, cooking broad beans and chickpeas. They represent warmth, faith, and popular tradition.

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#13298787

10 February 2026

The bonfire of San Corrado in Molfetta, Italy, is lit on February 9, 2026, and celebrates the patron saint by commemorating the arrival of his relics in the 14th century. Legend has it that the people of Molfetta, arriving at night with the remains, find the gates closed and warm themselves with a large fire, cooking broad beans and chickpeas. They represent warmth, faith, and popular tradition.

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#13298788

10 February 2026

The bonfire of San Corrado in Molfetta, Italy, is lit on February 9, 2026, and celebrates the patron saint by commemorating the arrival of his relics in the 14th century. Legend has it that the people of Molfetta, arriving at night with the remains, find the gates closed and warm themselves with a large fire, cooking broad beans and chickpeas. They represent warmth, faith, and popular tradition.

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#13298789

10 February 2026

The bonfire of San Corrado in Molfetta, Italy, is lit on February 9, 2026, and celebrates the patron saint by commemorating the arrival of his relics in the 14th century. Legend has it that the people of Molfetta, arriving at night with the remains, find the gates closed and warm themselves with a large fire, cooking broad beans and chickpeas. They represent warmth, faith, and popular tradition.

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#13298790

10 February 2026

The bonfire of San Corrado in Molfetta, Italy, on February 9, 2026, is lit on February 9 and celebrates the patron saint by commemorating the arrival of his relics in the 14th century. Legend has it that the people of Molfetta, arriving at night with the remains, find the gates closed and warm themselves with a large fire, cooking broad beans and chickpeas. They represent warmth, faith, and popular tradition.

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#13298791

10 February 2026

The bonfire of San Corrado in Molfetta, Italy, on February 9, 2026, is lit on February 9 and celebrates the patron saint by commemorating the arrival of his relics in the 14th century. Legend has it that the people of Molfetta, arriving at night with the remains, find the gates closed and warm themselves with a large fire, cooking broad beans and chickpeas. They represent warmth, faith, and popular tradition.

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#13298792

10 February 2026

The bonfire of San Corrado in Molfetta, Italy, on February 9, 2026, is lit on February 9 and celebrates the patron saint by commemorating the arrival of his relics in the 14th century. Legend has it that the people of Molfetta, arriving at night with the remains, find the gates closed and warm themselves with a large fire, cooking broad beans and chickpeas. They represent warmth, faith, and popular tradition.

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#13298793

10 February 2026

The bonfire of San Corrado in Molfetta, Italy, on February 9, 2026, is lit on February 9 and celebrates the patron saint by commemorating the arrival of his relics in the 14th century. Legend has it that the people of Molfetta, arriving at night with the remains, find the gates closed and warm themselves with a large fire, cooking broad beans and chickpeas. They represent warmth, faith, and popular tradition.

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#13298794

10 February 2026

The bonfire of San Corrado in Molfetta, Italy, on February 9, 2026, is lit on February 9 and celebrates the patron saint by commemorating the arrival of his relics in the 14th century. Legend has it that the people of Molfetta, arriving at night with the remains, find the gates closed and warm themselves with a large fire, cooking broad beans and chickpeas. They represent warmth, faith, and popular tradition.

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#13298795

10 February 2026

The bonfire of San Corrado in Molfetta, Italy, on February 9, 2026, is lit on February 9 and celebrates the patron saint by commemorating the arrival of his relics in the 14th century. Legend has it that the people of Molfetta, arriving at night with the remains, find the gates closed and warm themselves with a large fire, cooking broad beans and chickpeas. They represent warmth, faith, and popular tradition.

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