November 26: Remains of ancient Ramgram Stupa have been found at Ujaini of Ramgram municipality-7 in Nawalparashi West.    
Remnants of the stupa that houses one of the astadhatu (relics) of Lord Gautam Buddha were spotted during excavation, according to the Lumbini Development Trust.    
Organizing a press meet in collaboration with Ramgram Municipality on Sunday, the Trust appraised about the findings of the extraction that began since November 1 this year.    
Remains of various bricks of the stupa and a pond were unearthed by the experts and archeologists, according to the Robin Coningham, advisor to the UNESCO and professor of the Durham University in the UK.    
Lumbini is the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautam who was born in 623 BC on the full moon day of the Nepali month Baishakh.    
According to Professor Coningham, the Ramgram area still possesses a lot of ancient structures that remain to be retrieved. Some geophysical surveys had been conducted in the stupa area before. The latest findings were unearthed after the excavation based on the same geophysical survey, informed Prof Coningham.    
Similarly, Ram Bahadur Kunwar, spokesperson for the Department of Archeology, shared that the period of those remains would be determined after further examination. He pledged to continue with the excavation in coming days.

Experts and archeologists involved in the excavation have drawn attention of the all concerned to preserve the ancient structures that are around the stupa.    
Likewise, Ramgram Municipality’s Mayor Dhanpati Yadav called for developing Ramgram Stupa area under the Master Plan of the Trust. Mayor Yadav informed that his municipality had allocated Rs 2 million for the development and promotion of Ramgram Stupa. -- RSS