Set back from the main road heading north from India to Kapilvastu, Nepal, is a seemingly unremarkable pile of bricks adorning a nondescript field. It would be easy to drive past this spot without further investigation, but that would be a regrettable decision since this is a site burgeoning with historical and religious significance. Now known as Kudan after the nearby village, the site is believed to be the Nigrodharam Bihar mentioned in Buddhist texts where Buddha met his father, King Suddhodhana, for the first time following his enlightenment. The…
