Kudan

Kudan is an archaeological site in Kapilvastu District, believed to be the ancient Nyagrodha Grove where the Buddha returned to visit his father King Suddhodana after attaining enlightenment. An Ashoka stupa and pillar at the site commemorate this significant event in Buddhist history.The site is part of the greater Lumbini-Kapilvastu pilgrimage circuit and draws Buddhist pilgrims seeking to connect with the key locations associated with the Buddha's life and family in the ancient Shakya kingdom.

Kudan lies a short distance south of Tilaurakot, the site most archaeologists identify as the Shakya capital itself, and both are on Nepal's UNESCO tentative list. What survives at Kudan is a group of brick stupa and monastery mounds rather than standing buildings, so the visit is an archaeological one, usually made by road from Lumbini in the same day.