Buddha-era structures and relics have been recovered during a fresh excavation at Panditpur in ward 18 of Ramgram Municipality in Nawalparasi West. The new findings reinforce the site’s status as one of the most significant ancient settlements in Nepal.

The excavation, carried out by the Department of Archaeology, revealed remains at locations different from those identified earlier through geophysical surveys. Archaeologist Bhaskar Gyawali said the new findings included copper coins from the Kushan period along with a range of archaeological materials.

“We had earlier uncovered structures of a Buddha-period city in this area, which is why Panditpur has long been considered an important site,” he said. “This time, we have found remnants of walls, ancient pottery, animal figurines, ornaments and Kushan-era copper coins,” said Gyawali.

Last year’s excavation uncovered a circularly planned city layout buried underground. Samples taken from those findings were sent to the United Kingdom for laboratory test and scientific analysis. According to the Department of Archaeology, the tests confirmed that the structures date back to the sixth century BCE, placing them firmly in the Buddha period.

Panditpur covers around 60 bigha (around 40 hectares) of land and is currently occupied by settlements and agricultural fields. Although the site needs to be acquired for proper conservation, budget constraints have stalled the process. The Ramgram Development Fund said there is a plan to acquire the land and preserve the unearthed artifacts, but a lack of funding has prevented implementation. It urged the federal government to prioritise the site and support conservation.

Local residents, meanwhile, have consistently demanded fair compensation if the state acquires their land. Ramgram Municipality has announced plans to develop Panditpur—considered as Buddha’s maternal hometown—along with the Ramgram Stupa, believed to enshrine the Buddha’s relics, as a major tourism destination. However, those plans have yet to move forward.

“Developing a historical site cannot be done by the local government alone. There are many procedures, including approvals from the Lumbini Development Trust and the Department of Archaeology,” said Dhanpat Yadav, mayor of Ramgram Municipality. “Either the federal government must take responsibility for development and promotion, or it should devolve full authority to local government.”

The confirmed scientific dating of sixth-century BCE structures has strengthened claims that Panditpur was an important settlement, possibly the capital of the ancient Koliya republic. Archaeological evidence from the Buddhist period through the Mughal era has been found here, indicating continuous habitation over centuries.