Tilaurakot is an ancient capital of the Shakya kingdom, situated about 29 km from Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, that was re-discovered in 1899 by P.C. Mukherji and identified by UNESCO in 1996 as a prospective World Heritage Site. Initiatives to declare Tilaurakot a World Heritage Site have been accelerated in the last couple of years in line with government plans, said Sanuraja Shakya, member-secretary of the LDT.

The assignment report to UNESCO was handed over by Nepal's Minister to France, Sudheer Bhattarai, also Permanent Delegate to UNESCO. A UNESCO visiting team in Nepal in August will carry out spot evaluations of the assignment report. Member-Secretary Shakya is confident that by November, Tilaurakot would find its place among the World Heritage Sites.