A NORTH-EAST archaeologist has helped make discoveries which link the life of Buddha to a specific century.

The international team - co-led by Professor Robin Coningham of Durham University - have uncovered evidence of a structure at the birthplace of the Buddha dating to the sixth century BC.

Pioneering excavations within the sacred Maya Devi Temple at Lumbini, Nepal, a UNESCO World Heritage site identified as the birthplace of the Buddha, uncovered the remains of a previously unknown timber structure under a series of brick temples.

Laid out on the same design as those above it, the timber structure contains an open space in the centre that links to the nativity story of the Buddha himself.

Until now, the earliest archaeological evidence of Buddhist structures at Lumbini dated no earlier than the third century BC.

"Very little is known about the life of the Buddha, except through textual sources and oral tradition," said Prof Coningham.

he said some scholars have maintained that the Buddha was born in the third century BC.

"We wanted to go back to archaeology to try to answer some of the questions about his birth," said Prof Coningham said.

"Now, for the first time, we have an archaeological sequence at Lumbini that shows a building there as early as the sixth century BC."

The team - led by Prof Coningham and Kosh Prasad Acharya of the Pashupati Area Development Trust in Nepal - said the discovery contributes to a greater understanding of the early development of Buddhism as well as the spiritual importance of Lumbini.

Their findings are reported in the journal Antiquity. The research is partly supported by the National Geographic Society.

Fragments of charcoal and grains of sand were tested using a combination of radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence techniques. Research also confirmed the presence of ancient tree roots.

Buddhist tradition records that Queen Maya Devi, the mother of the Buddha, gave birth to him while holding on to the branch of a tree within the Lumbini Garden, midway between the kingdoms of her husband and parents.

The temple at Lumbini remains a living shrine and the archaeologists worked alongside meditating monks, nuns and pilgrims.

The archaeological investigation there was funded by Japan and Nepal, as part of a UNESCO project. Along with the National Geographic Society, the research was also supported by Durham University and Stirling University.