The brick mounds and excavated ruins of what is most likely the ancient city of Kapilavastu, capital of the Shakya kingdom and the city where Prince Siddhartha lived for the first 29 years of his life before renouncing it for the homeless life that led to his enlightenment. Located 27 kilometres west of Lumbini.
The site is open, peaceful, and largely empty — a small site museum, foundations of the eastern and western gates, the moat, and the brick mounds of palace and temple buildings. Allow two hours including travel. You can hire a taxi from Lumbini for a half day. The contrast with Lumbini's tightly-planned sacred zone is welcome — Tilaurakot is uncurated and overgrown, more like an active archaeological dig than a shrine.