During the 7th century AD, Tipitakacariya Xuan Zang(Hsuan Tsang) of China visited Lumbini Grove. According to his account, he saw the stone pillar erected there by King Asoka about 800 years before, marking the birthplace of the Buddha. The site at that time, however, was in a state of desolation, the pillar having been struck by lightning and the top having fallen down onto the ground. Subsequently, the birthplace of the Buddha sank into oblivion because nobody could read the letters on the pillar. It was not until 1897 when the Asoka pillar was re-discovered, archeologists deciphered the inscriptions and the ravaged ruins of Lumbini Grove were excavated. Some ancient settlements were also excavated in the vicinity of the site, part of which may have belonged to the old city of Kapilavathu. Today, the government of Nepal has proclaimed it as Holy Land and undertaken necessary reconstruction and protection.