Kushinagar, The Mahaparinirvana site of Lord Buddha

Kushinagar

Uttar Pradesh

India

Hindi and Local dialects

October To March

+91-5563

Buddhist pilgrimage site; place where Lord Buddha breathed his last

0

Today's small town of Kushinagar was once the Kingdom of the Malla dynasty in the days of Gautam Buddha. It was known as Kushinara then and is one of the most important spots on the Buddhist pilgrimage trail. It was here at the age of 80 in the 5th century B.C. that Lord Buddha breathed his last. This town lost into obscurity and came into fore light only after some excavations made by the lord Alexander Cunning revealed its importance in the late 19th century.
The town since then rose to prominence. The Ramabhar Stupa which finds a mention in old Buddhist texts as the Mukut Bandhan Vihar is the place where Lord Buddha was believed to be cremated. The Nirvana Stupa exposed in 1876, had a copper vessel which bore an inscription in Brahmi stating that remains of the lord had been deposited here. The nirvana temple has a huge six meter long Chunar sandstone image of reclining Buddha. This position of Buddha shows his position before passing on to Mahaparinirvana. The statue made in the 5th century A.D. was brought to Kushinagar from Mathura and was excavated in 1876. The Mathakuar shrine houses another 10th century statue of Buddha. This is also the place where Lord Buddha preached his last sermon.