 Kushinagar,
one of the principal centers of Buddhist pilgrimage is the place
of Mahaparinrvana. The monument of Kushinagar are situated in three
distincts comprising in the main site of the Nirvana Temple houses
over 6meter long statue of the reclining Buddha The image was unearthed
during the excavations in 1876. An inscription below dates the statue
to the 5th century BC Mathakaur shrine is black stone image of Lord
Buddha in the Bhumi Sparsha Mudra (a posture showing him touching
the earth ) was recovered here. Ramabhar Stupa rises to a height
of 49ft and marks the site where the Lord Buddha was cremated. In
ancient Buddhist texts, this stupa has been referred to as Mukut
Bandhar Vihar. Kushinagar Museum houses finds from excavations at
the site.
The credit for bringing this ancient site to light goes to General
A. Cunningham and A.C.I. Carlyl, who, after excavating the site
in 1861, established its antiquity for the first time. Later,
between 1904 and 1912, several excavations conducted by the Archaeological
Survey of India at Kushinagar confirmed its identity.
How to get there:
Air : The nearest airport is Gorakhpur
(44km).
Rail : The nearest rail head or station
is Gorakhpur : 51 km, which is the headquarters of North Eastern
Railways and linked to important destinations. Gorakhpur is connected
directly with Mumbai, Delhi, Cochin and Barauni.
Road : Situated on National Highway
No. 28, Kushinagar is well connected with other parts of the state.
Some major road distances are : Gorakhpur-51 km, Lumbini-173 km,
Kapilastu-148 km, Sravasti-254 km, Sarnath 266 km. Lalitpur 33
km from Deogarh.
Places of Interest :
Ramabhar Stupa
About 1 km away, this large stupa rises to a height of 49 ft.
It marks the site where the Lord Buddha was cremated. In ancient
Buddhist texts this stupa has been referred to as Mukut-Bandhan
Vihar
Nirvana Temple
This houses the over 6 mtrs long statue of reclining Buddha. The
image was unearthed during the excavations of 1876. Carved from
Chunar sandstone, the statue represents the dying Buddha reclining
on his right side. An inscription below dates the statue to the
fifth century AD.
Mathakuar Temple
This shrine lies about 400 yards from the Parinirvana stupa. A
black stone image of the Buddha in the bhumi sparsha mudra was
recovered here. The last sermon by Lord Buddha was given here.
Kushinagar Museum
The Buddha Museum contains finds from excavations at the site.
Timings : 10:30 am. to 4:30 pm. Weekly off: Monday.
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