Lord Gautam Buddha, had towards the last stages of his life, advised his devotees and followers to travel the places of Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar. Hence, Kushinagar in India is an important Buddhist pilgrimage site. Kushinagar is the place where Buddha achieved Mahapari Nirvana, freedom from the cycle of death and rebirth.

Lord Buddha passed away at Kushinagar near the Hiranyavati River and was cremated near the Ramabhar stupa. The Mauryan emperor Ashoka added colour and grandeur to this place by constructing the magnificent statue of Buddha carved on a single piece of red sandstone.


Location of Kushinagar
Situated in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, the place of Kushinagar lies 51 km apart from Gorakhpur. Kushinagar has been included in the famous Buddhist trail encompassing Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Nepal.

Climate of Kushinagar
The climate of Kushinagar is hot and humid in the summers with maximum temperature touching 45°C while winter is mild and temperature in December can go down to around 5 °C. Monsoon starts from June and remains till September. The best time to travel this place is in between the months of October till the month of April.


Major Buddhist Attractions
The Mahaparinirvana Temple - Within the temple is placed the famous statue of Buddha seated on the 20 ft long brick platform and ruins of atleast eight monasteries, which had witnessed the rise and fall of a number of dynasties. Two of the famous among them are the Mahaparinirvana Vihara and Muktabandhara Vihara built by the Malla kings.

Nirvana Stupa - To the west of the Muktabandhana Stupa is situated the Nirvana Stupa that was built in the days of Ashoka. The stupa was later renovated in 1927 by the Buddhist of Burma. In front of the Stupa is the Mahaparinirvana Temple in which is installed a colossal sandstone statue of the Buddha in the reclining position. Built by the Mathura school of art, it was brought to Kushinagar in India by a Buddhist monk named Haribala during the reign of Kumaragupta.

Muktabandhana Stupa - The Stupa also known as Ramabhar Stupa was built by the Mallas just after the Buddha's death. It is built over the sacred relics of the Buddha himself. The Stupa is 50 ft tall and is believed to be constructed on the spot where the Buddha was cremated.

Nirvana Chaitya - Excavated in 1876 and found to be based behind the Mahaparinirvana Temple, the Chaitya possesses a copperplate, which contained the text of the "Nidana-Sutra". According to it, Haribala, who has also installed the great Nirvana Statue of Buddha in the temple, had placed the copper plate in the Nirvana-Chaitya. A copper vessel was also found, which contained silver coins of Kumargupta, the Gupta emperor of the 5th century.

Matha Kuar Shrine - Matha Kuar Shrine is a massive statue of Gautam Buddha carved out of one single block of stone. The statue represents Buddha as seated under the "Bodhi Tree" and touching the ground with his right hand known as the "Bhumi Sparsh Mudra". The inscription at the base of statue can be dated back to the 10th century AD.