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Sightseeing Highlights
The
much-visited and revered destination in Kushinagar is the Mahaparinirvana
Stupa or the Ramabhar Stupa that was built on the spot where Lord Buddha
passed away and was cremated.
A
must-see is NirvanaTemplethat houses the 6 m reclining statue ofLord Buddha which represents
the last moments of his life before the Mahaparinirvana.
Just
300 m from the Mahaparinirvana Stupa is MathakautTemple,
which is famous for the black stone image of ?Bhumi Sparsha Mudra? or ?kneel down posture? and is said to be
the place where Lord Buddha preached his last sermon.
There
are beautiful modern Buddhist Chinese, Japanese and Thai temples dedicated
to Lord Buddha.
Other
Activities
Near
the Indo-Japan- Srilankan Buddhist center is the KushinagarMuseumwhich houses one of the best collection of statues, arifacts and sculptures
from the excavations in Kushinagar. The Maitreya Project has constructed a 500
ft. statue of Lord Buddha in bronze near Kushinagar.
About
51 kms is the Rahul Sanskrityayan Museum in Gorakhpur
that has a good collection of relics of Lord Buddha and Thanka paintings. You
can also visit the Gorakhnath temple and Rangarh Tal Planatarium.
TOURISM
INFORMATION Hotel
Kautilya Vihar, Beer Chand
Patel Path, Patna-1. Phone:
0612-2225411, 2210219, 2210242 Fax:
0612-2236218.
Kushinagar is a small town in
Kushinagar district of Bihar, just on the border of Uttar Pradesh. It is one of
the major Buddhist pilgrimage destinations as Lord Buddha attained Parinirvana
or final Nirvana here. The most revered spot is the Rambhav Stupa where Buddha
was cremated and his ashes divided as per his last wishes. The ancient name of
Kushinagar was Kushavati as mentioned in the Jatakas, and it was a prominent
destination in the Malla kingdom in ancient India.
It was known as Kushinara when Lord Buddha passed away at the banks of the
river Hiranyavati. Most of the ancient viharas and stupas here were built by
the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka after he converted to Buddhism. With a rich historic
past, Kushinagar has several ancient ruins and Buddhist relics. Today,
Kushinagar also has its share of modern Buddhist temples along with the ancient
monuments.
