Kushinagar
General
Information (Kushinagar)
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.
Area
: 6.00 sq. km.
Altitude : 400 meters above sea level.
Season : October-April.
Clothing : Summer - Light cotton. Winters - Woollen.
Language : Hindi, English.
STD Code : 01364
Excursions
(Kushinagar)
Gorakhpur : It is 51 km. At Gorakhpur is the Rahul Sankrtyayan
Museum, which has an excellent collection of thanka paintings
and relics of the Buddha. Water Sports Complex at Ramgarhtal Planetarium
and the Gorakhnath Temple in the city are also well worth a visit.
Lumbini
Situated in Nepal at a distance of 122 km from Gorakhpur, Lumbini
is the birthplace of Lord Buddha.
Sightseeing
(Kushinagar)
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 Stupa
This huge brickwork stupa, exposed by Carlyl in 1876, stands at
a height of 2.74 meter. A copper vessel was unearthed at this
site. It bore an inscription in ancient Brahmi, which stated that
Lord Buddha's remains had been deposited here.
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 Shrine
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.
Travel Information
(Kushinagar)
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.
