| Kushi Nagar : Nirvan Place
"Now, O Brothers ! I do remind you, all
component things are subject to decay. Work for your salvation in the earnest"
Above is the last sermon Buddha preached in 543 BC when he arrived at Kushinagar.
Three months earlier at Vaishali (Bihar) on the day of 'Magh Purnima', he
declared his death & destined to exhale the last breath at Kushinagar. The
cremation was done at 'Mukut Bandhan' (Rambhar) where 'Mallas` constructed a big
stupa over the ashes. Later, Ashoka, the Great, renovated it. The Chineese
travelers Fa Hien & Hieun Tsang have mentioned "Kushinara" in their Travel Memo.
Kushinara continued to be living-city till the 12th century A.D. & was
thereafter lost into oblivion. After extensive excavations main stupa was
exposed in 1876 AD. In addition a 6.10 m long statue of reclining Buddha was
discovered. Ven. Chandra Swami a Burmeese Monk, came to India in 1903 and made
Mahaparinivana Temple into a living shrine.
Kushi Nagar (also known as Kasaya) is
situated on national highway around 40 kilometers from Gorakhpur. This small
town of Uttar Pradesh is said to be the place where Buddha breathed his last.
The famous Ramabhar Stupa is said to be the place where his body was cremated.
Here are some pictures from Kushi Nagar:
This Buddha Idol was discovered in an
excavation in Kushi Nagar
Ramabhar
Stupa in Kushi Nagar where Buddha was cremated
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