Kushinagar

Kushinagar is a city in the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the holy site of the Buddha Shakyamuni's demise (Parinirvana). Today it is an important Buddhist Pilgrimage and tourist spot. Biddhist tourist from all over the world visit this place.

Understand

Mahaparinirvan Temple and Stupa

Inside the Mahaparinirvan Temple

Kushinagar along with Lumbini, Bodh Gaya and Sarnath are places directly involved with the life of Buddha. Lumbini was the place of his birth, Buddha attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya is the place of enlightenment, Sarnath is the place of first sermon and Kushinagar is the place of death. These four places are known as char dham and are part of the Buddhist Circuit.

Get in

By plane

• 1 Kushinagar Airport. Kushinagar (KBK  ^IATA) has an airport but has only limited flights. Gorakhpur (55 km) also has an airport (GOK  ^IATA) (updated May 2024)

By road

Kushinagar is connected to Lucknow by the NH-28. Buses between Gorakhpur and Kushinagar are frequent and take around 2 hours.

By train

Deoria Sadar is the nearest railhead (33 km). Gorakhpur (55 km)is the nearest major city. Gorokhpur has a better connectivity.

Get around

The archaeological sites, museum and new temples are located in a short distance and can be covered on foot. Autos are also available but there are no fixed rates, so do bargain before you start the tour.

See

Buddha statue at Mata Kuar site

Reclining statue at the Mahaparinirvan Temple

Ramabhar Stupa

Kushinagar Museum

Relic Distribution Site

A buddhist pilgrim at the Mahaparinirvan site

Inside the Thai Temple, Kushinagar

Historical Sites

The historical sites consist of three archaeological sites consisting of Matha Kuar (last sermon), Mahaparinirvana (death) and Ramabhar Stupa (creamation). The fourth historical site is the relic distribution site. There are no historical structures at this site.

• 1 Matha Kuar Shrine (The place of last sermon) (South West of the Mahaparinirvan site). Sunrise - Sunset. Matha Kuar Shrine is the place of Buddha's last sermon. After having a meal of pork (some say mushroom) in a nearby place (present-day Fazilnagar) Buddha fell severely ill. The male was provided by a blacksmith named Chunda and is considered as Buddha's last meal. Despite his illness, he travelled to Kushinagar to deliver his last sermon. After the sermon, he told his disciples to prepare his deathbed in the nearby sal forest. Over the years and centuries, several kings and nobles have paid tribute to Buddha by creating several structures. Today it is a protected site under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). It follows a typical plan of a Buddhist Vihar complete with a central courtyard surrounded by cells or small rooms. On the western end of the vihar is a small white temple like structure complete with a porch supported by pillars. It houses a 3-metre-tall statue of Buddha in bhumisparsha (earth touching). The monolithic statue was made of Gaya blue stone and was excavated during the archaeological dig of 1876. The statue was restored and placed in its original location and was enshrined in the small temple like structure in 1927. (Photography is allowed but for the Buddha statue only mobile photography is allowed). Free. 

• 2 Mahaparinirvana Temple. Sunrise - sunset. This site marks the exact location of Buddha's death. A 1965 built temple stands above the ancient ruins, The temple consists of a shrine and stupa was built to commemorate the 2,500th anniversary of the death of Buddha. The shrine houses a 6.1-metre-long Buddha statue in reclining posture, with the head towards the north. It is made out of a single stone and rests on a stone couch. The statue was discovered in 1877 in a heavily damaged state and fragmented parts. The fragments were joined to create the statue. The temple stands on the ruins of a Buddhist vihar. The ruins were part of century-old structures constructed by various kings as a tribute to the Buddha. These structures have been excavated by various archaeological digs. The earliest part of the excavated ruins dates back to the time of Asoka with subsequent additions by the Kushans (50 -241 CE) and Guptas (320 – 647 CE). Today the Mahaparinirbab site is the main attraction for pilgrims and tourists. Throughout the day thousand of pilgrims visit the site with huge yellow coloured sheets which are placed over the reclining statue of Buddha. Free. Cameras not allowed. Mobile Photography allowed. 
• 3 Ramabhar Stupa (Site of cremation) (Eastern part of Kushinagar). Sunrise - sunset. This is the site of the cremation of Buddha. After his death, his mortal remains were cremated about a km east of his death place. Later a giant stupa was built at the location which was unearthed during an archaeological dig in 1910. The central stupa is surrounded by smaller votive stupas and several vihar like structures. Devotees frequent the place and do the parikrama of the stupa and perform various other rituals. Free. 
• 4 Relic Distribution Site (A lane next to Thai temple leads to the site). Sunrise - sunset. After the cremation, the mortal remains of Buddha were kept as relics and distributed among eight kings of north India. There are no historical remains at the site but it is believed that the distribution happened at this very place. Today a small shrine housing a statue of Buddha marks the site. It is located off the main road and barely visited by pilgrims and tourist. Free. (updated May 2024)

Museum

• 5 Museum. 10:30 am - 4:30 pm (Monday closed). The site museum displays artifacts collected from the different archaeological sites of Kushinagar. Over 1,300 artifacts are on display, including those made of stone, terracotta and bronze items along with coins and other artifacts. ₹3 (₹20 extra for camera). 

New Temples

Apart from the archaeological and historical sites Kushinagar also houses several new Buddhist temples. These are constructed by countries with Buddhist presence and include China, Japan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Autonomous regions like Tibet also has there temple in Kushinagar.

• 6 Japanese-Srilankan Buddhist Centre. 
• 7 Thai temple. 

Do

Soak up the peaceful atmosphere, conducive to meditation and reflection.

Eat

• Yama Cafe. The owner, Mr. Roy, is an old-timer at Kushinagar and can advise on many things there. 
• Restaurant at Pathik Niwas
• Dhabas near Mahaparinirvana Temple

Sleep

Budget

• 1 Tibetan Monastery. both donation and by payment available (updated Oct 2019)
• 2 Japanese-Sri Lankan Temple. Probably one of the first modern temples, established in 1984. Guest house stay by donation. The temple gate opens between 7am to 5pm, so you can visit and ask if there are any empty rooms available. The main hall is designed and built by Japanese and transferred to Sri Lankan management. (updated Oct 2019)

Mid-range

• 3 Pathik Niwas. Uttar Pradesh tourism. 
• 4 Lotus Nikko Hotel. This is a well-managed hotel with comfortable rooms. Room is around ₹4,000/night. 

Respect

Wear clothing that expresses respect for the sacred nature of the site. Do not climb onto statues or other sacred objects.

Circumambulate (walk all the way around) the stupas and other sacred objects in a clockwise direction. Preserve the peace and tranquillity of the area.