Pilgrimage
Attraction of Kushinagar
• Nirvana Stupa
This huge brickwork stupa, exposed by Carlleyl in 1867,
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. The Stupa is located in the east of the
main Nirvana Temple.
Visiting Hours : Sunrise to Sunset
•
Nirvana Temple
This houses the over 6 meters 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.
The temple stands on the
same plinth as the Stupa behind it. As mentioned above the
ruins of this temple and the reclining Nirvana statue
inside were discovered by Carlleyl in 1876. By sinking a
vertical trench at the centre of its mound he first
discovered the great statue in a much-shattered condition
lying on a broken pedestal.
•
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. Alias THE CREMATION STUPA Less than 1.61 km to the
east of the Matha-kuar shrine stands a mound facing the
road from Kasia to Deoria. There is a sheet of water,
called Ramabhar Jhil or pond, close to it, which dries up
in summer. Whether the name Ramabhar originally belonged
to the pond or to the mound it is difficult to say; nor
can it be satisfactorily derived or its relation to the
events of Buddha's death easily explained.
•
Japanese Temple
A beautiful Ashta Dhatu
(eight metlas) statue of Lord Buddha, which came from
Japan, can be seen here. Built by the Atago Isshin World
Buddhist Cultural Association, it consists of a single
circular chamber, housing a golden image of Buddha, softly
lit through small, stained-glass window.
Visiting Hours : Sunrise to Sunset
• Wat Thai
Temple
The one of its kind, this
Buddhist temple can be seen with wide open eyes in
Kushinagar. The temple flourishes on its greenery well
spread and pleasant atmosphere. The beautiful Temple was
designed to be the forest- monastery gathering innumerable
kinds of trees as to commemorate the Golden Jubilee
Celebrations of His Majesty King Bhumibol the Great's
Accession to the Throne. The construction of the temple is
compleated but the doors of the temple are likely to be
opened by 2001 for general public.
•
Meditation Park
Recently developed near
the main Nirvana Temple, this park has artificial water
bodies with raised lush-green platforms for
meditationsurroundedd by sal- trees and other
afforestations, representing a complete
Buddhist-ambience.
Visiting Hours : Sunrise to Sunset
•
Birla Temple
Birla Hindu Temple, the
shiva temple, is founded by Birla Group at the nirvana
site of Gautama Buddha. At the main site a marble statue
of lord Shiva sitting in an erect posture on tiger flash
cushion. The 'dhyana posture' he is sitting in, is
termed to be the position in which the communion of thou
soul (Jivatma) to thy soul (parmatma) is possible.
