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Kushinagar, India |
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One of the principal centers of Buddhist pilgrimage is Kushinagar 53
Km. west of Gorakhpur, where Shakyamuni entered Mahaparinirvana his
death and cremation, that marked his final liberation from the
cycles of death and rebirth. This was the furthest he had reached on
his final journey, which retraced much of the road he had walked
when many years before he had left Kapilavastu.
General Cunningham and A.C. Carlyl brought this ancient site to
light. Only after this excavation of the site in 1861, its antiquity
was established for the first time. After this, between 1904 and
1912, several excavations conducted by the Archaeological Survey of
India at Kushinagar confirmed its ancient identity.
When he reached his eighty-first year, Buddha gave his last major
teaching--the subject was the thirty-seven wings of
enlightenment--and left Vulture's Peak to journey north. It is when
he crossed the Ganges for the last time at place where Patna now
stands and came to the village of Beluva where Buddha was taken ill
but he suppressed the sickness and continued to Vaisali. It was also
the principal location of the third turning of the wheel of Dharma.
Coming to Pava, the blacksmith's son Kunda offered him a meal which
included meat. It is said that all the Buddha's of this world eat a
meal containing meat on the eve of their passing away. Buddha
accepted, but directed that no one else should partake of the food.
Later it was learned that the meat was bad. Buddha had already
sensed his end on reaching the village of Kushinagar of the Mallas.
He asked Ananda to prepare a bed for him with its head turned
towards the north between two Sal trees. Ananda who served him for
20 years was deeply upset. "Don't grieve, Ananda!" the Buddha
consoled him. "The nature of things dictates that we must leave
those dear to us. Everything born contains its own cessation. And
just as a worn-out cart can only with much additional care be made
to move along, so too the body of the Buddha can only be kept going
with much additional care".
As desired by the Buddha, the Mallas of Kushinagar were informed of
his impending death, and they came to pay respects to him. As the
third watch of the night approached, the Buddha asked his disciples
thrice if there were any remaining doubts concerning the doctrine or
the discipline. Receiving silence, he gave them the famous
exhortation: "Impermanence is inherent in all things. Work out your
own salvation with diligence." After this Shakyamuni Buddha entered
Mahaparinirvana.
For the next six days the body of the Great Master was laid in
state. Preparations were made for his funeral under the direction of
Anirudha a cousin and follower of the Buddha. On the seventh day,
after honoring the body with perfumes and garlands, it was taken to
the Mukutbandhana Chaitya, the sacred shrine of the Mallas. The last
ceremony was performed by Maha Kashyapa and the body of the Great
Master was cremated with due honor. When the cremation was completed
the ashes were collected by the Mallas as relics, which consisted of
a skull bone, teeth and inner and outer shrouds. The relics were
then distributed into eight shares amongst the representatives of
the other eight Kingdoms which constituted ancient northern India.
These relics were again subdivided after King Ashoka decided to
build 84,000 Stupas. Today these relics are enshrined in Stupas
across Asia.
In later times Fa Hien found monasteries at Kushinagar, but when
Hsuan Tsang came the site was almost deserted. Hsuan Chwang did see
an Ashoka Stupa marking Kunda's house, the site of Buddha's last
meal. Commemorating the Mahaparinirvana was a large brick temple
containing a recumbent statue of Buddha. Beside this was a partly
ruined Ashoka Stupa and a pillar with an inscription describing the
event. Two more Stupas commemorated former lives of the Buddha at
the place. Both Chinese pilgrims mention a Stupa where Shakyamuni's
protector Vajrapani threw down his scepter in dismay after Buddha's
death, and some distance away a Stupa at the place of cremation and
another built by Ashoka where the relics were divided.
GENERAL INFORMATION ON CITY
• Area: 6.00 sq. km.
• Population: 20000 (1996 )
• Altitude: 400 mtrs above sea level
• Season: October-April
• Clothing: Summer - Light cotton; Winters - Woolen
• Language: Hindi, English
• Local Transport: Cycle-rickshaw |
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Places To See
NIRVANA STUPA
This huge brickwork stupa, exposed by Carlyl in 1876, stands at a
height of 2.74 mtr. 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
The Mahaparinirvana Temple stands where the Buddha chose to leave
his body under two Sal trees .This temple houses the over 6 mtrs
long statue of reclining Buddha and is set in a lush green park. 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 Nirvana Stupa is dated back to the reign of
Kumaragupta I (413-55AD). It was extensively rebuilt, by Burmese
Buddhists, in 1927. The surrounding area is strewn with Stupas,
erected by pious pilgrims, and ruins of four monasteries.
MATHAKUAR SHRINE
This shrine lies about 400 yards from the Parinirvana stupa. A blue
schist stone image of the Buddha in the bhumi Sparsha Mudra (the
lotus position with one hand touching the ground) was recovered here
and is believed to be of the 10th century. The last sermon by Lord
Buddha was given here.
RAMABHAR STUPA
This large Stupa rises to a height of 49 ft. It marks the site where
the Lord Buddha's funeral pyre was lit. was cremated. In ancient
Buddhist texts this Stupa has been referred to as Mukut-Bandhan
Vihar. It is about 1.5 km southeast of the Nirvana Temple,
surrounded by rice, wheat and cane fields. However, not much remains
of this Stupa except a 15m high brick mound set within a well
maintained park.
CHINESE TEMPLE
Here the special attraction is a beautiful statue of Lord Buddha.
JAPANESE TEMPLE
A beautiful Ashta Dhatu (eight metals) 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 the Buddha, softly lit through
small, stained-glass window.
KUSHINAGAR MUSEUM
The Buddha Museum contains the dugouts from excavations at the site.
Timings : 10:30 am. to 4:30 pm. Weekly off: Monday.
BUDDHIST MONASTERIES
Several monasteries and temples pay tribute to the Buddha where he
breathed his last. The Sri Lanka-Japan monastery is home to an Ashta
Dhatu (eight metal) image of the Buddha surrounded by portraits of
his 10 chief disciples. The Chandramani Bhikshu Dharamasala, built
by the Burmese, is the largest monastery in town. The Chinese Temple
is a colorful structure with marble statues of the Buddha and the
White Tara. |
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How To Get There
RAIL
Nearest railway station is Gorakhpur : 51 kms., which is the
headquarters of North Eastern Railways and linked to important
destinations. Some important trains to Gorakhpur are Bombay-Gorakhpur-Bandra
Exp., New Delhi-Barauni-Vaishali Exp. Cochin-Gorakhpur Exp., Shaheed
Exp, Amarnath Exp, Kathgodam Exp, (Kushinagar does not has a Railway
Station, one has to go to Gorakhpur from where Kushinagar can be
reached by road.
ROAD
Situated on National Highway No. 28, with frequent bus services,
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.
Close On Heels
Gorakhpur - 51 kms
Kapilvastu - 148 kms
Lumbini - 173 kms
Sravasti - 254 kms
Sarnath - 266 kms |
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India
