Kushinagar

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 meal 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).

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.

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.

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.

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.