Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh

Among all the other popular Buddhist tourist destinations in India, Kushinagar is considered to be one of the best places to visit on a Buddhist pilgrimage tour since it forms the four sacred places in Buddhism. It is at Kushinagar that the Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana, at the age of 80 years, where he left the earthly abode to join the gods and his ancestors in the heavens. The town marks the site where the Buddha, essentially passed away from this world, making it an important destination to be included on a Buddhist tourism circuit in India. At the age of 80 years old, while on a journey to spread the message of Buddhism, the Buddha realized that his journey on earth was about to near the end. On this realization, he insisted his disciple Ananda to prepare a bed for him between two Sal trees, which he did.

Even while his body was suffering, he made sure to ask his disciples if they had any doubts or questions in their mind, showcasing his caring nature even as he was in pain. He saw their grief and explained to them about the futility of things and how everything is bound to vanish one day. After his death, the ceremonies around his cremation were handled by his disciples, Anirudha, and Maha Kashyapa. Post his cremation his remains were distributed as relics in eight different parts to eight different kingdoms across the subcontinent, which were redistributed into further, allegedly 84,000 stupas all across the continent of Asia. The site of his cremation is where, today, stands the Ramabhar Stupa. With a height of 15 meters, the large stupa is where the Buddha's body was cremated and has been mentioned in the Buddhist scriptures as the “Mukut-Bandhan Chaitya”. It is one of the places of interest for Buddhists and tourists alike and is one of the best places to visit in Kushinagar and has been built by the Malla Kings, who ruled the region during the time of the Buddha's death, who even oversaw all the rites and rituals related to his cremation. The Parinirvana Stupa and Temple at Kushinagar is also one of its most visited tourist places, and a pilgrimage destination that must be included in a Kushinagar Tourism expedition.

The Temple is believed to be one of the most holy sacred shrines of Buddhism by the devotees all across the world. Located inside the temple, named the Mahaparinirvana Temple, lies a statue of the reclining Buddha that measures up to 6 meters in length and is a monolithic structure carved out of a single block of sandstone. Lying on his right side, facing the direction of west, the statue is said to represent the Buddha during his mahaparinirvana, and is the same posture that he laid himself to rest in. The Nirvana Stupa near the Mahaparinirvana Temple is also one that was excavated during one of the excavations held in the region in 1876, and was worked upon to repair and reconstruct it. The present structure of the stupa was developed by 1956 and was presented during the Buddha's 2,500th Jayanti. Also referred to as the Nirvana Chaitya is believed to be where the Buddha passed away. Forming an important part of Buddhist history, Kushinagar is an integral part of Buddhist Tourism in India and is visited by thousands of pilgrims throughout the year.