Kushinagar, the Holy Buddhist Pilgrimage

Mahaparinirvana temple was built by Swami Haribala, a Buddhist Monk and restored by Carlleyle in 1876. It is a bricks made construction stands at a height of 2.74 meter. A copper vessel with Brahmi inscription is unearthed here which stated that Lord Buddha's ashes were buried in the pace. A beautiful meditation garden is located just besides the temple.

Nirvana Stupa is a statue of reclining Buddha about 6.1 meters long placed inside the Mahaparinirvana temple. This statue was brought from Mathura by Haribala, during the reign of Kumara Gupta. But it was excavated in 1876. This is a monolithic statue of Buddha carved out of one piece of red sandstone of Chunar, and it represents the last moments of Buddha.

Wat Thai temple was completed by the Thai devotees in 2001 to perform as pilgrimage site. This beautiful temple has a large surrounding area of 10 acres include a Chinese temple, Meditation Park, International Buddha trust, Birla temple, monastery, garden, health clinic, library and school.

Ramabhar Stupa is located about 1.6 km away from Mahaparinirvana Temple where Lord Buddha was cremated. It is a large Stupa rises to a height of 49 ft. You will find some ancient Buddhist texts on it which depict that the Stupa has been referred to as Mukut Bandhan Vihar.

Government Buddha Museum opened for people 1993. U.P. Government has developed this museum in Buddhist architectural style. You will find here lots of ancient evidence related to lord Buddha like coins, statues, sculptures, architectural remains, terracotta, bronze, banner paintings, etc.

Japanese temple is also another tourist attraction in the city of Kushinagar. A splendid Ashta Dhatu or Eight Metals statue of Goutama Buddha is placed inside the temple. This statue was brought from Japan by the Japanese devotees.

Being a major tourist and pilgrimage destination, Kushinagar receive lots of visitors through out the year, and that is why the city authority has maintained a well connected transportation to reach here. Gorakhpur is the nearest major city to Kushinagar which located about 52 km away.

Travel by Railways: There have no railway services in the city of Kushinagar. Gorakhpur Junction Station is the headquarters of North Eastern Railway located about 52 Km away from Kusinagar. It is a model station and connected to rest North and East Indian parts of India with regular train services. Deoria railway station is another important destination to you wich located about 35 km away from the city.

Travel by Airways: the domestic airport of Gorakhpur about 47 km from Kushinagar is the closest airport. But it does not provide frequent flight services from other Indian big cities. The airports of Lucknow Amausi (about 251 km from Kushinagar) and Varanasi Babatpur (about 290 km from Kusinagar) will be suitable destination to you in case of air journey.

Travel by Roadways: Roadway is the only option to enter in the city of Kushinagar. The city is well connected to rest parts of Uttar Pradesh through the NH-28. State Government operate regular bus services (UPSRTC) from adjoining cities to Kusinagar.