Kushinagar, one of the principal centers of Buddhist pilgrimage is the place of Mahaparinrvana. The monument of Kushinagar are situated in three distincts comprising in the main site of the Nirvana Temple houses over 6meter long statue of the reclining Buddha The image was unearthed during the excavations in 1876. An inscription below dates the statue to the 5th century BC Mathakaur shrine is black stone image of Lord Buddha in the Bhumi Sparsha Mudra (a posture showing him touching the earth ) was recovered here. Ramabhar Stupa rises to a height of 49ft and marks the site where the Lord Buddha was cremated. In ancient Buddhist texts, this stupa has been referred to as Mukut Bandhar Vihar. Kushinagar Museum houses finds from excavations at the site.

The credit for bringing this ancient site to light goes to General A. Cunningham and A.C.I. Carlyl, who, after excavating the site in 1861, established its antiquity for the first time. Later, between 1904 and 1912, several excavations conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India at Kushinagar confirmed its identity.

Area : 6.00 sq. km.
Altitude : 400 meters above sea level.
Season : October-April.
Clothing : Summer - Light cotton. Winters - Woollen.
Language : Hindi, English.
STD Code : 01364

Excursions (Kushinagar) :
Gorakhpur: It is 51 km. At Gorakhpur is the Rahul Sankrtyayan Museum, which has an excellent collection of thanka paintings and relics of the Buddha. Water Sports Complex at Ramgarhtal Planetarium and the Gorakhnath Temple in the city are also well worth a visit.

Lumbini:Situated in Nepal at a distance of 122 km from Gorakhpur, Lumbini is the birthplace of Lord Buddha.

Sightseeing (Kushinagar):
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

Nirvana Stupa : This huge brickwork stupa, exposed by Carlyl in 1876, 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.

Nirvana Temple: This houses the over 6 mtrs 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.

Mathakuar Shrine:This shrine lies about 400 yards from the Parinirvana stupa. A black stone image of the Buddha in the bhumi sparsha mudra was recovered here. The last sermon by Lord Buddha was given here.

Travel Information (Kushinagar) :

Air : The nearest airport is Gorakhpur (44km).
Rail : The nearest rail head or station is Gorakhpur : 51 km, which is the headquarters of North Eastern Railways and linked to important destinations. Gorakhpur is connected directly with Mumbai, Delhi, Cochin and Barauni.
Road : Situated on National Highway No. 28, 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. Lalitpur 33 km from Deogarh.