Kushinagar

A State of Bliss

Kushinagar, some 50 kilometres east of the Gorakhpur district, north of the town of Devaria, was where Buddha attained beatification, which has made this one of the most revered pilgrimage sites for believers. At the age of 80, Lord Budddha passed from his bodily life into the afterlife. His body was honoured for several days, until he was taken to Mukuta Bandhanam, where the body was placed upon a pyre. Lord Buddha’s most devoted disciple, Bhadanta Mahakassapa, performed the remaining rites, and the body was cremated. The Buddha’s remains were taken to Kushinagar, where they were enshrined in a stupa. The monuments of Kushinagar consist of the Mahaparinibbana Cetiya, which is the main site; Matha Kora and the Antyesti – or funeral – stupa. agp