A travel to Kushinagar would take you to the sacred land where Lord Buddha had left His corporeal self. The land of Kushinagar basks in the hallowed memory of Lord Buddha. The prophet had spent the last few days of his mundane life here.Until 1861 when General A. Cunningham and A.C.I. Carlyl exposed the hidden wealth through excavations, Kushinagar was hidden into oblivion. Once they established its antiquity, several excavations carried out in between 1904 and 1912 reconfirmed its identity.
HOW TO REACH
Strategically located near Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, Kushinagar has good transport network by air, road and rail. Here Travel.mapsofindia brings here complete information on how to reach Kushinagar:
By Air:-
The nearest airport from Kushinagar is Varanasi, several airlines operate regular flights to connect Varanasi to Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Patna.
By Rail:-
The nearest railway station from Kushinagar is Gorakhpur, which is an important railhead in Uttar Pradesh. Regular trains network Gorakhpur with major Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi. One can reach Gorakhpur and Kushinagar in turn, from any part of the country by rail.
By Road:-
A good network of roads connects Kushinagar to other parts of the state of Uttar Pradesh. Gorakhpur (51 km), Sravasti (254 km), and Sarnath (266 km) and Agra (680 km) are linked to Kushinagar by road.
WHAT TO SEE
Nirvana Stupa:-
The huge stupa made of bricks was exposed by Carlyl in 1876. The Brahmi inscription states that Lord Buddha’s remains had been deposited here. A copper vessel was unearthed at this site.
Nirvana Temple:-
A 6mtrs long statue of reclining Buddha represents the dying prophet. The statue was unearthed in 1876.
Mathakuar Shrine:-
Some 400yards from the Nirvana stupa, it enshrines a black stone image of the Buddha in the ‘bhumi sparsha mudra’. Lord Buddha delivered his last sermon here.
Ramabhar Stupa:-
Nearly 1km away this 49 ft tall stupa marks the site where the Lord Buddha was cremated. In ancient Buddhist texts this stupa has been referred to as Mukut-Bandhan Vihar.
Japanese Temple:-
This is a recent construction. Here is installed a beautiful statue of Lord Buddha made of eight metals which has come from Japan.
Chinese Temple:-
It also has a beautiful statue of Lord Buddha.
Kushinagar Museum:-
The Buddha Museum, containing finds from excavations at the site, is open everyday except Monday.
SHOPPING:-
Kushinagar is a famous Buddhist pilgrimage. But the small town ship does not offer great shopping of course. In fact hardly anybody goes for shopping in Kushinagar. The nearest city is Gorakhpur. Mapsofindia rather suggests you to shop in Gorakhpur or in Varanasi instead of shopping in Kushinagar. The state of Uttar Pradesh where the Kushinagar belongs to has a rich tradition of handicrafts. While shopping in Gorakhpur or Varanasi, you may come across usual assortment of specialty handicrafts of the region.
FOOD:-
You can enjoy some sumptuous food in some famous restaurant of the city. You can also findChinese along with Indian dishes. The city has abundant food to offer to its visitors.