Kushinagar

Meaning

In the low hall beside the red-brick stupa, pilgrims quietly drape golden cloth over the reclining figure of the Buddha.

Buddhist tradition holds that here, at eighty, the Buddha lay down between twin sala trees and entered final peace — the parinirvana; it is counted among the four great places of pilgrimage. In the Parinirvana temple a fifth-century reclining figure receives the golden cloth pilgrims drape over it in homage, and the stupa beside it marks the place. The Ramabhar stupa nearby is held to be where the cremation was performed, so the pilgrimage walks both the last steps and the farewell. Tradition records the final words spoken here: strive on, untiringly.

Voices across time

“All conditioned things pass away. Strive on, untiringly.”

Roads through this light

Field notes

Location

Kushinagar · India · N26.7° · E83.9°

Best time

The cool winter months; early morning before the reclining Buddha

Getting there

About an hour and a half by car from Gorakhpur and its airport and railway station.

Etiquette

Quiet and the pilgrim paths around the reclining Buddha and the stupa are honored.

Sources

• · Encyclopaedia Britannica
• · Archaeological Survey of India

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