Kushinagar - Varanasi

Grooming the pastoral landscape, the small hamlet of Kushinagar, 53 km in west of  city Gorakhpur, is revered as the site of  Buddha's Mahaparinirvana. On his birth he stepped seven steps in every direction and declared it as his last birth.It was known as the place of death and cremation, that marked his final liberation from the cycles of death and rebirth  which will be a holy site for the followers of Lord Buddha.

Kushinara, Buddha's Nirvana site  then called, was a small town in the kingdom of the Mallas, surrounded by a thick forest cover of Sal trees. It remained hidden & unknown, until the late nineteenth century, when archaeologists rediscovered the site, and began excavating the facts to rediscover the site as the holy Buddha-recognition.

The Buddha's living nirvana, achieved during enlightenment, as death transforms to nirvana without human residue. Self possessed, without psychological pain, untroubled by the thoughts of death,  Buddha identified four places of future pilgrimage: the sites of his birth, enlightenment, first sermon, and death. "But don't hinder yourself by honouring my remains," he added.

On reaching the village of Kushinagar of  Mallas, on the further side of the Hiranyavati River,  Buddha realised that his end was fast approaching. He told Ananda to prepare a bed for him with its head turned towards the north between two sal trees. Ananda who served him for 20 years was deeply upset. "Don't grieve, Ananda!"  Buddha consoled him. "The nature of things dictates that we must leave those dear to us. Everything born contains its own cessation. I too, Ananda, am grown old, and full of years, my journey is drawing to its close, I am turning 80 years of age, and just as a worn-out cart can only with much additional care be made to move along, so too the body of  Buddha can only be kept going with much additional care".

As desired by  Buddha, the Mallas of Kushinagar were informed of his impending death, and they came to pay respect to him. Among them was a mendicant named Subhadra, a 120-year-old Brahmin. Ananda had earlier turned him away but when  Buddha overheard this he called the Brahmin to his side. He was admitted to the Sangha (Buddhist order) and immediately after his conversion he passed away.

When the third quarter of the night approached,  Buddha asked his disciples three times if there were any doubts about the teachings or the disciplines. The Bhikkhus stood silent. "Not one, Ananda, has misgivings. All will eventually reach enlightenment.  Buddha then uttered his final words, "Listen, Bhikkhus, I say this: all conditioned things are subject to decay. Strive with diligence". He passed into meditation absorptions and entered mahaparinirvana (the great passing away). It was the full moon of the month of Vaisakha (April-May) and the year was probably between 487 and 488 B.C. However, according to the Sri Lankan tradition and other southeastern countries, it is believed that the Buddha entered Parinirvana in 544-543 B.C.

 For the next six days the body of the Great Master was laid in state. Preparations were made for his funeral under the direction of Anirudha a cousin and follower of the Buddha. On the seventh day, after honouring the body with perfumes and garlands, it was taken to the Mukutbandhana Chaitya, the sacred shrine of the Mallas. The last ceremony was performed by Maha Kashyapa and the body of the Great Master was cremated with due honour. When the cremation was complete, the Mallas collected the ash as relics, which consisted of a skull, bone, teeth and inner and outer shrouds. The relics were then distributed into eight shares amongst the representatives of the other eight Kingdoms, which constituted ancient northern India. These relics were again subdivided after King Ashoka decided to build 84,000 stupas.

Excursion - Varanasi

Allahabad - Varanasi | Sarnath - Varanasi | Kushinagar - Varanasi | Jaunpur - Varanasi

Kaushambi - Varanasi | Chandraprabha Wildlife Sanctuary - Varanasi

Kaimoor Wildlife Sanctuary - Varanasi | Vindhyachal - Varanasi

Chunar Fort - Varanasi