All material things are impermanent in nature, including
mortal body as well. Shedding this body and freeing the soul from the cycle of
life and death is the ultimate reality. All the spiritual leaders understand
this ultimate truth of life and sacrifice all material wealth and comfort to
work towards the great achievement of life, i.e. enlightenment and moksha.
Buddha also understood the same and worked towards the prime
goal of life, i.e. to live an enlightened life and finally find the ideal way
to release the soul. Whole life, he traversed through the dusty plains of the
Ganga Valley and collected alms for sustenance. He lived his monastic life in
simplicity and waited for the right time to come for his final exit from earth.
The master declared his final Mahaparinirvana at Vaishali during a sermon on
the impermanence of all living things and that his own life on earth was soon
to end.
For this
event of life, he chose ideal location for this purpose was Kushinagar in
Eastern India. Located on the banks of Hiranyavati river, the destination was
the place where under the Sal tree Buddha attained final release from the cycle
of births and deaths.
After six
days of Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana, his mortal remains, bedecked with garlands
were taken in a procession towards the location which is now known as Ramabhar
Stupa in Kushinagar. Also known as Mukutabandha Vihara, this brick stupa was
the place where lord’s funeral took place.
Later, a war
ensued between the claimers of Buddha’s mortal ashes. Eight powers of North
India asserted their right for the possession of the holy relics. Finally, the
monks took that issue to nearby meditating sage Dona who divided the ashes into
eight parts which are even now encased in the country’s eight stupas.
The
Mahaparinirvana Temple in Kushinagar is also reminiscent of Buddha’s final
days. Here, a 6 m long statue of Buddha in reclining Parinirvana posture is the
subject of great devotion in Kushinagar. Carved on black stone, the statue
gives metallic gold looks because of the gold foil offerings by devotees.
Tourists on
the Buddhist Train special tour package are transferred to this third premier
Buddhist pilgrimage site, i.e. Kushinagar to experience the ultimate reality of
life on this blissful land. On this special Buddhist
train, the
pilgrims get a rich experience to travel through all of the important sites in
the Buddha’s life. Tourists and pilgrims can also opt for independent Kushinagar
tour from
reliable Buddhist tour operators as well.