Kushinagar Tour – Where Buddha Attained Complete Salvation

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.