Kushinagar (
Pali
Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...
: ;
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
: ) is a town in the
Kushinagar district
Kushinagar is a district of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India situated in the easternmost part of the state. It has the administrative headquarters at Ravindra Nagar Dhoos. The district is named such after the town Kushinagar, a Buddhist pil ...
in Uttar Pradesh, India, east of
Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur is a city in the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, along the banks of the West Rapti River, Rapti river in the Purvanchal , Purvanchal region. It is situated 272 kilometres east of ...
on
National Highway 27, Kushinagar is a
Buddhist pilgrimage site, where Buddhists believe
Gautama Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),*
*
*
was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...
died.
Etymology
According to
Alexander Cunningham
Major General Sir Alexander Cunningham (23 January 1814 – 28 November 1893) was a British Army engineer with the Bengal Sappers who later took an interest in the history and archaeology of India. In 1861, he was appointed to the newly crea ...
, Kushinagara was named for the abundance of the
kusha grass
Kusha () also known as Darbha () and Pavitram (), are the Sanskrit terms for ''Desmostachya bipinnata'' grass. This grass is of literary and ritual significance in Hinduism.
In the performance of Vedic rituals such as the homa and tarpana, the ...
found in this region.
History
Iron Age
Buddha's death
When
the Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),*
*
*
was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...
reached his eightieth year, according to the ''
Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta'' (
Sutta 16 of the ''
Dīgha Nikāya
The ''Dīgha Nikāya'' ("Collection of Long Discourses") is a Buddhist scriptures collection, the first of the five Nikāyas, or collections, in the Sutta Piṭaka, which is one of the "three baskets" that compose the Pali Tipiṭaka of Th ...
''), he and some of his disciples undertook a months-long journey from
Rājagṛha, through
Pāṭaliputta,
Vesāli,
Bhoganagara, and
Pāvā
Pāvā was an important city of the Malla (tribe), Malla tribe of History_of_India#Second_urbanisation_(c._600_%E2%80%93_200_BCE), ancient India at the time of the Haryanka dynasty of Magadha (Mahajanapada), Magadha. It is located about sout ...
, to their final destination at Kushinagar.
At Pāvā
Cunda, a resident, invited the group to a meal that featured a food called ''sukaramaddava''. Buddha was afflicted by a painful illness resembling
dysentery
Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...
soon after eating it.
After the meal, the Buddha crossed the Kakkuttha River (now called the
Khanua River) and completed his journey to Kushinagar.
According to the ''Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta'', the Buddha attained ''
parinirvana
In Buddhism, ''Parinirvana'' (Sanskrit: '; Pali: ') describes the state entered after death by someone who has attained '' nirvana'' during their lifetime. It implies a release from '' '', karma and rebirth as well as the dissolution of the '' ...
'' shortly after his arrival in Kushinagar. Seven days after his ''parinirvana'', the
remains of the Buddha were cremated at that location. Originally his ashes were to go only to the
Sakya
The ''Sakya'' (, 'pale earth') school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug. It is one of the Red Hat Orders along with the Nyingma and Kagyu.
Origins
Virūpa, 16th century. It depict ...
clan, to which the Buddha belonged. Six other clans and
a king demanded the ashes of the Buddha. To resolve the dispute a
Brahmin
Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...
named Drona divided the ashes into eight portions, distributed as follows: to
Ajātasattu, king of
Magadha
Magadha was a region and kingdom in ancient India, based in the eastern Ganges Plain. It was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas during the Second Urbanization period. The region was ruled by several dynasties, which overshadowed, conquered, and ...
; to the
Licchavis of
Vesāli; to the
Sakyas of
Kapilavastu; to the
Bulis
''Bulis bivittata'' is a species of "jewel beetles" in the subfamily Polycestinae
Polycestinae is a subfamily of beetles in the family Buprestidae: known as "jewel beetles".
Tribes and Genera
The following genera are included: Acmaeoderin ...
of
Allakappa; to the
Koliya
Koliya (Pāli: ) was an ancient Indo-Aryan clan of north-eastern South Asia whose existence is attested during the Iron Age. The Koliyas were organised into a (an aristocratic republic), presently referred to as the Koliya Republic.
Locat ...
s of
Rāmagāma; to the
brahmin
Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...
of
Veṭhadīpa; to the
Mallas of
Pāvā
Pāvā was an important city of the Malla (tribe), Malla tribe of History_of_India#Second_urbanisation_(c._600_%E2%80%93_200_BCE), ancient India at the time of the Haryanka dynasty of Magadha (Mahajanapada), Magadha. It is located about sout ...
; and to the Malls of Kushinagar.
In addition to these eight portions, two other relics were distributed at that time: Drona (the brahmin who distributed the relics) received
the vessel in which the body had been cremated, and the
Moriyas of
Pipphalivana received the remaining ashes of the funeral pyre.
According to Buddhaghosa
Buddhaghosa was a 5th-century Sinhalese Theravādin Buddhist commentator, translator, and philosopher. He worked in the great monastery (''mahāvihāra'') at Anurādhapura, Sri Lanka and saw himself as being part of the Vibhajyavāda schoo ...
, Each of these ten portions was placed in a reliquary
A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', ''Chasse (casket), chasse'', or ''phylactery'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary, or the room in which one is stored, may also be called a ''feretory''.
Relics may be the purported ...
(such as the Kanishka casket or the Bimaran casket) and buried in a tumulus
A tumulus (: tumuli) is a mound of Soil, earth and Rock (geology), stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as ''kurgans'', and may be found through ...
.[ These tumuli have been expanded or reconstructed over many centuries to form large ]stupa
In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...
s. Of these, the only one which remains intact is the Ramagrama stupa
Ramagrama stupa (, also Ramgram, Rāmgrām, Rāmagrāma) is a stupa located in Ramgram Municipality, in the Parasi District of Nepal. This Buddhist pilgrimage site containing relics of Gautama Buddha was constructed between the Mauryan and G ...
in Ramgram, Nepal.
19th century
The earliest mention of the ruins at Kushinagar in modern literature was in 1837, by D. Liston. Liston noted that it was "an object of worship" and pilgrimage site, but misunderstood the ruins to be the remnants of the fortress of a powerful divinity by the name of Mata Koonr.
Kushinagar came back into prominence when Alexander Cunningham
Major General Sir Alexander Cunningham (23 January 1814 – 28 November 1893) was a British Army engineer with the Bengal Sappers who later took an interest in the history and archaeology of India. In 1861, he was appointed to the newly crea ...
performed archaeological excavations at Matha Kuar shrine and Ramabhar stupa in 1861-1862. Cunningham was the first archaeologist to identify the ruins as being the site of the ''parinirvana'' of the Buddha.[ Archibald Carlleyle exposed the Mahaparinirvana stupa and also discovered a meters long reclining Buddha statue in 1876. In 1901, a Burmese monk named Sayadaw U Chandramani applied to the English Governor of India, seeking his permission to allow pilgrims to worship the reclining Buddha image in Kushinagar. Excavations continued in the early twentieth century under J. Ph. Vogel. He conducted archaeological campaigns in 1904–1905, 1905-1906 and 1906–1907, uncovering a wealth of Buddhist materials.
In 1896, ]Laurence Waddell
Lieutenant Colonel Laurence Austine Waddell, CB, CIE, F.L.S., L.L.D, M.Ch., I.M.S. RAI, F.R.A.S (29 May 1854 – 19 September 1938) was a Scottish explorer, Professor of Tibetan, Professor of Chemistry and Pathology, Indian Army surgeon ...
suggested that the site of the death and parinirvana
In Buddhism, ''Parinirvana'' (Sanskrit: '; Pali: ') describes the state entered after death by someone who has attained '' nirvana'' during their lifetime. It implies a release from '' '', karma and rebirth as well as the dissolution of the '' ...
of Gautama Buddha was in the region of Rampurva. However, according to the '' Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta'', the Buddha made his journey to Kushinagar, where he walked into a grove of sala trees and laid himself to rest. There, he died and was cremated on the seventh day after his death. The accumulated body of archaeological evidence
The archaeological record is the body of physical (not written) evidence about the past. It is one of the core concepts in archaeology, the academic discipline concerned with documenting and interpreting the archaeological record. Archaeological t ...
and the historical record
Recorded history or written history describes the historical events that have been recorded in a written form or other documented communication which are subsequently evaluated by historians using the historical method. For broader world his ...
both support the assertion that the Buddha died and was cremated in Kushinagar.
Archaeological evidence from the 3rd century BCE suggests that Kushinagar was an ancient pilgrimage site.[ For example, ]Ashoka
Ashoka, also known as Asoka or Aśoka ( ; , ; – 232 BCE), and popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was List of Mauryan emperors, Emperor of Magadha from until #Death, his death in 232 BCE, and the third ruler from the Mauryan dynast ...
built a stupa
In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...
and placed a pillar
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...
to mark Buddha's attained ''parinirvana
In Buddhism, ''Parinirvana'' (Sanskrit: '; Pali: ') describes the state entered after death by someone who has attained '' nirvana'' during their lifetime. It implies a release from '' '', karma and rebirth as well as the dissolution of the '' ...
'' in Kushinagar. The Hindu rulers of the Gupta Empire
The Gupta Empire was an Indian empire during the classical period of the Indian subcontinent which existed from the mid 3rd century to mid 6th century CE. At its zenith, the dynasty ruled over an empire that spanned much of the northern Indian ...
(fourth to seventh century) enlarged the stupa and constructed a temple containing a reclining Buddha statue. This site was abandoned by Buddhist monks around 1200 CE, who fled to escape the invading Muslim army, after which the site decayed during the Islamic rule in India that followed. British archaeologist Alexander Cunningham
Major General Sir Alexander Cunningham (23 January 1814 – 28 November 1893) was a British Army engineer with the Bengal Sappers who later took an interest in the history and archaeology of India. In 1861, he was appointed to the newly crea ...
rediscovered Kushinagar in the late 19th century, and his colleague Archibald Carlleyle unearthed the 1,500-year-old reclining Buddha statue.[ The site has since then become an important pilgrimage site for Buddhists.]
20th century
After independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...
, Kushinagar remained a part of the district of Deoria. On 13 May 1994, it came into being as a new district of Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
.
Modern Kushinagar
Demographics
According to the 2011 Census of India, Kushinagar had 3462 households and a total population of 22,214, of which 11,502 were males and 10,712 were females. The population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 2,897. The total number of literate people in Kushinagar was 15,150, which constituted 68.2% of the population with male literacy of 73.3% and female literacy of 62.7%. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population was 1,117 (5.03%) and 531 (2.39%) respectively.
Government and politics
Kushinagar comes under Kushinagar Lok Sabha constituency for Indian general elections. The Member of Parliament from this constituency is Vijay Kumar Dubey
Vijay Kumar Dubey is an Indian politician and a Member of Parliament in the 18th Lok Sabha from Kushi Nagar. He was elected in the 2024 Indian general election
General elections were held in Elections in India, India from 2024 election ...
of Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...
who was elected in the 2019 Indian general election
General elections were held in India in seven phases from 11 April to 19 May 2019 to elect the members of the 17th Lok Sabha. Votes were counted and the result was declared on 23 May. Around 912 million people were eligible to vote, and vote ...
. As of 2019, the Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Kushinagar Assembly constituency is Rajnikant Mani Tripathi of Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...
.
As a Buddhist pilgrimage site
;Parinirvana Temple
The statue of the reclining Buddha is inside the Parinirvana Temple. The statue is 6.10 metres long and is made of a single block of red sandstone. It represents the Buddha in the position he was in when he died and attained ''parinirvana'' — reclining on his right side with his head to the north, feet to the south, and face towards the west. It is situated on a large brick platform with stone posts at the corners.
;Parinirvana Stupa
The Parinirvana Stupa (Nirvana Chaitya) is located just behind the Parinirvana Temple. It was excavated by Carlleyle in the year 1876. During excavations, a copper plate was found, which contained the text of the ''Nidana Sutra'' and the statement that plate had been deposited in the Nirvana Chaitya by one Haribala, who also installed the reclining Buddha statue in the temple.[
;Ramabhar Stupa
Ramabhar Stupa (also called Mukutbandhan Chaitya) is the cremation place of Buddha. The site contains a giant stupa unearted during an archaeological dig in 1910. Apart from the giant stupa the complex contains several votif stupa and remains of Buddhist vihars. This site is 1.5 km east of the Parinirvana Temple on the Kushinagar-Deoria road.]
;Matha Kuar Shrine
This shrine contains a 3 m tall seated statue of Buddha. It is a monolithic
A monolith is a monument or natural feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock.
Monolith or monolithic may also refer to:
Architecture
* Monolithic architecture, a style of construction in which a building is carved, cast or excavated f ...
statue carved out of blue stone of Gaya. It represents the Buddha seated under the Bodhi Tree in a pose known as ''bhumi sparsh mudra'' (Earth-touching attitude). The inscription at the base of statue dates to the 10th or 11th century CE. The statue was found during an archaeological dig in 1876. It was restored and enshrined in a temple-like structure in 1927. The shrine lies on the western end of the complex and in front of it is an excavated ruins in the shape of a Buddhist vihar, complete with a central courtyard surrounded by cells. The cells served as living rooms for the Buddhist students.
;Other major places
*Mata Bhagawati Devi Mandir: This is a Hindu temple situated at Buddha Ghat.
*Indo-Japan-Sri Lanka Temple: This is an interesting example of modern Buddhist architecture.[
*Wat Thai Temple: This is a huge complex built in a typical Thai-Buddhist architectural fashion.][
*Ruins and brick structures: These are located around the Parinirvana Temple and Stupa. These are the remains of various monasteries and votive stupas constructed in the ancient period.][
*Several museums, meditation parks and other temples based on architecture of various Asian countries.
]
International relations
Kushinagar has one official sister city
A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are early examples of inte ...
:
* Lumbini
Lumbinī (, "the lovely") is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupandehi District of Lumbini Province in Nepal. The Buddhist commentaries state that Maya Devi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini around 624 BCE. Gautama is bel ...
, Nepal (2022)
Notable people
* Agyeya (Sachchidananda Vatsyayan), noted Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
writer
* Vijay Kumar Dubey
Vijay Kumar Dubey is an Indian politician and a Member of Parliament in the 18th Lok Sabha from Kushi Nagar. He was elected in the 2024 Indian general election
General elections were held in Elections in India, India from 2024 election ...
, politician and Member of Parliament for Kushi Nagar
* Ram Nagina Mishra
Pt. Shri Ram Nagina Mishra was a former member of Lok Sabha and a leader of Bharatiya Janata Party. He was elected to Lok Sabha for six terms and four consecutive terms from Padrauna in Uttar Pradesh state in India.https://web.archive.org/web/2 ...
, former Member of Parliament
* Rajesh Pandey, member of 16th Lok Sabha
Members of the 16th Lok Sabha were elected during the 2014 Indian general election. The elections were conducted in 9 phases from 7 April 2014 to 12 May 2014 by the Election Commission of India. The results of the election were declared on 16 May ...
, also served as a Member of Legislative Council in Uttar Pradesh
* Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh
Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh or R. P. N. Singh (born 25 April 1964), is an Indian politician and former Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs. He was the Member of Parliament for Kushinagar constituency in the fifteenth Lok Sabha ...
, former member of parliament from Indian National Congress, also served as Minister of State for Road and Transport, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas in the cabinet of former Prime minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh
* Mr. Baleshwar Yadav, former Lok Sabha MP
References
Further reading
*A Literary History of Deoria & Kushinagar by M.A. Lari Azad (USM 1998 Ghaziabad)
*Patil, D R (1981). Kusīnagara, New Delhi : Archaeological Survey of India.
External links
Official Photo Gallery of Kushinagar
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20160619032706/http://www.asisarnathcircle.org/docs/Kushinagar%20%20English.pdf Kushinagar, Archaeological Survey of India, Sarnath Circle
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Kushinagar district
Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India
Ancient Indian cities
Archaeological monuments in Uttar Pradesh
Buddhist sites in Uttar Pradesh