#Mettavalokanaya_International_Buddhist_Magazine_November_2021

Kushinagar -
Amazing Sacred
Place in India….
Buddha, meaning ‘one who is
awake’ in the sense of having
‘woken up to reality’ was the
title first given to Lord Buddha.
It was about 2500 years ago when
Prince Siddhartha Gautam left all the
worldly pleasures to attain the reality
of life and became the Buddha - the
enlightened one. It was a state in
which the Buddha gained an insight
into the deepest workings of life and
therefore into the cause of human
suffering, the problem that had set
Him on his spiritual quest in the first
place. Buddhism offers four major sites
of pilgrimage: the Buddha›s birthplace
at Lumbini, the site where he attained
Enlightenment Bodh Gaya, where he
first preached at Benaras, and where
he achieved Parinirvana at Kusinagar.
Kushinagar is located about 53
km from Gorakhpur and is believed
to be the place where Lord Buddha
attained ‘Maharparinivana’- the
highest stage of salvation. After the
excavation in 1861 many stupas
related to Buddha resurfaced in
Kushinagar and today they are
amongst the major tourist attractions
here. The Ramabhar Stupa is one
of the major attractions; this stupa
is about 50 feet tall and situated
where Lord Buddha was cremated.
Mahanirvana Temple, where a six
meters long Buddha statue in reclining
position is kept; Mathakuar Temple,
where a black stone image of the
Buddha and inscriptions dating back
to 10th-11th century are kept; Watt
Thai Temple; Japanese Temple, where
‘Eight Metals’ statue of Lord Buddha is
kept and the Chinese Temple, which
is predominantly constructed in a
Chinese architectural style are the
other places to see in Kushinagar.
The main stupa as well as the
shrine in front are built on a single
platform which measures 2.74m in
height. The statue of the reclining
Buddha recovered from this site
measures 6.1m in length. It is a
monolithic sculpture carved out of
a single block of sandstone. The
image of reclining Buddha is found
resting on his right side with his face
towards the west probably indicating
the sunset of his life. The right hand
is placed under his head possibly as
a cushion. The image is mounted on
a pedestal with three human figures
embedded on the western side of the
pedestal. An inscription recovered
from the site ascribes the statue as a
religious gift from Haribal. The image
of reclining Buddha is enshrined in
the Mahanirvana Temple.
On October 20, 2021 is the
another most important function
held at Kushinagar. Indian Prime
Minister His Excellency Narendra
Modi inaugurated the “Kushinagar
International Airport” in Uttar
Pradesh, which will help connect
key Buddhist pilgrimage sites. After
the Airport inaugurated, Indian
Prime Minister attended as the Chief
Guest of “Abhidhamma Day” held at
Mahanirvana Temple premises and His
Excellency Narendra Modi worshiped
Gautama Buddha at the Temple.
Most Venerable Dr.
Dhammapiya Thero
The Secretary General of
International Buddhist
Confederation (IBC), The
Founder and Chairman of the
Bahujana Hitaya Educational
Trust & Dhamma Dipa
Foundation.
| NOT FOR SALE |
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