Mahaparinirvana Temple

Top choice in Uttar Pradesh


The highlight of this modest temple, rebuilt in 1927 and set among extensive lawns and excavated monastery and stupa ruins with a circumambulatory path, is its serene 5th-century reclining Buddha, unearthed in 1876. Six metres long, it depicts Buddha on his deathbed in the paranirvana position; the devotion of pilgrims faced with the image is quite moving. At sunset, monks cover the statue to the shoulders with a long saffron-coloured silk sheet, as though putting Buddha to bed for the night.

Behind the temple is a modern 19m-tall stupa encasing an ancient original, and in the surrounding park is a large bell in honour of the Dalai Lama.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Uttar Pradesh attractions

1. Dalai Lama Bell

0.05 MILES

A large bell erected in honour of the Dalai Lama on the grounds of ancient Kushinagar, near Maharparinirvana Stupa.

3. Buddha Museum

0.18 MILES

Exhibits Buddhist relics, sculptures and terracotta, most of it from Kushan-era Mathura but some unearthed from the Kushinagar region, though it suffers…

4. Mathakuar Temple

0.19 MILES

This small shrine, set among monastery ruins, marks the spot where Buddha is said to have made his final sermon. It now houses a beautiful gilded 3m-tall…

5. Wat Thai Complex

0.36 MILES

This large complex, much of it off limits to visitors, features an elaborate temple surrounded by beautifully maintained gardens with bonsai-style trees,…

6. Buddha Ghat

0.89 MILES

This small ghat on the Hiranyavati River was built in remembrance of Buddha's cremation near the river banks.

7. Ramabhar Stupa

0.93 MILES

Architecturally, this half-ruined 15m-high stupa is little more than a dome-shaped clump of red bricks, but there's an unmistakable aura about this place…