Among one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimages, Kushinagar is where the Buddha discovered the Mahaparinirvana (great salvation) in c. 483 BC.
Modern-day Kushinagar is identified in Kushinara, the capital of the ancient Republic of Malla, which was one of the 16 mahajanapadas of the 6th-4th century BC.
The area continued to be part of the Mauryas, Shungas, Kushanas, Gupta, Harshavardhana and Palala kingdoms.
The first excavations in Kushinagar were made by Alexander Cunningham and ACL Carlleyle, who unearthed the main stupa and a six-foot-tall statue of the Reclining Buddha in 1876.
Kushinagar is among the very few places in India where the Buddha is shown in the reclining form.
About the Buddhist Circuit:
In 2016, the Department of Tourism announced the Buddhist Circuit as the first national tourism destination in the country, covering Nepal and Sri Lanka alongside those in India.
The Buddhist Circuit Service Map includes Bodh Gaya, Vaishali, and Rajgir in Bihar, Kushinagar, Sarnath, and Shravasti in the UP, and Lumbini in Nepal.
Source à Indian Express
Tags : Bodh Gaya, Vaishali, and Rajgir in Bihar, Kushinagar, Sarnath,Shravasti