Matha Kuar Shrine, Kushinagar

Located approximately 400 yards from the Parinirvan Stupa and Mahaparinirvana Temple, Matha Kuar Shrine, as it is locally called, houses a colossal idol of Buddha. It is 3.05 m tall and built out of a single block of blue stone brought from the Gaya region in Bihar. It is installed on a large brick platform.

The idea was to present the Buddha sitting under the Bodhi tree in Bhumi Sparsh Mudra or an earth touching posture. The whole vision was a symbolic representation of the last spiritually charged moments in the life of the Buddha just before he attained Enlightenment and Nirvana.

It is believed that he invoked the Earth to testify to the pious acts performed by him in his previous incarnations. The statue also bears an inscription that is largely illegible, but surely indicates the date of its construction to the 10th or 11th century.

It is also believed that the Buddha delivered his last sermon at this place. The statue was found by Carlleyle in the course of excavations in 1876. It was broken in two pieces and was restored to its original form and installed in this temple in 1927.