Mahaparinirvana Temple, Kushinagar

Regarded probably as one of the most sacred shrines of the Buddhists across the world, Mahaparinirvana Temple is located in Kushinagar in UP. It houses the 6.10 m long idol of Lord Buddha lying in a position when he left his mortal remains at the age of 80 and achieved the supreme state of salvation or permanent bliss.

The monolithic statue of Buddha is built out of a single piece of red sandstone of Chunar. It shows him reclining on his right side with his face facing the west. It was considered the right posture for Mahaparinirvana.

The statue is built upon a large brick platform supported by stone pillars in its corners. There is an inscription on the platform stating that it was built by Swami Haribala, a disciple of the Buddha in 5th century AD. Both the temple and the vihar were a gift of a grateful disciple to his august teacher. The temple attracts huge crowds of tourists and pilgrims from all over the world.