![]() on the occasion of Buddha’s 2500th Jayanti celebrations, as per the recommendations of a committee appointed by Union Government. The present form of the temple has been given in 1956 A.D. Both the statue and the temple ruins were first discovered in 1876 A.D. The western face of the pedestal has a sculpture panel depicting three mourning devotees and an inscription of fifth century A.D, recording the gift of the image by Haribala. long statue rests on a brick pedestal once covered with stone slabs. The Nirvana shrine houses, a colossal monolithic sand stone statue of Buddha in the reclining pose. The stupa was completely restored, out of the donation of Burmese devotees, in the same year.īuddha statue inside Mahaparinirvan Temple a circular plinth of a small stupa with a figure of Buddha in Dhyana Mudra, stylistically datable to first century A.D. ![]() with a copper vessel and a copper plate inscribed with Pratitya Samutpada Sutra and recording its deposition by one Haribala, in Gupta characters of fifth century A.D. Excavation of the earlier ruins revealed a circular chamber at a depth of 4.27 m. The stupa with its cylindrical base and dome is 19.81 m. The main stupa with the shrine in front, form the focus of the extensive remains and both stand on the same platform of 2.74 m. They comprise the main stupa, the Nirvana Temple on a raised platform surrounded by a group of monasteries on the western side, a group of small sized stupas with carved bricks and ornamental pilasters on the southern side, a large two tiered brick platform and small sized stupas partly concealed beneath the main stupa on the eastern side and votive stupas and monasteries on the northern side ranging in date from Mauryan period (3rd century B.C.) to (10th century A.D.) numerous antiquities such as inscribed clay seals, gold and silver coins, terracotta figurines have been recovered during the course of archaeological excavation. The remains unearthed here are the results of extensive excavations by Carlleyle in 1876 and later by archaeological survey of India between 1904-12. The Chinese pilgrims Fa-Hien (5th century A.D.) Hiuen-Tsang (7th century A.D.) and I-Tsing (8th century A.D.) who visited this place have left an elaborate account of the structural remains in their memoirs. ![]() After a gap of about two centuries, Kushinagara again came to prominance during the Mauryas and reached its peak of glory under the Guptas as revealed by numerous structural activities in the form of stupas, monasteries built during that period. The body is believed to have been cremated with due honours by the Mallas of Kushinagara near Makutabandhana Chaitya. Here Buddha breathed his last and attained Parinirvana on the full moon day of the Vaishakha (April-May) month. Kushinagara, the capital of Mallas, also called as Kushinara, Kushigrama according to the Mahaparinirvana Sutta, is one of the four most sacred places as declared by Buddha himself. ![]()
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