Kushinagar

Kushinagar is where the Buddha entered parinirvana, and the Mahaparinirvana Temple holds a reclining figure just over six metres long, carved from a single block of sandstone in the fifth century and found broken in the excavations of 1876, since restored and now robed and tended by monks. Behind it stands the stupa raised over the site. About a kilometre away, the Ramabhar Stupa is a large brick mound marking where the cremation took place. As one of the four principal pilgrimage sites it draws visitors from across the Buddhist world, and monasteries built by Thailand, Myanmar, Japan, Tibet and others line the road.

What you actually see

• The reclining Buddha - a fifth-century sandstone figure over six metres long.
• The Mahaparinirvana stupa - the mound behind the temple.
• Ramabhar Stupa - the large brick mound over the cremation site.
• The international monasteries - temples built by Buddhist countries along the road.

When to go

October to March; eastern Uttar Pradesh is very hot from April and wet in the monsoon. Buddha Purnima brings pilgrims. Early morning at Ramabhar is quiet and often used for meditation.

Honest expectations

The town is small with limited facilities and food options. Sites are spread along a road and need transport between them. The area sees far fewer foreign visitors than Bodh Gaya.

Nearby

Gorakhpur lies west; Lumbini is north across the Nepal border.