Kushinagar or Kushinara of Yore is the place where the Lord Buddha died, at the age of 80 and was cremated and achieved the state of Parinirvana. Kushinagar is situated about 55 kms. away from Gorakhpur and a revered place for Buddhist pilgrims. In ancient times, Kushinagar was known as Kushinara and was a small town of not great significance in the Malla kingdom. The main tourist attraction in Kushinagar is the Mahaparinirvana temple, containing the reclining statue of Lord Buddha.

In ancient times, Kushinagar was known as Kushinara and was a small town of not great significance in the Malla dynasty. The actual site of the original town has not been established, but the site of the Buddha’s death was one of the four major sites of Buddhist pilgrimage. It was here that the Buddha died and was cremated and achieved the Parinirvana. The last rites were performed with all the honour that is due to a universal monarch (Chakravartin), as he was held in reverence by all people. The kings of eight Indian states of the Gangetic basin came for the funeral rites and divided his ashes in eight parts. Each king carried these back to his kingdom and built a ‘Stupa’ over the mortal remains of Lord Buddha. On the Buddha’s death, the various monasteries were established which flourished until the last Buddhist monastery was destroyed at Nalanda in the 13th century. There were eight groups of monasteries, stupas and images, indicating that Kushinagar was a substantial community. It was here that the Tathagata, the reciter of truth, breathed his last days. The whole of Kushinagar was turned into a memorial site with stupas and Gupta period Chaitayas and Viharas, built by the kings. Fa Hien, Hieun Tsang and I Tsing, the Chinese travellers visited Kushinagar during different centuries and recorded a graphic account of the place which later fell to bad times, due to lack of patronage. Some of these recordings provided the vital clues for excavations done centuries later by Sir Alexander Cunningham and the Archaeological Survey of India in 1904-5. A shaft was driven through the centre of the stupa which brought to light a copper-plate placed on the mouth of a relic casket in the form of a copper vessel with charcoal, cowries, precious stones and a gold coin of Kamaragupta I.

By Air: 
The nearest airport is located in Gorakhpur, about 62 kms. away.

By Rail:
The nearest railway station is located in Gorakhpur which is connected with Lucknow, Varanasi and other cities.

By Road:
Kushinagar is well connected by road with all major cities like Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Ayodhya, Allahabad and Varanasi.