Kusinagar is where the Buddha finally attained Mahaparmirvana. Amongst the ruins are the Mukutbandhan Stupa and a beautiful statue of the reclining Buddha. At Gorakhpur, en-route to Kusinagar, there is the Rahul Sankritayan Museum with a collection of thangka paintings. An inscribed relic casket was dug out of the ruins of a stupa at Piprahwa, now identified as Kapilavastu.

 

Lumbini

Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, was located in 1890 after being untraced for 1,500 years. At the excavation site in the Maya Temple, are the ruins of a monastery and a pool. There are ruins of a stupa at Sravasti as well.

Sarnath

Sarnath, where the Buddha preached his first sermon in the Deer Park, contains the most impressive remains, as well as a modem temple. The Dharmarajika, Chaukhandi and Dharnek stupas are outstanding. There are also the remains of a monastery, and the beautifully polished Lion Capital of Ashoka. Sarnath contains a rich library and at the Mula gandha Kutir Vihara there are excellent frescoes by Kosetsu Nosu. The Sarnath Museum, not far from the site, contains some of the finest specimens of Buddhist sculpture.

At all centers of Buddhist worship, the Vaisakha (April-May) full moon is observed as the anniversary of three important events - the Buddha's birth, Enlightenment and death, while the Asadh (July - August) full moon is observed as the anniversary of his first sermon.

Within the last 20 years, facilities have (improved greatly for pilgrims and travellers. The Vaisali Express with its air-conditioned coaches runs past railheads for Sravasti, Kapilavastu, Lumbini, Kusinagar and Vaisali. The Ganga at Patna is now crossed by a road bridge, at whose northern end the express halts at Hajipui. Nalanda, Rajgir and Bodhgaya are within 191 km of Hajipur on the same road.