Parinirvana Stupa

2022-05-25T03:18:59Z

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{{Infobox religious building
| name = Parinirvana Stupa
| native_name = परिनिर्वाण स्तूप
| image = kusinara.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = The Parinirvana Temple with the Parinirvana Stupa, Kushinagar
| map_type = India Uttar Pradesh
| map_size =
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| location = [[Kushinagar]], [[Uttar Pradesh]]
| coordinates = {{coord|26.741|83.888|display=inline,title}}
| religious_affiliation = [[Buddhism]]
| deity =
| country = {{flagicon|India}} [[India]]
| functional_status =
| website = [http://kushinagar.nic.in/ kushinagar.nic.in]
| founded_by =
| year_completed = 413-55 B.C.<ref name=Jaico>{{cite book|last1=Knapp|first1=Stephen|title=Spiritual India handbook : a guide to temples, holy sites[,] festivals and traditions|date=2009|publisher=Jaico Publishing|location=Mumbai|isbn=978-81-8495-024-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=djI5mL2qeocC&q=buddha%27s+visits+to+kushinagar&pg=PT147|access-date=18 July 2015}}</ref>
}}
The '''Parinirvana Stupa''' or '''Mahaparinirvana Temple''' is a Buddhist temple in [[Kushinagar]], [[India]] which is said to be the place of death of [[Gautama Buddha]], the founder of [[Buddhism]].<ref name=Jaico/> [[Alexander Cunningham]] gains the most attention for his work in the area, because he conclusively proved that Gautama Buddha had died in the area.<ref name=LeHuu>{{cite book|last1=Phuoc|first1=Le Huu|title=Buddhist architecture|date=2010|publisher=Grafikol|location=[S.l.]|isbn=978-0984404308|page=282|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9jb364g4BvoC&q=Alexander+Cunningham+parinirvana+temple&pg=PA282|access-date=18 July 2015}}</ref> The present temple was built by the [[Indian Government]] in 1956 as part of the commemoration of the 2,500th year of the Mahaparinivana or 2500 BE (Buddhist Era). Inside this temple, there is a Reclining Buddha image lying on its right side with the head to the north. The statue is 6.1 m long and rests on a stone couch.<ref name=net>{{cite web|title=Parinirvana Temple|url=http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/kusinaga.htm|website=Buddhanet|access-date=18 July 2015}}</ref>

==History==
After 45 years of missionary activities, the Buddha, severely stricken with illness, finally reached to [[Kushinagar]], where he ordained his last disciple and uttered his last words to the ''[[sangha]]'' and attained [[Nirvana (Buddhism)|Parinirvana]] in 487 BCE. [[Maurya]] king [[Ashoka]] reportedly visited Kushinagar in 260 BCE where he built several ''caityas'', ''stupas'' to honor the Buddha's place of ''Nirvana''. Buddhist sites in Kushinagar were steadily expanded during the [[Kushan|Kushan empire]] (c. 50-241 CE), while Kushinagar witnessed a golden age during the [[Gupta empire]](c. 320-647 CE) when the Parinirvana Stupa was largely expanded and Parinirvana Temple was reconstructed along with a huge reclining Buddha statue.<ref name=LeHuu/> [[Alexander Cunningham]], a British archaeologist noted the existence of a huge vaulted chamber which he dated no later than 637 AD with the reclining Buddha.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Mahâbodhi, or the great Buddhist temple under the Bodhi tree at Buddha-Gaya|last=Cunningham|first=Alexander|publisher=W. H. Allen|year=1892|location=London|pages=85}}</ref> The reclining Buddha statue and temple were discovered and excavated along with the adjoining stupa, and were restored in March 1877. The statue was found broken and scattered into numberless fragments and was entirely reconstructed and the temple also repaired, and roofed by the [[Archaeological Survey of India]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/addorimss/t/019addor0004617u00000000.html|title=The sculpture of the mahaparinirvana of the Buddha at Kasia.|last=Wright|first=Colin|website=www.bl.uk|access-date=2019-04-04}}</ref> The temple has been illustrated in a 14th century history book ''[[Jami' al-tawarikh]].''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://warfare.ga/Persia/14/Jami_al-Tawarikh-Kushinagar-Khalili-Ms727-f37b.htm?i=1|title=Jami' al-Tawarikh by Rashid al-Din. Universal History or Compendium of Chronicles, Kushinagar, where the Buddha achieved Nirvana|website=warfare.uphero.com/Persia/13-14C/Jami_al-Tawarikh-1305-14.htm}}</ref>
{{Quote|text=Perhaps the most interesting example is the vaulted chamber enshrining the colossal statue of the Nirvana Buddha at Kusinagara. As this statue was seen by [[Hsuan Tsang|Hwen Thsang]] in A.D. 637, the use of the arch was certainly both known to and practised by the Hindus at that time.|sign=[[Alexander Cunningham]]|source=Mahâbodhi, or the great Buddhist temple under the Bodhi tree at Buddha-Gaya}}{{wide image|Mahaparinirvana.jpg|750px|Reclining Buddha statue.}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India]]
[[Category:Buddhist temples in Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Stupas in India]]
[[Category:Kushinagar district]]

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Parinirvana Stupa