Place · Buddhist cremation stupa · India
Ramabhar Stupa, Kushinagar
Also known as Kushinagar, Ramabhar Stupa, Ramabhar (Mukutabandhan) Stupa, Ramabhar Stupa, Ramabhar Stupa — Kushinagar
The Ramabhar Stupa at Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh — the stupa commemorating the Buddha's cremation site, built on the Hiranyavati river bank where the Buddha's body was cremated by the Mallas 7 days after his parinirvana in 483 BCE. The current 15-metre brick stupa is a Gupta-period (4-5th century CE) construction on the earlier Mauryan foundation. The stupa is one of the four main pilgrimage sites of Buddhism (with Lumbini birth, Bodh Gaya enlightenment, and Sarnath first sermon). The adjacent Mahaparinirvana Temple (modern 1956 reconstruction) houses the famous 6-metre reclining Buddha image depicting the Buddha's death pose. The Ramabhar Stupa was first excavated by H.H. Carlleyle in 1877. ASI protection since 1904. UNESCO tentative list since 2004. The adjacent Buddhist pilgrim-service infrastructure makes Kushinagar a key stop on the Mahaparinibbana circuit.
- Function
- Burial and funerary
- Confidence
- Established / referenced
- Location
- 26.740, 83.900
Connections (2)
- Site adjacencyKushinagar
The Rāmābhār stupa stands about a kilometre and a half from the parinirvāna temple at Kushinagar, over the site the tradition identifies as the cremation ground. The two together are the death and the burning, which is why the pilgrimage at Kushinagar is a short walk rather than a single building.
- Site withinKushinagar
The Ramabhar Stupa — the Buddha's cremation stupa — sits within Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, 1.5 kilometres from the Mahaparinirvana Temple. The Gupta-period brick stupa marks the exact spot where the Buddha was cremated by the Mallas in 483 BCE on the Hiranyavati river bank. The stupa and the Parinirvana Temple together constitute the two chief Buddhist pilgrimage anchors within Kushinagar, one of the four main Buddhist pilgrimage sites.
Sources
Wikipedia, “Kushinagar”. Archaeological Survey of India and State Archaeology monument records, and the standard regional literature.
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