Kushinagar is a pilgrimage town in the Kushinagar district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The name of "Kasia Bazaar" was changed to Kushinagar and then Kasia Bazaar became a municipality with the official name Kushinagar.
It is an important Buddhist pilgrimage site, where Buddhists believe Gautama Buddha attained Parinirvana after his death. It is an international Buddhist pilgrimage centre. The followers of Buddhism, especially from Asian countries, wish to visit this place at least once in their lifetime.
Location of Gautama Buddha's death and parinirvana
In 1896, Waddell suggested that the site of the death and parinirvana of Gautama Buddha was in the region of Rampurva. However, according to the Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, the Buddha made his journey to Kushinagar, died there and wherein he was cremated. It is believed that during his last day he walked into the groves of tress near the city and rejoiced at the blossoms of sala trees (Shorea robusta) before laying himself to rest.
Modern scholarship, based on archaeological evidence, believes that the Buddha died in Kushinagar, close to the modern Kasia (Uttar Pradesh).
Ashoka built a stupa and pilgrimage site to mark Buddha's parinirvana in Kushinagara. The Hindu rulers of the Gupta Empire (fourth to seventh century) helped greatly enlarge the Nirvana stupa and Kushinagar site, building a temple with reclining Buddha. This site was abandoned by Buddhist monks around 1200 CE, who fled to escape the invading Muslim army, after which the site decayed over the Islamic rule in India that followed. The British archaeologist Alexander Cunningham rediscovered Kushinagara in the late 19th century, and his colleague A. C. L. Carlleyle unearthed the 1,500-year-old Buddha image. The site has since then become an important pilgrimage site for Buddhists. Archaeological evidence from the 3rd century BCE suggests that the Kushinagara site was an ancient pilgrimage site.
Geography
Kushinagar is a nagar palika situated at 53 km east from Gorakhpur on the National Highway-28, lying between latitude 26°45´N and 83°24´E. Gorakhpur is the main railway terminus for Kushinagar while air strip of UP Civil Aviation is situated in Kasia, 5 km away from Kushinagar, currently being developed as an International Airport by Uttar Pradesh Government and Government of India.
Education
Kushinagar has made a lot of progress in education in recent times. In the last decade,[when?] dozens of private and government institutes have been established at this little town. Here is a list of all educational institutes in Kushinagar:
Government institutes
Buddha Post Graduate College, Kushinagar
Buddha Intermediate College, Kushinagar
Polytechnic colleges
Government Polytechnic, Mujahana, Kushinagar
Mooti Chand Polytechnic Institute, Kurmauta, Kushinagar
Other institutes
M.A.V.M Varistha Madhyamik Vidyalay Kasia, Kushinagar
Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Kasia, Kushinagar
Rahul Shishu Shiksha Niketan, Kushinagar
Buddha Central Academy, Kasia, Kushinagar
VIEIT Computer Education, NH-28, Gorakhpur Road, Kushinagar
Rahul Public School, Kushinagar
Swargiya Foolmati Devi Kushinagar Public School, Kushinagar
Linh-Son Buddhist Intermediate College, Kushinagar
Gyanlok College for Government Services, Kushinagar
Nav Jeevan Mission School, Kasia, Kushinagar
St. Xavier's High School, Kasia, Kushinagar
Bright Children's Academy, Kasia, Kushinagar
St. Joseph's School, Salemgarh, Kushinagar
Gyan Bhoomi International School, NH-28, Kushinagar
St. Thereses School, Padrauna, Kushinagar
Malati Pandey Girls Inter College, Bhaluhi Madari Patti, Kasia, Kushinagar
Holy Mother's English School, Gaura Khas, Kasaia Road
Green Land Public School, Kasia
Quantom Public School, Kasia
S.D. Public School, Babhnauli
Nirankari Inter College, Kasia
Holy Mother's English School, Kasaia Road, Gaura Khas
SP Montessori, Seorahi, Kushinagar
Medical institutions and hospitals
Government Hospital, Kasia
Governmental Aayurvedic Hospital, Mahaparinirvana Temple road
Buddha National Hospital, NH 28
Qazi Nursing Home, Kasia
Al-Shifa Medical College, Kasia
Vartika Medical Center, Kasia
Hitashi Hospital, Gorakhpur Road, Kasia
Sanjeevni Hospital, Sapha Road, Kasia
Jeevan Jyoti Chikitsalaya, Kasia
Hansraj Memorial Hospital, NH-28
Janta Hospital, Kasia
Abhay yoga centre Kushinagar
Notable people
Sachchidananda Vatsyayan 'Agyeya' (सच्चिदानंद हीरानंद वात्स्यायन 'अज्ञेय'), noted Hindi writer
Ram Nagina Mishra, former Lok Sabha MP
Baleshwar Yadav, former Lok Sabha MP
Rajesh Pandey, member of 16th Lok Sabha, also served as a Member of Legislative Council in Uttar Pradesh
R. P. N. Singh, former member of parliament from Indian National Congress, also served as Minister of State for Road and Transport, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas in the cabinet of former Prime minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushinagar
