Mahaparinirvana Temple

Top choice in Uttar Pradesh


The highlight of this modest temple, rebuilt in 1927 and set among extensive lawns and excavated monastery and stupa ruins with a circumambulatory path, is its serene 5th-century reclining Buddha, unearthed in 1876. Six metres long, it depicts Buddha on his deathbed in the paranirvana position; the devotion of pilgrims faced with the image is quite moving. At sunset, monks cover the statue to the shoulders with a long saffron-coloured silk sheet, as though putting Buddha to bed for the night.

Behind the temple is a modern 19m-tall stupa encasing an ancient original, and in the surrounding park is a large bell in honour of the Dalai Lama.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Uttar Pradesh attractions

1. Dalai Lama Bell

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Architecturally, this half-ruined 15m-high stupa is little more than a dome-shaped clump of red bricks, but there's an unmistakable aura about this place…

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