53 Km from Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, one of the principal centers of the Buddhist pilgrimage, is the place where Lord Buddha left his corporeal self and attained Maharparinivana.

Kushinagar was previously known as Kushinagar, which was the capital of Malla dynasty. It was one of the famous sixteen Mahajanpadas of ancient India. The Chinese travelers Fa Hien and Hieun Tsang have also mentioned Kushinagar in their travelogues.

The credit for bringing this ancient site to light goes to General A. Cunningham and A.C.L. Carlleyle who, after excavating the site in 1861, established its antiquity for the first time. Later, between 1904 and 1912, several excavations conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India at Kushinagar confirmed its identity.

The monuments of Kushinagar are clustered in three distinct groups comprising the main site at the Nirvana Temple, the central Stupa and surrounding monasteries, the Mathakuar Kot to the south-west and the Ramabhar Stupa, a kilometer to the east.