” Now, O Brothers ! I do remind you, all component things are subject to decay. Work for your salvation in the earnest”.
This was apparently the last sermon Lord Buddha gave on arrival at Kushinagar in 543 B.C.
Last weekend, we had gone to Kushinagar. I had read that this was the place where Buddha had breathed his last. A big stupa is constructed over the place where his body was burnt. It is being restored now, but it is still in remarkably good condition. There are a lot of excavations and one can see a number of remnants from ancient times. In addition to the stupa there are a number of temples dedicated to Buddha in the vicinity built by people from Tibet, Thailand etc. Kushinagar is quite green and the ride from Gorakhpur to Kushinagar was pleasant. For the first time, I also had the opportunity to see jaggery being made from sugarcane juice. Fresh jaggery tastes really good.
Random Thoughts 
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