BERLIN A CITY WHICH HAD A WALL

BRANDENBURG GATE

I am a wanderer who wants to travel and see the world. I like to go to those places where History was created. My travels have taken me to many places, of which I am particularly fascinated with Greece, where I found every thing pleasant. Life seemed tranquil and peaceful, the place was beautiful with plenty of fruits and olive trees. The sea around was calm.  The ruins  speak of Art, Theatre, Music, Medicine, democracy, Olympics, Maths, Alphabets, Education, Philosophy and everything else which was meant for the development of the people, and all this happened before the birth of Christ!

I recently chose to visit Berlin. This was  a city which saw a lot of turmoil. It saw History being created for the destruction of humankind. It brought about a lot of pain, suffering, discrimination and dehumanizing people on the basis of their religion or physical impairment  It was the pursuit of a particular person to create a superior race. The woes of considering oneself superior and eliminating those whom they consider inferior  surely speaks volumes about the society then. Jungle law says Survival of the Fittest, but then are we are not human beings who are supposed to be civilized, thinking people, social people who want to take everyone with us?

AN OLD BUILDING

Well to come back to my travels, as I landed in Berlin the airport seemed quite functional and unattractive as compared to the very beautiful, spacious modern airports of a lot of cities that I have seen. Delhi airport is comparatively LUXURIOUS, lovely and comfortable.  There were no escalators, elevators and no walkways too, so one had to lug ones hand baggage up the stairs. The travel Information desk was very helpful though and we were quickly issued 5 days passes for about 37 Euros each, so that we could travel on any mode of transport and explore the city at quite a concessional rate.The bus, tram, overground and underground trains are very many, very comfortable and easy to catch. There is Bus No. 100 and 200 which takes one around all the different tourist spots of the city. It is like a Hop on Hop off Bus, but very reasonably priced. One only has to validate the ticket the first time that one uses a public transport and after that for five days one can use the public transport without a worry. I found the city very clean, neat and beautiful, where traffic is almost non existent by my Delhi standard, the air is fresh, the gardens are lovely and green, the people are helpful. The roads are wide and the city looks very neat and tidy.

After the Second World war Berlin was divided into two parts the Western part was occupied by USA and the eastern portion was controlled by USSR. Therefore it has two airports and two main Railway stations. 

WIDE ROADS

The roads are very wide, cyclists are encouraged as their are cycle paths, and traffic of cars was very scant. All that one could see were Mercs, BMW's, Audis, VW's. There were very few Japanese cars on the roads.

I loved the area where my hotel was located.

Wilhelmstrasse is the road where History happened. This was the road on which all the Ministries, the Gestapo, Hitler's House and the British Embassy were located. Walking down Wilhelmstrasse is a great experience. It is a very wide road and I could visualize the huge flags of the Third Reich, the might of Hitler, the massive military strength that was displayed on these buildings and the road where the marching troops went by.  It all looks very professional, majestic, and mighty.  I was particularly interested to see the building where Hitler lived. I learnt that in 1938-39 a new Reich Chancellery was built for Adolf Hitler by Albert Speer on this street. This building stood immediately south of the old Chancellery, on the corner of the Wilhelmstraße and the Voss Strasse, and its official address was Voßstraße 4, but the balcony from which Hitler addressed crowds faced the Wilhelmstraße. I walked up and down this road for three days trying to locate the exact spot without success. On the third day I found a small board stating that 77  Wilhelmstraße was located here. It did not state that Hitler lived here. Presently there is a residential car parking at that place. 

 

WHERE HITLER'S BUNKER WAS

After the occupation of the City by the Russians,  construction of  new buildings in the area around the Führerbunker( Hitler's Underground bunker) began. It was a strategy employed for ensuring that the surrounding place remained anonymous and unidentifiable. As it is  during the War all the old buildings had been fully destroyed. Now the new rulers had tried to wipe out all trace of this place. As it is said in Urdu, "is jagah ko naist nabood kar diya", this place was totally destroyed. One may destroy buildings but can one erase memory and the sad history of the place?

During the Nazi rule the German Foreign office headed by Joachim von Ribbentrop stood at Wilhelmstrasse 73. The Finance Ministry stood at Number 61.The Propoganda Ministry of Joseph Goebbel's was at 8-9 . The British Embassy was at number 70.The only major building that survived the bombing was Reich Air Ministry at Wilhelmstrasse 81-85. The Berlin Wall was broken on the  9th November 1989 but there are two portions of the wall maintained as tourist attractions. One portion is near the Topography of Terror and the other portion is near the river. The portion near the river is filled with graffiti.

GRAFFITI ON BERLIN WALL

Berlin was and still is a very beautiful city. The trauma that the people of this city underwent can only be felt, words cannot express the agony and uncertainty that the Berliners may have had to face. Those who were friends suddenly became foes if they were Jews or had physical deformity or had a different ideology or belief. It is rather strange how one person could create so much havoc, destruction and misery. Ribbentrop, Eichmann  Goebbels  they had so much power and they wielded it for creating terror.The beauty of Alexander Platz, the magnificent Reichstag, The Brandenburg gate, Potsdamer Platz, pales when one thinks of the horrors that went on in this City.

MEMORIAL

 The memorial to the murdered Jews  is stark, grey, poignant. They comprise of simple blocks of granite in different sizes laid out in rows. They symbolize the massive graves of people who died and were cremated unidentified, unknown and unsung. The magnitude of misery stares one in the face. This place is very close to the Brandenburg gate and the Reichstag. I sat there for a long time looking at the grave like structures, I felt quite devoid of feeling, I felt numb and time seemed to stand still. This memorial is one of the best that I have seen. It tells of a time not so long ago when innocent people were killed in cold blood, in the most barbaric manner. 

We went to see the Topography of terror, which is located at exactly the same spot  where between 1933 and 1945, the central institutions of Nazi persecution and terror– the Secret State Police Office with its own “house prison,” the leadership of the SS and, during the Second World War, the Reich Security Main Office – were located. It was the office of the "Gestapo." This is now a museum with a lot of pictures.

THE ONLY BUILDING THAT SURVIVED THE BOMBINGS

I saw the building from where Goebbles worked. He was the Minister of Propoganda and he was the one who said,“It would not be impossible to prove with sufficient repetition and a psychological understanding of the people concerned that a square is in fact a circle. They are mere words, and words can be molded until they clothe ideas and disguise.” 

CHECK POINT CHARLIE

I went with great expectations to Checkpoint Charlie which was a gate between East and West Berlin. It was a bit of a disappointment. Today there is a portrait of an American soldier on the side which belonged to USA and on the reverse is the portrait of a Russian soldier. There is a Museum located at this place. It houses amongst other things a Volkswagon car which had been used to stow away people wanting to travel to freedom on the Western side. There are a lot of photographs showing the different apparatus and equipment used by people to cross the border stealthily. Many lost their lives but a number of them succeeded. GRAFFITI ON A WALL AS SEEN FROM TRAIN

Berlin has a huge underground city which had been built for shelter during air raids during the IInd World War. We took a guided tour of an underground bunker. It a very big planned shelter, with rooms, benches and toilets too. There were rooms for women with small kids too. It was expected that the shelters would be for short durations. They are well ventilated and not claustrophobic. It just goes to show how well prepared the regime was to take care of its people.

THE OLD & THE NEW

Berlin needs to be seen slowly. One thing at a time. The Olympic Stadium, The Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, Charlottenburg Palace, need to be spoken of in detail, and I shall write of them separately.

MY FIRST IMPOSSIBLE DESTINATION MOHENJO DARO.

There are a few places on earth that I really  want to see. I am quite sure that I will manage to see a lot of these places, but there are at least four places which may always remain out of bound for me.  They were part of India at one time, but now they no longer are easily accessible to us.These places are now located in Pakistan, and are Mohenjo Daro, Harappa, Takshashila and Lahore.

Two of them belong to the Indus Valley Civilization, one belongs to the beginning of the AD era and the last belongs to a more contemporary era.

A well in a compound & the drain

I have therefore embarked on this trip sitting in my chair with my lovely Mac, a tall glass full of cold coffee and away I go on my trip. I am so  happy that I am not spending any money too. Away, away on the wings of my mind, I land on the Mound of the Dead, or as most of you would call it Mohenjo Daro. This ancient city sits on elevated ground in  Larkana district of Sindh province in Pakistan. Mohenjo daro is a town of the  Indus Valley Civilzation which  existed during the Bronze age from 3300 BC to 1300 BC. This civilization was spread from North East Afghanistan to North West India. It was near the river Indus, Ghaggar and Hakra. The  two other ancient Civilizations that flourished during this time were Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia .

A seal

It is said that there were over 5 million inhabitants here. They had developed new techniques in handicraft and metallurgy, they dealt with copper, bronze, lead and tin.Their major business was agriculture as well as trade with the present day Middle East.

The most amazing aspect of that time was the way the people lived. I am talking of about 4000 years ago. Buddha lived about 2500 years ago, Indus valley was 1500 years before that too! Looking at the villages of contemporary India today, it is surprising to know that even 4000 years ago, in the Indus Valley there was urban planning, houses were made of baked brick, there was an elaborate drainage system and water supply system too. There were bathing areas in the houses,toilets and also a plumbing system akin to what we have now. Wells have been  found throughout the city. The houses were often in two stories. There were precise lanes and the city was well planned.

The Great Bath

The most impressive structure excavated at Mohenjo-Daro so far, is the Great Bath. It was constructed with kiln-burnt bricks, and is  12 metres long, 7 metres wide and 2.5 metres deep. Gypsum has been used along with mortar to make the floor and sides of the pool water-tight. The pool is in the centre of a large open quadrangle with rooms and galleries on all sides.  The pool was fed by a near by well and the dirty water was drained into the city's sewage system through a corbelled drain. It seems as though they were very particular about cleanliness and bathing. 

There was also a cluster of large non residential buildings.  There were no ostentatious palaces, temples or monuments.There's no obvious  evidence of a king or queen. Mohenjo Daro was most probably  governed as a city-state, perhaps by elected officials or elites.

Pottery and tools of copper and stone were standardized, There were proper weights and there were a lot of seals. There are  ceramic similarities  in pottery, seals, figurines, ornaments, found in Central Asia, the Iranian plateau and southern Turkmenistan, which speak of intensive caravan trade with them.

Dancing girl

A miniature bronze statuette of a nude female,which is 4.1" high, known as the "dancing girl", was found here and  is now displayed at the National Museum in New Delhi. Amongst the artifacts found here are those made of ivory, lapis, carnelian and gold beads. A lot of seals have been found with figures of animals. 

Priest King

There is a stone sculpture  of a Priest King also found which is now displayed at the National Museum Karachi.  It is called Priest King although it is known that there were perhaps no kings at that time. This is the figure of a seated male, it is 6.9" tall. The hair is neatly combed back and the cloak draped on the left shoulder has a beautiful pattern.

Each city in the Indus Valley was surrounded by massive walls and gateways. The walls were built to control trade and also to stop the city from being flooded. Each part of the city was made up of walled sections. Each section included different buildings such as Public buildings, houses, markets, craft workshops. Over the years, the level of streets and houses were raised owing to the accumulation of debris  which necessitated raising the height of the wells. This is the reason why very tall wells are often seen at Harappa and in the surrounding areas.

Who were they, what did they do, how were they so advanced, how did that civilization end, is a big question. They had a script which has not yet been deciphered, once that is deciphered a lot of the questions will be answered. This script is written from right to left.

MORNING GLORY!

My morning walks are a source of information and learning for me. I go to the nearby Government City Forest which is also a Nursery which has a nice walking path. The path is 2.4 kms long and winds its way in an interesting manner. The bends and turns are irregular, so the path retains a charm of its own. The area is forested with a large number of trees.

At the entrance to the Nursery sit a number of fruit vendors, most prominent is the nariyal walla. I feel very happy to see the awareness amongst the walkers to health foods and fruits. A lot of people buy their days supply of fruit on the way out. A number of walkers drink coconut water everyday.

Walkers are of all types, shapes and age. This park is situated on the Mehrauli Badarpur Road and is close to Sainik Farms, Saket, Neb Sarai and Said ul ajaib. The walkers come from all these places.

 The pattern of the groups are interesting. Young girls walk in a group of two or three, young men are in pairs, ladies in the age group of 30 to 40 years are usually in a group of four, older men walk in a cluster, then there are couples who would be in the slightly older age bracket and  then there are retired senior citizens who need help in walking, they come with attendants. Then there are singletons, who are usually the serious walkers, whose sole purpose is to walk at their own speed. They do not want to socialize and do not want to walk at the speed of someone else.

Yoga in the park

Younger men in two's usually jog, younger girls walk and talk and giggle. Older men are the loudest, there is a lot of politics discussed and there is a lot of leg pulling also. They really enjoy their walk the most. The middle aged women discuss their kids and the school and also extra curricular activities for the children.The older couples are the quietest. They just trudge along together, there is no talk, no laugh and no smile too. It appears as though they are just completing a task given to them. I do wish people would retain their charm, conversation skills, and companionship always. Wonder why people start taking each other for granted!

Looking for a bench

I usually take two rounds of the path and then look for a bench to sit down upon. Benches are arranged away from the walking path, in a square. While looking for an empty bench I cross a lot of groups. There is a group of young men who practice yoga. Then there is the laughter club, where after some bits of exercise and a lot of clapping, people burst out into artificial laughter. After the group laughter is finished and they disperse, I have noticed many from the group walk away with the perpetual frown that is the normal look on the face of most Indian men. A happy, relaxed, smiling face I have noticed is a rare sight.

Then there are those who bring food for the stray dogs as well as for the ants and the birds. They come with bags full of bread or roti and also bajra grain. There is an oldish lady who is usually surrounded by dogs. She talks with them and pets them and then feeds them. One person does the Surya namaskar and then feeds the ants.

One day as I sat on the bench I heard, "Ma, take off your shoes and walk on the grass. It is very beneficial for health." The mother took off her shoes and then the mother and son walked together on the damp grass. The young man's little daughter was also being told, " Beta, one must always look after one's parents". It was nice to hear these words. This is how traditions are passed on and children are trained by example.

This morning I heard two ladies discussing a proposal for opening of a creche and conducting Music classes at their house.

People

Morning walks provide me with fresh air, chirping of birds, and also lessons on people and their behavior, their interaction and also how almost everyone thinks that they are very experienced and therefore  competent to dish out their free advice to all and sundry on exercise and also on what health foods must be consumed!

One day as I entered the walking path I heard, "Come ma'm please have a cup of tea." There was a group of people who were serving tea and biscuits at the entrance to all the walkers. Satish said,"We all see each other everyday, so we thought that let us share tea and introduce ourselves". They had the tea with sugar and also without sugar! I spent a pleasant five minutes with them and had a nice hot cup of unwanted tea. The result is that  now we at least smile at each other on the morning walk path.

Once I went for a walk in the evening. The trees were full of extremely noisy birds, who were all back after the day and were settling down for the night. The noise was just too much. The decibel was very high and I think there was a lot of discussion going on about the day!

In the mornings the birds leave their nest after a good nights rest so one hears the melodious notes of the cuckoo bird, but the evenings are just a cacophony of noise.

My walking path in Nashua

I visit London and Nashua every year to be with my children. I walk there too. The difference is that in both these places the people are generally jogging. All the people that one passes on the path  always wish each other Good Morning and wave. Walking and jogging is always done after a warm up, which is not so in Delhi. 

A morning walk is not just a physical fitness walk for me, it is a social and educational walk, which starts my day with the mild sun, the cool fresh breeze and the cuckoo singing its melodious song. It is a beautiful  start of a new day.

Walking Park in London

24 YEARS OF VARSHAVAAS-SHRAWASTI!

SAHET

 Shrawasti, was the capital of the Kosala Kingdom during the sixth century BC. It was then called Shavathhi.This place in North East UP, is on the foothills of the Himalayas near the river Rapti,  which was called Achiravati during the time of the Buddha. The Buddha spent 24 monsoon months( varshavaas) here. Kapilvastu and Vaishali were vassals of the Kosala Kingdom. Raja Prasenjit or Pasenadi was the King over here during the time of the Buddha.

It is said that a prosperous Shreshti named Sudatta also called "Anath pindika" because of his generosity to orphans had visited Rajgriha where he heard the discourse of Buddha. He wanted Buddha to visit Shrawasti and therefore wanted to buy a large garden for Buddha's stay and to construct a Vihara for his followers. The garden selected was very huge and was owned by  Prince Jeta, who did not wish to part with the garden. He therefore told Sudatta that if he covered the garden with  gold coins the garden would be given to him. It is said that Sudatta covered the place with 108 million gold pieces and donated the place for use of the Buddha. Today this is the place where a number of ruins of viharas and temples have been found. It is now called Sahet.

THE PLACE WHERE BUDDHA WALKED

The place is maintained beautifully. It is very huge and spread out. There were many monasteries here once upon a time and the place where Buddha usually sat and meditated as well as the strip where he would take a walk are also well preserved. There is an Anadakuti and a Gandha kuti here. 

ANAND BODHI TREE

There is an Ananda Bodhi tree which is venerated. The sapling was brought from Bodhgaya by Ananda. I met the same Srilankan group of pilgrims that I had met earlier at Bodhgaya and Kushinara under the Bodhi tree. Here also they had beautified the place with flowers, flags and their silent procession. All of them were in white and devotion and peace was written large on their countenance.

BUDDHA MEDITATED HERE

After sitting inside the ruin of the little area where Buddha used to meditate, I   learnt that peace and forgiveness is the biggest weapon of all times.

From Sahet we went to a place called Mahet where there are two stupas called the "pakki kuti" and the "kacchhi kuti". The kacchi kuti is the stupa of Anathpindika and the pakki kuti is the jail of Angulimala. 

Angulimal's prison

STUPA OVER PRISON

Angulimala it is said had studied at Takshashila, but had later become a dacoit who waylaid travelers and cut off their little finger and put a garland of the cut fingers around his neck. After meeting the Buddha, he was reformed and gave up this crime. The mound or Stupa is over Angulimala's jail.

WOMEN DISCIPLES

Vishakha the first female disciple of Buddha also belonged to Shravasti. She was married to Punnavaddhana the son of Migara, a rich but miserly merchant. She was the daughter of Dhananjaya and Sumanadevi who originally belonged to Magadh, which was a prosperous place where there were a number of shreshtis. Dhananjaya the son of Mendeka of Magadh therefore shifted to Shrawasti in search of better opportunities. Vishakha was the daughter of this Dhananjaya. Vishakha built the Pubbarama Monastery, where Buddha spent six years of varshavaas. She was a wise lady and devoted to the Buddha, and was quite influential. 

MONASTERIES AT THE BACK & A TEMPLE

King Prasenjit or Pasenadi as he was then called built the Rajakarama Monastery. Pasenadi had studied at Takshshila too and was married to a Princess of Magadh. His own sister was married to King Bimbisara of Magadh. Pasenadi was very devoted to the Buddha but wondered how Buddha had become enlightened at such a young age. At this the Buddha had told him not to doubt  a noble warrior, a serpent,fire and a bhikku, because an enraged warrior may cause harm, the bite of a serpent may kill, a small fire may turn into an inferno and a young Bhikku could also be enlightened. Pasenadi's daughter Vajira was married to Ajatshatru. In those times too there was movement for the sake of business, education as well as marriages!

MODERN TEMPLES

Near these ruins and stupas of Sahet and Mahet, there are beautiful temples built by the Srilankan, Chinese, Myanmarese and  Thais. Close by is a huge bell donated by the Japanese.

ANATHPINDIKA'S STUPA AT MAHET

Shravasti is quite close to Lucknow and the road via Balrampur is good. 

ACHIRAVATI THEN…RAPTI NOW.

LUMBINI GAVE US THE LIGHT OF ASIA

THE PUSHKARNI TANK AT LUMBINI

After seeing the place where Buddha died, my next destination was the place where he was born. We had to cross into Nepal. One does not need a Visa, but have to cross the border where a few formalities are completed. We crossed from Sunauli. People on foot or cycle can go across without any restriction. In fact it was as if they were going across an old time Railway Crossing with the barrier down. People were walking and shopping for daily needs from the Indian side. One more interesting information is that Indian notes of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 cannot be used in Nepal, they accept Rs. 100 notes.

FLOWERS

Once inside Nepal driving towards Lumbini we saw ponds all along the roadside. The ponds were full of lilies and lotus flowers. It was a lovely sight.

We reached Lumbini where there is a huge park. Sign boards were quite inadequate and not clear. One had to ask for the gate from where one could enter the spot where Siddharth Gautam was actually born.

GATE AT LUMBINI

 We were directed to enter from Gate number 4 and walk as cars were not allowed inside. The garden is nice and well maintained. To maintain the sanctity of this place only monasteries can be built in the enclosure .   Shops, hotels or restaurants are not allowed here. 

MAHAMAYA TEMPLE

There is a temple built over the exact spot where Gautama was born. There was a long but orderly queue which went up to the exact spot. One could stand peacefully  as long as one wished to. There was no jostling, no pushing or remarks passed. Every one waited for their turn patiently. After all, everyone had come from far away to see the place, so everyone was allowed freedom to stand as long as one wished to.

The exact spot is covered with glass and one could see the stump of a tree which may have stood there 2500 years ago. It is said that Mahamaya the queen of King Shuddhodhan, left Tilaurakot, the capital of Kapilvastu and was on her way to her mothers place in Devdaha, when she stopped at Lumbini Garden and her child was born under a tree. There is a pond nearby called Pushkarni where Mahamaya is said to have taken her bath.There are a lot of ruins of ancient monasteries, stupas and layers of brick structures in the area from the 3rd century BC. which shows that the place around the Maya Devi temple had been venerated from early times.

I remained in the complex for a long time and actually went upto the exact spot three times as I wanted to have my fill of the place.

ASOKA'S PILLAR

There is an Asoka Pillar also just outside the temple premises where a lot of people were sitting and meditating.

PATHS

When we started on our way back it was dark. Street lights were lit, but in the absence of any sign board we kept turning into wrong lanes. There were not many people on the path chosen by us, so reaching back was more of an adventure trip. The hotel where we stayed at Lumbini was quite nice. Food too was good.

SHUDHODHAN'S CREMATION PLACE STUPA

Having had my fill of Lumbini we proceeded to Tilaurakot, where there are ruins of the palace said to have been the place where Siddhartha spent 29  years of his life. The ruins are of two gates, and palaces. The place is not maintained very well. We went to the East gate from where Siddhartha is supposed to have left the palace. He went up to the River Rohini from where he sent his chariot back. His horse it is said returned but did not enter the palace gates. He died just near the gate.

PIPRAHWA -KAPILVASTU

In India in UP at a place called Piprahwa, ruins of palaces have also been found. Claims are being made that this is the real  Kapilvastu. We visited Piprahwa too. The Indian side of Kapilvastu is maintained very nicely. The gardens around the ruins are beautiful. 

We  had an adventure trip while leaving Kapilvastu and trying to reach Piprahwa. There is a border post just South of Kapilvastu  near Aligarwah,from where one could enter Piprahwa, but from this border only two wheelers could go across. We therefore had to go about ten kms. away and then leave Nepal from Khunwah border. Reaching Piprahwa was quite tough, as we had to travel another 30 kms. to reach Piprahwa which was in fact just across Aligarwah border. 

 

TILAURAKOT NEPAL'S KAPILVASTU

Tilaurakot and Piprahwa are quite close to each other and there is only the border dividing them both. It is therefore quite possible that the claims of both the places are correct. Both have ruins of palaces and both could have been one big City.

In those days marriage between close kin was permitted, as it is interesting to note that Shudhodhan was married to his paternal aunt's(bua's) daughters Mahamaya and Prajapati Gautami. Yashodhara the wife of Siddhartha who was also called Bhaddakaccana was also his maternal uncle's(mama's) daughter.The women were from the Koliya clan and men were from the Shakya clan. Devdaha was the capital of the Koliyas and Tilaurakot was the capital of Kapilvastu. They were both vassal states of Kingdom of Kosala. Tilaurakot is 27 KM west of Lumbini and Devdaha is 35 Km North East of Lumbini. 
Both these places were Gana Rajyas.  Shudhodhan was an elected Raja. There used to be a Santhagara where general assembly of old and young men of a  clan met and decided matters of general and state affairs. These Santhagaras ( santha means group and agar means house or assembly place) of Republic states would control relations with other states,and matters of war and peace. Amazing, isn't it that we have retained a few words from the 6th Century BC, like "Bharat Ganarajya!"   

THE FINAL DESTINATION OF BUDDHA- KUSHINARA

SRILANKAN PILGRIMS IN FRONT OF THE TEMPLE

In 483 BC, Buddha chose Kushinara now called Kushinagar as the last place that he would live in. He announced at Vaishali that he was leaving Vaishali for ever, then at Kesaria he gave his begging bowl to the people of  Vaishali and asked them to go back to their own town and not grieve for him.

Kushinagar is in UP near the river Hiranyavati. The place is not far from the Nepal border and also Kapilvastu to which place Siddhartha belonged. Reaching it was quite a tough job. The distance from Kesariya was hardly 124 kms, yet it took us over five hours to reach as the road was in a very bad condition. In some places I did think that perhaps walking would have been a wiser option!

During the days of the Buddha,the Mallas were the rulers here, and this place was one of the sixteen Maha-jana-padas of 6th century BC.

THE TEMPLE

As one enters the small town, the first place one sees is the Parinirvana Temple. This is the exact place where Buddha died. As the story goes Ananda his disciple was not very happy and the Buddha told him "Don't grieve, Ananda!  The nature of things dictates that we must leave those dear to us. Everything born contains its own cessation. I too, Ananda, am grown old, and full of years, my journey is drawing to its close, I am turning 80 years of age, and just as a worn-out cart can only with much additional care be made to move along, so too the body of the Buddha can only be kept going with much additional care".

THE SERENE FACE

The present temple at the parinirvana spot was built by the Indian Government in 1956 as part of the commemoration of the 2,500th year of the Mahaparinivana or 2500 BE (Buddhist Era). Inside this temple, one can see the famous Reclining Buddha image lying on its right side with the head to the north, facing the west. The statue is 6.1 m long and is made of Chunar sandstone. This statue was made in the 5th Century AD.

THE RECLINING STATUE

On reaching Kushinara,I went inside the temple and sat in a corner.The thought that 2500 years ago the great Buddha lay down here to die was very over whelming.

On the next morning of our stay I again visited the temple early in the morning. A whole procession of Buddhists from Srilanka were circambulating the temple. They were holding lit candles and lotus flowers in their hands. It was a silent procession. Every one was wearing white. This was the same group that I had earlier seen at Bodhgaya. They were on a  pilgrimage to visit all the places connected with the life of the Buddha.

PILGRIMS FROM BENGAL

There was another group of devotees from Bengal. They were accompanied by their Bhikhu. The Devotees sat and listened to the discourse given by the Bhikhu. They too were traveling to all the places connected with the life of Buddha. 

THAI PILGRIMS

I spent a long time inside the temple and watched as the various groups of people brought in long cheevars(cloth) for the Buddha. They would keep the cheevar on the statue  and move on. These cheevars were in golden colour and were very beautifully decorated. There must have been at least 15 cheevars donated by the Srilankans. Once they had gone then came the Thai devotees. They were fewer in number, but they too offered the Cheevar and then sat down to pray.

RAMABHAR STUPA

After the death of Buddha, he was cremated at the bank of the river Hiranyavati. A stupa was built over the place It is now called the Ramabhar Stupa, earlier it was called Mukut-bandhana Chaitya.

The ashes were then collected and divided into eight portions. The claimants of the ashes were  Ajatshatru of Magadha, Licchavis of Vaishali, Shakyas of Kapilvastu to which clan Siddhartha belonged, Bulis of Allakappa, Kolis of Ramagama to which clan his mother Mahamaya belonged, Mallas of Kushinara, Mallas of Pava and the Vethadipa Brahman. All of them took the ashes and built stupas over the ashes. Later Asoka in the 3rd Century BC built 84000 stupas over the ashes removed from some of these eight Stupas and divided into smaller portions.

After visiting the Ramabhar Stupa we visited the Museum. The building is quite big but the stuff inside is just too little.

BURMESE TEMPLE

There are a number of temples built by  other countries in Kushinara. The temple made by the Burmese is located close to the Ramambhar Stupa and is quite beautiful.

OUTSIDE THE TEMPLE

The compassionate Buddha on his death bed told the assembled people not to blame Cunda who had served Buddha his last meal, after which he had fallen ill. He left us a message that compassion and forgiveness are great virtues.  Before his death he asked all the assembled Bhikhus if they had any doubts about the Dhamma or the Sangha. They were all invited to get their doubts cleared. Buddha asked them this question three times. When no one had any doubts, he said his last words, which were, "Listen, Bhikhus, I say this, all conditioned things are subject to decay, strive with diligence for your liberation".

That's me!

Leaving Kushinagar I thought about death. 
Death is only the culmination of the journey of this body. What lives on is the memory of what a person did during this journey. How many people did he /she reach out to. 
What legacy did he/she leave for humanity. What difference did he/she make to the world which he inhabited. Did his/her existence bring a smile on the face of  people whom he touched. 

Will people remember me  long after I am gone? 

Buddha the great teacher died at Kushinara about 2500 years ago, but his thoughts, philosophy, live on trying to make us all better human beings. In a world ridden with war, strife, disparity and discrimination his message of peace, compassion, kindness, equality are eternal solutions for all times to come.