The last journey of Buddha started from Vulture Peak when Buddha left for Ambalathika from Rajgir. He reached Kushinagar after a long journey, hundreds of kilometres long, which he undertook on foot.
At Capala Shrine, Buddha announced that he will attain Parinibbana in three months. He renounced his will to live on.
He reached the Pava village where he stayed in the Mango Groove of Cunda, the smith. Here he had that last meal of his life. Cunda invited Buddha and the congregation of monks for the meal, which Buddha accepted.
Cunda prepared a special delicacy called “Sukaramaddava”. As directed by Buddha he served the meal to Buddha only and buried the rest in the ground. After the meal Buddha suffered from a severe attack of dysentery with intense pain in his stomach. But he continued with his last journey, though he was severely ill and extremely weak.
Buddha passed into Mahaparinibbana on the full moon day of Vesak / Wesak month in 543 BC. The ruler of Kushinagar arranged for the cremation, and the last rites were carried out as per the honour of a Universal Monarch.
On the seventh day after Buddha’s death, his body was carried for the cremation to the place where the Malla kings used to be crowned.
After the body has burned, clouds appeared in the sky and it rained from the sky, cooling the pyre of the blessed one.
After his cremation, there was a heated debate on right to the relics of Buddha. All clans in attendance wanted to have the right to the relics. Hearing the heated debate, Brahmin Dona addressed the assembly. He suggested that the relics should be divided into eight equal parts and given to all eight clans who were in attendance. The assembly agreed to this suggestion and gave the responsibility of dividing the relics to Drona himself. The clans returned with the relics and kept them in eight relic stupas in different parts of the country.
Today only a large statue of Buddha remains at that very place, in Parinibbana posture. A temple has been erected to mark that event. Even after thousands of years of the parinibbana of Buddha, his Dhamma is providing the path to millions of people in search of the ultimate truth !!
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