Kushinagar World Peace Bell "Homage to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. To the Bhagavan Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Eighty-Four Siddhas, the holders of the lineage of enlightenment, we offer our heartfelt prayers. Each time this Dharma Bell rings out at Sarnath, where the Buddha first turned the Wheel of the Dharma, may the sound of the bell evoke blessings in this dark time of the Kaliyuga, to restore universal peace and harmony throughout time and space and assure the longevity of the Tripitaka until the time that Maitreya again turns the Dharmacakra" Inscription on the Kushinagar World Peace Bell

Kushinagar, where the Buddha entered Parinirvana, is the fourth most holy site of the Buddha. The blessings of the Buddha are said to be particularly strong in Kushinagar, because the Buddha recited all of his teachings here just before entering Parinirvana.

Located in the upper region of Uttar Pradesh, it is in many ways the most unchanged of all the holy sites. At the time of the Buddha, it was a simple village. When the Buddha's attendant, Ananda, asked why the Buddha had chosen it as the proper place to end his earthly existence, the Buddha explained that Kushinagar had once been the capital of a great kingdom, ruled by a virtuous king.

Kushinagar's Nirvana Temple, built at the location where the Buddha lay down under a grove of Sala trees to enter Nirvana, houses an extraordinary fifth-century gold-leafed sandstone statue of the reclining Buddha. The Mahaparinirvana Sutra relates that the Buddha's body was carried by the local populace out through the easternmost gate of the village. Now, looking in this direction, one can see a great golden Burmese stupa. It was near the eastern gate of the Nirvana temple, within the beautiful walled gardens, that the World Peace bell was installed on May 29th, 2005. The location could not have been more auspicious!

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the caretakers of the Mahaparinirvana temple, carefully considered this location in light of the archaeological significance of the site. In the end, the ASI, together with UNESCO's World Heritage Centre in Paris and its Delhi centre, endorsed the project, mindful that it would continue the living heritage of patrons paying tribute to a sacred space. The Governor of Uttar Pradesh also lent his support and encouragement.

Work on installing the bell proceeded under difficult conditions, with shifts working around the clock to meet the deadline. This was one of the hottest summers that northern India had experienced, with temperatures rising as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit. At night, when the temperatures dropped down to a tolerable degree of 90, workers were able to move more quickly.

There were several signs that installation of the bell was an auspicious event, heralding a new era of peace and harmony. Locals reported seeing golden lights flashing above the temple. Two days before the final installation of the bell, workers discovered a large black scorpion, which the bell team quickly removed from the site. Other auspicious signs included the sighting of a rare white mongoose, a symbol of wealth.

On the day of the ceremony, all of Kushinigar's monks and nuns gathered at the bell to recite the Mahaparinibbana Sutta. The lead chanter, a monk from Thailand, began the ceremony with a traditional offering of a ball of string, placed in a golden chalice. The string is unwound and placed in the hands of the assembled Sangha members, signifying the Sangha's pure connection to the Three Jewels. At the end of the ceremony, the patron releases the string to show that the gift is made freely and without attachment. With this beautiful ceremony, the vision of bells dedicated to world peace at each of the four great pilgrimage sites became a reality.

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