FEATURE / DESTINATION
K
esariya is a small city situated in the East Champaran district of Bihar, India. It is renowned for being the site of the biggest stupa of India, built by King Ashoka. Kesariya was called Kesaputta during the time of Buddha. Kesariya region is well known for its rich Buddhist architecture heritage of ancient times. Discovered in 1998, the stupa is believed to date back to somewhere between 200 AD and 750 AD Budha preached the Kesaputtiya Suttas (a group of suttas preached to the Kalamas of Kesaputta), amongst which is the famous Kalama Sutta. The Buddha once stayed there which was a township of the Kosalans and the residence of the Kala-
mas . The Buddhist Stupa in Kesaria is the tallest and the largest in the world, following its discovery in 1998 through excavation by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Rising to a height of 104 feet and a circumference of almost 1400 ft, what remains is much reduced from its reported original height. Yet, it is still one foot taller than the famous Borobodur Stupa in Java. The Stupa is located in Kasaria, 120 km from Patna, the capital of Bihar Before the 1934 earthquake in Bihar the Sthupa was 123 feet tall, According to the A.S.I. report, the Kesaria Stupa was 150 feet tall Originally,
KESARIYATHE LARGEST BUDDHIST STUPA 40
OCTOBER 2020 TOURISM INDIA
