Kushinagar is a town that is an important Buddhist pilgrimage in Uttar Pradesh. Gautam Buddha attained Parinirvana after his death. The name of the town i.e Kushinagar is taken from lord Ram's Son Kush with the reference to the epic Ramayana. It is also believed that after the death of Gautam Buddha, Ashoka The Great built a Stupa to mark this site as an important sacred place. The stupa also has a reclining statue of Buddha and known as "dying Buddha".