Where Buddha Finally Renounced the World, and where he Died.
East from here four yojanas, there is the place where the heir-apparent sent back Chandaka, with his white horse;1 and there also a tope was erected.
Four yojanas to the east from this, (the travellers) came to the Charcoal tope,2 where there is also a monastery.
Going on twelve yojanas, still to the east, they came to the city of Kusanagara,3 on the north of which, between two trees,4 on the bank of the Nairanjana5 river, is the place where the World-honoured one, with his head to the north, attained to pari-nirvana (and died). There also are the places where Subhadra,6 the last (of his converts), attained to Wisdom (and became an Arhat); where in his coffin of gold they made offerings to the World-honoured one for seven days,7 where the Vajrapani laid aside his golden club,8 and where the eight kings9 divided the relics (of the burnt body):— at all these places were built topes and monasteries, all of which are now existing.
In the city the inhabitants are few and far between, comprising only the families belonging to the (different) societies of monks.
Going from this to the south-east for twelve yojanas, they came to the place where the Lichchhavis10 wished to follow Buddha to (the place of) his pari-nirvana, and where, when he would not listen to them and they kept cleaving to him, unwilling to go away, he made to appear a large and deep ditch which they could not cross over, and gave them his alms-bowl, as a pledge of his regard, (thus) sending them back to their families. There a stone pillar was erected with an account of this event engraved upon it.