KESARIYA STUPA
Kesariya is a small city in Bihar, India. It is famous for being the site of (possibly) the biggest stupa of India, built by King Ashoka. Kesariya used to be called Kesaputta during the time of the Buddha. It was a township of the Kosalans and the residence of the Kalamas. The Buddha once stayed there, on which occasion he preached the Kesaputtiya Suttas (a group of suttas preached to the Kalamas of Kesaputta - A.i.188), amongst which is the famous Kalama Sutta.
Kesariya Stupa, 104 feet high, is considered the biggest Buddhist stupa in the world. It is located at Kesariya, about 55 km from Vaishali, in East Champaran District. It commemorates the spot where Buddha rested on his final journey to Kushinagar from Vaishali.
Dating back to 200 to 700 AD, Kesariya Stupa consists of five huge terraces, each enshrining life size images of Lord Buddha. A giant manadala can be seen at the top. Further, the excavations revealed the walls of a small temple (10 ft) and a colossal figure of Buddha.
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