Kesariya is located 55 km north west of Vaishali in the state of Bihar in India. In the time of the Buddha, it was known as Kessaputta. The place was the venue where the Buddha delivered His famous Kalama Sutta to the Kalama people. Through this discourse, the Buddha urged His followers to analyse His teachings thoroughly before accepting them. The details of the discourse can be found in the The Buddha's Charter of Free Inquiry: Kalama Sutta, Wheel No 8.

Also, as per legends, the Buddha left Vaishali for Kusinara (Kushinagar) in the last year of His life. As He proceeded on His journey, a large group of Vijjians joined Him and declined to leave. When they reached Kessaputta, the Buddha persuaded them to leave. The crowd was unhappy, so just to cheer them up gave His begging bowl. A stupa, later came up at this site to commemorate the incident. This stupa was visited by both Fa-hien as well as Hieun Tsang. Both these Chinese traveller left brief details of their visiting experience to this stupa.

The stupa has five large terraces each of which varies in shape and enshrines a life like statue of Lord Buddha. When seen from above, the stupa gives an impression of a mandala. The stupa was measured by Cunningham who found that the circumference was 1400 feet while the height was 51 feet. He also worked out that originally, the dome of the stupa would have been 70 feet tall. Excavation and restoration work on the stupa is still under process.


Quick Getaways

• Vaishali : Vaishali is located on the left bank of river Gandak and has immense historical significance. The Buddha preached a number of times in this small town and the place also became a venue for the second Buddhist Council. The Vishwa Shanti Stupa and the Buddhist stupas are of great importance in this town. Apart from these, you can also pay a visit to the Vaishali Museum which showcases the archaeological remains discovered in this place.
  
  
• Hajipur : Close to Vaishali and also Patna, Hajipur is the place where the ashes of Ananda, the disciple of the Buddha, are enshrined in a stupa.On the stupa, today, stands a temple by the name of Ramchaura.
  
  
• Patna : Located at an altitude of 53 m and along the banks of the holy river, Ganges, Patna is one of those old capital cities in the world that has an unbroken history as imperial metropolis. A number of attractions dot this land, for example, the Golghar, Khuda Baksh library, Sadaqat Ashram, Sher Shah Suri Masjid, Martyr's Memorial, Har Mandir Takht and Patna Museum. Patna is also well connected with other tourist places in Bihar and hence can be made a base to visit them.
  
  
• Muzaffarpur : One of the most significant towns in the north Bihar, Muzaffarpur is known for its lychees. In the erstwhile era, this town, along with the district of Champaran and Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur formed the kingdom of Lichchavi.