The ruins of the Kesariya Buddha Stupa, located about 110 kilometres from Bihar’s state capital of Patna and approximately 70 kilometres from the city of Muzaffarpur, stand as one of the most remarkable yet lesser-known treasures of India’s Buddhist heritage. Considered to be one of the largest, if not the largest, and tallest ancient Buddhist stupas in the world, it has a circumference of nearly 225 meters and an original height of about 52 meters. Today, however, its visible height measures around 32.5 meters, as two of its lower floors remain buried underground, while other parts of the stupa are covered under dense vegetation.

It has a terraced structure of five visible levels, each dotted with small shrines arranged in the four cardinal directions and at their intersections. These shrines, once housing multiple statues of the Buddha in various mudras (postures), now retain only a handful of them in a weathered and dilapidated condition. Archaeological evidence suggests that the stupa may date back to Ashoka’s period (3rd century BCE), while some other analyses consider it to be much older.

Kesariya is believed to be the place where the Buddha, after delivering his last sermon at Vaishali, offered his alms bowl to his disciples who continued to follow him, before he set out for Kushinagar, where he would attain Maha Parinirvana. This sacred association makes the site a symbol of Buddha’s compassion and his farewell gesture to his followers. Locals, moved by its sanctity, reverently call the stupa “Devalaya,” meaning the House of God.

Now under the Archaeological Survey of India, and despite being declared a protected monument of national importance, it remains partly covered in thick vegetation and still awaits comprehensive excavation. It faces pressing challenges, including neglect, environmental degradation, inadequate conservation measures, and vulnerability to natural disasters such as floods, waterlogging, and earthquakes. Scholars and conservationists have long stressed the urgent need for better research, structural restoration, and modern drainage solutions to safeguard the Stupa complex from further decay.