In 1862 CE (B.E. 2405), Alexander Cunningham, a British archaeologist, came to survey the ancient city of Kusinara (also known as Kushinagar in Sanskrit), the place where the Buddha attained Parinibbāna (Final Nirvana). He discovered many ancient artifacts, including the ruins of stupas and monasteries, which were later restored to their present condition. However, Cunningham did not find any Reclining Buddha statue or a large Buddha image in the Māra-vijaya (Victory over Māra) posture.
It wasn’t until 1871 CE (B.E. 2414) that Archibald Campbell Carlyle, Cunningham’s assistant and a photographer (photography was becoming more common in Europe at the time but was still largely unknown in India), conducted another survey. He excavated around the Parinibbāna Temple area and discovered the Reclining Buddha statue, which was found in a broken state—buried under heaps of bricks and mortar, and fractured into four pieces. Carlyle undertook its restoration.
On the back of the statue was an inscription in Sanskrit using the Brāhmī script, dating to between 600–800 BE (43–257 CE). The inscription reads:
Line 1: Teyadharmo yaṃ Mahāvihāra svāmino Haripalasya
Line 2: Pratimā ceyaṃ kṛtita dina ... māsavarena
Translation:
“This sacred offering is the making of this Buddha image, belonging to the teacher Haribala, who was the head of the Mahāvihāra (Great Monastery). The image was created by a craftsman named Dinna.”
This inscription is extremely significant. Unfortunately, it can no longer be seen today because it has been covered during the statue’s restoration. Luckily, a copy of the inscription was transcribed and preserved by Sir Alexander Cunningham. From this, we learn that the sponsor of the statue was Ācārya Haribala, who is referred to in Sanskrit as Vihārasvāmin, meaning "master of the monastery," equivalent to the modern-day abbot.
The art style of the statue is from the Mathurā school, and based on this, scholars estimate that the statue was created between 600–800 BE (43–257 CE.
