From  the – Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta

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29 Now at that time four Mallas of the foremost families, bathed from the crown of their heads and wearing new clothes, with the thought: “We will set alight the Blessed One’s pyre,” tried to do so but they could not. And the Mallas spoke to the Venerable Anuruddha, saying: “What is the cause, Venerable Anuruddha, what is the reason that these four Mallas of the foremost families, bathed from the crown of their heads and wearing new clothes, with the thought: “We will set alight the Blessed One’s pyre,’ try to do so but cannot?”

“You, Vasetthas, have one purpose, the deities have another.”

“Then what, venerable sir, is the purpose of the deities?”

“The purpose of the deities, Vasetthas, is this: ‘The Venerable Maha Kassapa is on his way from Pava to Kusinara together with a large company of five hundred bhikkhus. Let not the Blessed One’s pyre be set alight until the Venerable Maha Kassapa has paid homage at the feet of the Blessed One.'”

“As the deities wish, venerable sir, so let it be.”

30. And the Venerable Maha Kassapa approached the pyre of the Blessed One, at the cetiya of the Mallas, Makuta-bandhana, in Kusinara. And he arranged his upper robe on one shoulder, and with his clasped hands raised in salutation, he walked three times round the pyre, keeping his right side towards the Blessed One’s body, and he paid homage at the feet of the Blessed One. And even so did the five hundred bhikkhus.

And when homage had been paid by the Venerable Maha Kassapa and the five hundred bhikkhus, the pyre of the Blessed One burst into flame by itself.

31. And it came about that when the body of the Blessed One had been burned, no ashes or particles were to be seen of what had been skin, tissue, flesh, sinews, and fluid; only bones remained. Just as when ghee or oil is burned, it leaves no particles or ashes behind, even so when the body of the Blessed One had been burned, no ashes or particles were to be seen of what had been skin, tissue, flesh, sinews, and fluid; only bones remained. And of the five hundred linen wrappings, only two were not consumed, the innermost and the outermost.

32. And when the body of the Blessed One had been burned, water rained down from heaven and extinguished the pyre of the Blessed One, and from the sala trees water came forth, and the Mallas of Kusinara brought water scented with many kinds of perfumes, and they too extinguished the pyre of the Blessed One.

And the Mallas of Kusinara laid the relics of the Blessed One in their council hall, and surrounded them with a lattice-work of spears and encircled them with a fence of bows; and there for seven days they paid homage to the relics of the Blessed One with dance, song, music, flower-garlands, and perfume, and showed respect, honor, and veneration to the relics of the Blessed One.

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42. And the king of Magadha, Ajatasattu, son of the Videhi queen, erected a stupa over the relics of the Blessed One at Rajagaha, and in their honor held a festival. The Licchavis of Vesali erected a stupa over the relics of the Blessed One at Vesali, and in their honor held a festival. The Sakyas of Kapilavatthu erected a stupa over the relics of the Blessed One at Kapilavatthu, and in their honor held a festival. The Bulis of Allakappa erected a stupa over the relics of the Blessed One at Allakappa, and in their honor held a festival. The Kolis of Ramagama erected a stupa over the relics of the Blessed One at Ramagama, and in their honor held a festival. The Vethadipa brahman erected a stupa over the relics of the Blessed One at Vethadipa, and in their honor held a festival. The Mallas of Pava erected a stupa over the relics of the Blessed One at Pava, and in their honor held a festival. The Mallas of Kusinara erected a stupa over the relics of the Blessed One at Kusinara, and in their honor held a festival. The brahman Dona erected a stupa over the urn, and in its honor held a festival. And the Moriyas of Pipphalivana erected a stupa over the ashes at Pipphalivana, and in their honor held a festival.

So it came about that there were eight stupas for the relics, a ninth for the urn, and a tenth for the ashes.

And thus it was in the days of old.

43.

Eight portions there were of the relics of him,

The All-Seeing One, the greatest of men.

Seven in Jambudipa are honored, and one

In Ramagama, by kings of the Naga race.

One tooth is honored in the Tavatimsa heaven,

One in the realm of Kalinga, and one by the Naga kings.

Through their brightness this bountiful earth

With its most excellent gifts is endowed;

For thus the relics of the All-Seeing One are best honored

By those who are worthy of honor — by gods and Nagas

And lords of men, yea, by the highest of mankind.

Pay homage with clasped hands! For hard indeed it is

Through hundreds of ages to meet with an All-Enlightened One!

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Maha-parinibbana Sutta: Last Days of the Buddha

translated from the Pali by

Sister Vajira & Francis Story

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Eight measures of relics there were of the seer,

Of the best of the best of men. In India seven are worshipped,

One measure in Rāmagāma by the kings of the nāgas.

One tooth, too, is honoured in heaven, and one in Gandhāra’s city,

One in the Kāliṅga realm, and one more by the Nāga race.

“Through their glory the bountiful earth is made bright with offerings painless…

For with such are the Great Teacher’s relics best honoured by those who are honoured,

By gods, nāgas, and kings, by the noblest of monarchs

Bow down with clasped hands!

Rare is it to meet a Buddha through hundreds of ages!”

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An Exposition of The Mahāparinibbāna Sutta

by

Bhikkhu Pesala