Don is a small but an important Buddhist destination in Siwan district of Bihar. Located at about 65 km from Kushinagar (where Lord Buddha attained parinirvana), Don is famous for the Dona's Stupa. It's said that soon after the cremation of Lord Buddha, a dispute arose among his disciples over the issue of division of his ashes. The task to divide the Buddha's ashes was given to a Brahmin named Dona, who did the job to the satisfaction of all the eight disciples.

For his services, the happy disciples rewarded Dona with the vessel in which the ashes had been collected. As an honor and respect to the great Buddha, he decided to enshrine the great vessel in a stupa and the place became an important destination for the Buddhist pilgrims. The last segment of the Mahaparinibbana Sutta covers the story of Dona's division of the Buddha's ashes. When Hiuen Tsang, the great Chinese traveler, visited the place around the middle of the 7th century AD, the Stupa was already in ruins but it was still emitting a brilliant light, occasionally.

On your Don Tour, you can visit the Dona's Stupa, which now has turned into a large grassy mound with a Hindu temple constructed over it. The Temple has a 9th century statue of Tara, a beautiful Hindu goddess. Though, the Stupa no longer exists, the place can be visited for its religious sanctity.

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