It?s all about expectations. The least one expects from a state where the chief minister is willing to spend Rs 2,000 crore of public money on 40 statues of herself and her political idols is some thought for its tourist destinations.

Consider Kushinagar. One of the major pilgrimages on the Buddhist circuit, it doesn?t even have a railway station. The plans for an international airport seem to be in a limbo?authorities are reportedly struggling to be on the same page as farmers in terms of compensation. The project, moreover, did not receive even a single bid till the deadline of July 31!

All of it could be overlooked if at least the approach to Kushinagar was tourist-friendly. The 50-km drive from Gorakhpur, the nearest railhead, to Kushinagar is a bumpy, dusty experience. And, there aren?t many options either?the city virtually runs on Mahindra?s Swaraj and Tata?s Magic. Yes, there are taxis and buses as well. A taxi driver may quote Rs 1,200 initially and after hard bargaining, come down to Rs 600.

Things get no better at Kushinagar either. Expect an empty UP tourism office to greet you. And, contrary to expectations, there are no tourist guides to hound you. So, it?s advisable to read up on the Internet before making the trip, though it?s not too much of a problem in the city to find your way to major sightseeing destinations. Most of them are located within three km of each other next to NH 28. The Mahaparinirvana temple is the most popular of all. The 6.10-metre, reclining statue of Lord Buddha inside the temple represents the ?dying Buddha?. It?s a good idea to visit the place either in the morning or early evening when there are monks chanting their prayers, which is quite a spiritual experience. Located behind it is the Nirvana Chaitya Stupa and about a km away is the Ramabhar Stupa. The latter holds utmost significance, as this is where Buddha was cremated.

Matha Kuar is equally interesting and has a huge statue, representing Buddha seated under a Bodhi tree, carved out of a single block. Most of these relics date back to the 10th century. That apart, there?s the Indo-Japan Srilanaka temple, Watt Thai temple and a museum. The museum is best visited during daylight, as there is a power cut for the better part of the visiting hours. However, after a fire a few years back, the Watt Thai temple is out of tourists? reach.

Pawapuri, 22 km from Kushinagar, is a doable day-long excursion. It was here that Lord Mahavira attained nirvana. But again, the roads are a big problem and short distances take a long time to be covered. For instance, reaching Varanasi, which is just 250 km from Kushinagar, can take up to 12 hours!

There?s another blemish one may find hard to miss on the landscape?a dharna staged by Bhoomi Bachao Sangharsh Samiti. The dharna has been on for three years now against the $250-million Maitreya project, which intends to build a 500-ft bronze statue in Kushinagar, along with temples, exhibition halls, a museum, library, audio-visual theatre, etc. ?The project directly impacts 800 acres, of which 607 acres is fertile agricultural land where we sow three crops a year. The government has committed our land for the project without our approval,? says Govardhan Prasad Gond, president of the Samiti. Ironically, the Maitreya project, earlier planned for Bodh Gaya, was shifted to Kushinagar because of similar land disputes.

There are more problems to engage the tourists though. To begin with, there?s enough struggle involved in finding a money changer and there?s just one located near the main stupa area. A Sri Lankan tourist I befriended also complained of all the ATMs being located in the main city. She visited two of them and found them to be non-functional. Finally she had to go all the way to Kasia Block to find an ATM that worked. A group of tourists from Japan had a difficult time finding a decent place to eat ?their kind of food?. Some cafes around the place have neither electricity nor food.

Expectations die a natural death… without a whimper. By the end of the trip, one doesn?t even expect to find a decent souvenir to take back home. Despite the fact that souvenirs make for excellent business sense, there seems to be no one enterprising enough to tap into it.