Bihar

A Land Of Myriad Marvels , perpetually washed by the Blue waters of Bay of Bengal , endowed with rich Cultural Heritage of old world charms and Beauties of Nature. It is a caldascopy of splendor of the past and present glamour.

To the west is the state of Bihar, with the religious center of Bodhgaya, a sacred place for both Hindus and Buddhists. To the south, in the state of Orissa, are three temple cities. Foremost is Bhubaneswar, a town in which there once stood no less than 7000 temples, 500 of which have survived. Largest of these is the great Lingaraja Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva.

This state offers to tourists a variegated wealth of Indian Civilization, history and culture coupled with exquisite scenic beauties and wild life. Within its precinct are located, places like Rajgir and Patliputra, ancient capital of mighty Magadhan empire, Vaishali-the first republican state the world; Bodhgaya where lord Buddha attained the supreme enlightenment, Nalanda-the great seat of international learning and Patna Saheb-the birth place of Guru Govind Singh, the last Guru of the Sikh.

Holding extreme religious importance to the Buddhists, Bodhgaya lies13 km south of Gaya, beside the river Phalgu. It was here, that the Lord Buddha sat under the Banyan tree and attained enlightenment, and a descendant of that original tree still flourishes there today. Bodhgaya is small and quiet town, which is the most important of all the Buddhist sites in the world. The Maha Bodhi temple of Bodh Gaya is one of the important places of worship for the Buddhists. Apart from being a vital Buddhist centre, it is also a significant archaeological site. Devout Buddhists and tourists from all over the world visit Bodhgaya, to study Buddhism and the art of meditation, or to simply absorb the aura of solemn splendor that surrounds the place.

Patna, once called Patliputra, capital of the state Bihar, is among the world’s oldest capital cities, with an unbroken history of many centuries as an imperial metropolis. Ancient Patliputra, discovered through arduous excavations, was situated on the River Son. Founded by Ajatashatru, King of Magadha, in the 5th century B.C., the city dominated the whole of North India in the fourth and third centuries B.C. When the British took over Patna, they created Bankipore, on the outskirts of the old city with its bustling bazaars and narrow streets.

Bankipore today remains the central part of Patna with hotels and shopping centres, built around the Gandhi Maidan, a vast open space where Mahatma Gandhi conducted prayer meetings. Patna is sprawled along the Ganga, the river playing an important role in the city’s religious, social and economic life.

Probably the oldest university in India, Nalanda is an important site to visit in Bihar. A perfect reminisce to the time of flourishing Gupta and Pala period, Nalanda is an acclaimed tourist attraction in Bihar. It is believed that the last and most famous Jain Tirthankara, Mahavira spent 14 monsoon seasons here. Even, Buddha is said to have delivered lectures near the mango grove in Nalanda. The fame of this education centre was to an extent that Hieun Tsang, the famous Chinese traveller visited here and stayed for atleast two years here. Even, I-tsing another famous Chinese voyager stayed at Nalanda for about 10 years, AND such was the glory of this place. Today most parts of Nalanda lie in ruins but the place is surely worth exploring!

Dubbed as the seat of Bihar School of Yoga, Munger is yet another place that is popular amongst the tourists in Bihar. The history of Munger dates back to Aryans, who called Munger the ‘Midland’ for their settlement. For yoga buffs, Munger is not an unknown name, thus we can expect a large foreign crowd thronging this place. The present day Munger is a twin city, which comprises of Munger and Jamalpur. Reckoned to be one of the oldest cities of Bihar, Munger was once the capital of Mir Kasim before it fell into the hands of British. The place has several historic relics that further add to the charm here.