Bihar tourism

Bihar is a state in East India, bordering Nepal. It is divided by the River Ganges, which floods its fertile plains. Important Buddhist pilgrimage sites include the Bodhi Tree in Bodhgaya's Mahabodhi Temple, under which the Buddha allegedly meditated. In the state capital Patna, Mahavir Mandir temple is revered by Hindus, while Sikhs worship at the domed, riverside Gurdwara of Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib Ji.

The culture and heritage of Bihar can be observed from the large number of ancient monuments spread throughout the state. Bihar is visited by many tourists from around the world, with about 24,000,000 tourists visiting the state each year.

In earlier days, tourism in the region was purely based on educational tourism, as Bihar was home of some prominent ancient universities like Nalanda & Vikramashila.

                                                                                                                                

Bihar in eastern India is one of the oldest inhabited places in the world with a history going back 3000 years. The rich culture and heritage of Bihar is evident from the innumerable ancient monuments that are dotted all over the state. Bihar is home to many tourist attractions and is visited by large numbers of tourists from all over the world. Around total 6 million tourists visit Bihar every year.

The documented history of tourism in Bihar region dates back to the 4th century BC. Greek geographer Megasthene visited the region in reign of Chandragupta Maurya. His observations were recorded in Indika Dionysius was son of Megasthenes, who visited Pataliputra in reign of Ashoka .Hsuan-Tsang and I Ching visited Nalanda to study in the 7th century. Educational tourism as Bihar was home of some prominent ancient universities like Nalanda and Vikramashila.

The palaces which can be visited are Vaishali,Nalanda,Bodhgaya,Kesaria,Munger Fort,Patna Sahib and many more...

Vaishali

Vaishali was a city in Bihar, India, and is now an archeological site. It is a part of the Tirhut Division  (Tirhut).

It was the capital city of the Licchavi, considered one of the first example of a republic, in the Vajjian Confederacy (Vrijji) mahajanapada, around the 6th century BCE. It was here in 599 BCE the 24th Jain Tirthankara, Bhagwan Mahavira was born and brought up in Kundalagrama in Vaiśālī republic, which makes it a pious and auspicious pilgrimage to Jains. Also Gautama Buddha preached his last sermon before his death in c. 483 BCE, then in 383 BCE the Second Buddhist council was convened here by King Kalasoka, making it an important place in both Jain and Buddhist religions.It contains one of the best-preserved of the Pillars of Ashoka, topped by a single Asiatic lion.

At the time of the Buddha, Vaisali, which he visited on many occasions, was a very large city, rich and prosperous, crowded with people and with abundant food. There were 7,707 pleasure grounds and an equal number of lotus ponds.

Patna sahib

The capital of Bihar, Patna is one of the holiest city in Sikhism, as The tenth Guru of the Sikhs Guru Gobind Singh was born here in 1666 and spent his early years before moving to Anandpur. Patna was also honoured by visits from Guru Nanak in 1509 as well as Guru Tegh Bahadur in 1666.Takht Shri Harmandir Saheb - is, one of the Five Takhts of the Sikhism. The Gurdwara at Patna Sahib is in remembrance of the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh, The tenth Guru of the Sikhs.

Bodh gaya

Bodh Gaya is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar.

Mahabodhi temple

The Mahabodhi Vihar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, marking the location where the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. Bodh Gaya (located in Gaya district) is located about 96 km from Patna, Bihar state, India.

Bodhi tree

The Bodhi tree at Bodhgaya is directly connected to the life of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, who attained enlightenment or perfect insight when he was meditating under it. The temple was built directly to the east of the Bodhi tree which is supposed to be a direct descendant of the original Bodhi Tree.

Nalanda

Nalanda was an acclaimed Mahavihara, a large Buddhist monastery in the ancient kingdom of Magadha (modern-day Bihar) in India. The site is located about 95 kilometres southeast of Patna near the town of Bihar Sharif, and was a centre of learning from the seventh century BCE to c. 1200 CE. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The highly formalized methods of Vedic learning helped inspire the establishment of large teaching institutions such as Taxila, Nalanda, and Vikramashila which are often characterised as India's early universities.

Kesaria stupa

Kesariya is a town in Bihar, India in the district of East Champaran, near Rampur Khajuria (NH28).It is the site of a stupa built by the Mauryan king Ashoka.

The stupa was discovered in 1958 during an excavation led by Archaeologist KK Muhammed of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The stupa dates to between 200 AD and 750 AD and may have been associated with the 4th century ruler, Raja Chakravarti. The local people call this Stupa as Devala, "means the house of god". Before the excavation of this, they believed that inside it there is a temple of Shiva which is built by King Bhema.

Munger fort

The Munger Fort, located at Munger in the state of Bihar, India, is built on a rocky hillock on the south bank of the Ganges River. Its history is not completely dated but it is believed that it was built during the early rule of Slave dynasty of India. The Munger town where the fort is situated was under the control of Muhammad bin Tughluq of Delhi (1325-1351 AD). The fort has two prominent hills called the Karnachaura or Karanchaura, and the other a built up rectangular mound deduced to be the location of a citadel of the fort with historical links. The Fort had a succession of Muslim rulers (Khaljis, Tughlaqs, Lodis, Nawabs of Bengal, followed by Mughal rulers,  till it was finally acceded to the British by Mir Quasim (1760–72), after unseating his father-in-aw Mīr Jafar on the grounds of old age, for a monetary reward negotiated by Vansittart.

Munger fort and the Munger town are well connected by road, rail and air communications through Patna, the capital city of Bihar. Patna is connected by air to all major cities in India. It has a very good network of rail and road links with all major cities in the country. The road distance from Patna to Munger is 173 kilometres.

Sasaram

It was built in 1545 AD in the memory of Emperor Sher Shah Suri, this tomb is an excellent example of Indo-Islamic architecture in India. Architecturally splendid and erected at the middle of an artificial lake, this sandstone structure is worth a visit in Bihar.