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.
