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| Main Spiritual Guides Page > Main India Page > Bihar | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Bihar
Population:
97 million At one time, Patna was the capital of a good part of India. The name Bihar comes from the word vihara, “monastery.” Bihar is the place where Buddhism was born. There are also important holy places in relation to the Hindu and Jain religions. Not many travelers
come to Bihar, but pilgrims come to visit Bodhgaya, the place where
Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment. Besides Bodhgaya, there are several
other Buddhist places in Bihar: Nalanda, where there was a great Buddhist
University, Rajgir, and Vaishali. Many people travel through Patna on
their way to Kathmandu and Nepal. Admission foreigner/Indian Rs 100/10. Open 7 am to 5 pm. To explore this place takes a half a day. The Buddhist University once had a library containing nine million manuscripts. It was destroyed in 1199 by the Afghan Bhaktiar Khalji, who killed many of the teachers and students and burned and sacked the university. The site of the university was hidden for centuries under a large hill, only to be rediscovered in 1860. Excavation began in 1916 and took twenty years to complete. The site includes the ruins of temples, stupas, and eleven monasteries. Entry is Rs 5 to the site, which is open from 9 am to 5.30 pm. The Archaeological Survey’s book on Nalanda gives a detailed description of this site. In the Nalanda Archaeological Museum (Sunday to Thursday, Closed Friday 10 am to 5 pm; Admssion Rs 3) there is a good collection of Buddhist and Hindu stone sculptures, terra-cottas, coins, and bronze. Many of the items date from the Gupta and Pala (8th to 10th centuries) periods. Xuan Yang Memorial Hall is a Chinese peace pagoda. Where
to Stay Pawapuri Vaishali At the main site is the Coronation Tank (Kharauna Pokhar), the water from which was used to anoint the ruler of Vaishali at his coronation. Next to the tank is the small Vaishali Archaeological Museum (open daily except Fri 10 am to 5 pm), which has sculptures, terra-cottas, pottery, and coins. Close by is an ancient Buddhist stupa, said to contain Buddha’s ashes. Ashoka erected one of his famous pillars at Kolhua, 2km away. The 18.3m high pillar is made of highly polished red sandstone and has a life-sized lion carved on top. It is one of only two of the Ashoka pillars that still remain in their original place. Nearby, Ram Kund (also called Monkey Tank) is said to have been dug by monkeys who offered Buddha a bowl of honey. There is also the ruin of a large stupa here. There is a temple at Basarh by Bavan Pokhar tank. A wall about 1km long surrounds the ruins of Raja Vishala ka Garh. The Parliament House was large enough to hold over 7,000 representatives. The 4th century Chaumukhi Mahadeva Temple at Kamman Chapra, has a four-faced Siva. Practicalities The Indian Immigration Office is open 4 am to 10 pm. Visitors must have their passports stamped upon leaving the country. There is no legal
place to change money in Raxaul. Buses depart to Patna from Laxmipur, 3km south, hourly. If you know of information that is not listed here, or if you would like to help update our listings, please e-mail us at: To and From Nepal You can buy a through ticket to Kathmandu from a travel agent in Patna that includes a bus to the border, a rickshaw for the border crossing, basic accommodation in Raxaul, and a bus from the Nepal border to Kathmandu. It is just as easy, much cheaper, and much more reliable, to do it yourself. When you come out of the train station, if you ask a rickshaw driver to take you to the bus to xe "Nepal:Travel to" Nepal, there is a good chance you will be taken to one of these private operators, since the rickshaw drivers receive a commission on your ticket. There is really no reason to deal with these characters. More than likely they will charge you two to three times the price of what you could have arranged yourself.
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Hazaribagh
Near this town is the Hazaribagh National Park (19km north), which is part of Project Tiger. The park protects tigers, leopards, sambars, nilgais, wild boars, chitals, and deer. The best time to visit is between February and April. There are several hides and towers for viewing the animals.
Hotel Upkar (06546-2246) has rooms for Rs 175/225. There are several places to stay in Hazaribagh.
Forest Rest Houses in the park are very basic. You should reserve them with the Division Forest Officer, Hazaribagh. The Tourist Lodge is in Hazaribagh Park.
There are buses to Gaya (4 hr).