Patna is the capital city and the most populous city in Bihar.It is the center for all head quarters and business spots. Takht Harmandir Saheb is of religious importance to the Sikhs and is believed to be the place of birth of the last Sikh guru, Govind Singh. The Jalan Museum with a rare collection of curios.
Sher Shah's mosque in the heart of the city is a splendid example of Afghan architecture. Among the numerous mosques in Patna, Begum Hajjam's mosque stands as the oldest. Saif Khan's Madarsa mosque, built in 1630, commands a magnificent view of the riverfront.
Vaishali
Vaishali is a popular and the oldest village in the state of Bihar.It has ahistoric background. Now it has turned to a developed city.It is surrounded by banana and mango groves, is so ancient that even the epic Ramayana describes it and tells the tale of its heroic King Vishal. One of the world's first democratic republics was established here by the Vajjis and the Lichhavis in the 6th century BC. Although Pataliputra, now Patna, was the political capital of the Mauryas and the Guptas, Vaishali was the major centre for trade and industry. An important pilgrim centre for both Buddhists and Jains, Vaishali has attracted numerous historians and archaeologists, leading to successful excavations.
Nalanda
This beautiful city with a historic background can be said as the heart of Bihar.It offers the best scope for studies. The Vikramshila University was an important institution of Tantric Buddhism and there was a regular exchange of teachers between the two universities.The Nalanda University is one of the most famous educational institute in India. An international centre for Buddhist Studies was established here in 1951. The Nalanda Museum and the Nava Nalanda Mahavihar are definitely worth a visit.
Lauria Areraj is the 11.5 mt high Ashokan column, erected in 249 BC. The polished sandstone pillar has six edicts on it. Lauria Nandangarh is the site of the famous lion pillar, erected by king Ashoka. The 8.5 mt polished sandstone column also has an edict engraved on it. The Nandangarh stupa, nearby, is believed to house the ashes of Buddha.
Rajgir
Rajgir is an important Buddhist pilgrimage site since the Buddha spent 12 years here, and the first Buddhist council after the Buddha was hosted here at the Saptaparni caves. Rajgir, which means 'house of the king', was the ancient capital city of the Magadha kings until the 5th century BC when Ajatsatru moved the capital to Pataliputra. Rajgir is also an important place of pilgrimage for the Hindus and Jains. Other places to be visited are Bimbisara ka jail, Jarasandha ka akhara, Venuvana, Karand tank, Maniyar math, Swamabhandar cave, Pippala cave, Viswa Shanti Stupa, the famous hot water springs and ruins of an old fort. The Japanese have built a Stupa on top of the Ratnagiri hill, linked by a rope way. It was here that the teachings of Buddha were penned down for the first time.
Ranchi
Ranchi is a very popular city in the state of Bihar.It is best popular for it?s Mantle Hospital. a picturesque hill station that inspired Tagore to compose a book of poems; Netarhat or the 'queen of Chotanagpur' is perched at 3,700 feet and offers beautiful sunset and sunrise views; Palamau is famous for its tropical forest and is rich in wildlife, and is the place where the world's first tiger census was conducted in 1932. As of today, there are 45 tigers in the reserve and they are now said to be venturing out in search of new territories. No less interesting is the Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary nestling at a low terrain (1,800 feet). Hazaribagh is also vying for a place in the international heritage list for its recent findings of rock paintings, caves, stone age tools and smelted iron slag that shows a much early advent of the Iron Age than the theorized Chalcolithic age. At another village in Hazaribagh, the archaeologists have unearthed densely packed layer of pottery shards that are identical to those found at Harappa. |
