FACTS ABOUT BIHAR AND THERE SURROUNDINGS-
Bihar's
antiquity is evident from its name, which is derived from the ancient
word "VIHARA" (monastery). It is indeed a land of monasteries.
Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Muslim and Sikh shrines abound in this ancient
land where India's first major empires rose and fell. Where the ruins of
the worlds' earliest university slumbers in the void of time. The passage of Ganga, flowing wide and deep enrich
the plains of Bihar before distributing in Bengal's deltoid zone.
Among all Indian states, Bihar is
the one most intimately linked to the Buddha’s life, resulting in
a trail of pilgrimages which have come to be known as the Buddhist circuit.
The Buddhist trail begins at the capital city, Patna, where a noteworthy
museum contains a collection of Hindu and Buddhist sculptures as well as
a terracotta urn said to contain the ashes of Lord Buddha.
The Khuda Baksh Oriental
Library has rare Muslim manuscripts including some from the University
of Cordoba in Spain. 40 km away, Vaishali, was the site for the second
Buddhist Council is the presence of ruins testify. 90 km south of Patna
is Nalanda which translates as the place that confers the lotus’
(of spiritual knowledge). A monastic university flourished
here from the 5th to the 11th century. It is said to have contained nine
million books, with 2,000 teachers to impart knowledge to 10,000 students
who came from all over the Buddhist world. Lord Buddha himself taught
here and Hieun Tsang, the 7th century Chinese traveler, was a student.
Ongoing excavations have uncovered temples, monasteries and lecture halls.
Rajgir, ‘the royal palace’, 12 km south, was the venue for the
first Buddhist Council.
The Buddha spent five years
at Rajgir after having attained enlightenment, and many of the remains
at Rajgir commemorate various incidents related to life of Buddha, the hill of Gridhrakuta being
perhaps the most important, as this is where the Buddha delivered most
of his sermons. Bodhgaya is the spot where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment,
with the Mahabodhi Temple marking the precise location.
This landlocked state of Bihar is surrounded by
Nepal, Bengal, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and comprises four
cultural regions-Bhojpur, Mithila and Magadha and Chotanagpur. Rivers Kosi
and Gandak from the north and Sone from the south join the Ganga. In the fertile plains, rice, sugarcane, oilseeds,
gram, maize, jute, barley and wheat are cultivated.
The legendary Bodhi Tree, under which ,the great Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment is at the center of his Monastery. Bodh Gaya is like the Mecca for the Buddhist followers from not only in India but from all over the world. Buddhism followers and monks from all over the world , especially from the China, Sri lanka ,Japan and Thailand come here in their quest to feel closer to the soul of gautam Buddha, Whose presence is felt every where around the temple. For Tourists, Bodh Gaya is the best place in the world to learn about how buddhism is followed in different ways across the world.
