Every place has its own history, culture and tradition. Bihar is one such place famous for its historical memories and owns the honour of beginning Lichhavi, the oldest republic and Nalanda the oldest universities in the world. We have discussed some famous places that one should visit for sure if in the city. Have a look.
Nalanda University
Established in 5th Century A.D, Nalanda University is said to be the world’s oldest universities. This dynamic university had 2000 teachers who taught 10000 students and was a notable centre for Buddhist learning. Nalanda is one of the most famous tourist attraction of Bihar and was the best place for seekers of pure knowledge. It was famous to an extent that it attracted scholars from China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, Turkey and many more places including Xuan Zang the famous Chinese scholar also came to this university and took back hundreds of scriptures that were later translated into Chinese. The university was destroyed by invaders by the end of the twelfth century.
Vaishali
Vaishali derived its name from the King of Mahabharata age Vishal and is an important pilgrim place of Buddhists and Jains. It is the birthplace of last Jain Tirthankar Lord Mahavira. Ashoka the great Emperor built the famous lion pillar there in the 3rd century BC. It is an important archaeological site and was once the capital city of Licchavi rulers.
Vishwa Shanti Stupa, Rajgir
Famous as World Peace Pagoda, Rajgir was the capital city of Magadha of the Mauryan Empire. Lord Buddha spent several years in Rajgir after he gained enlightenment. The place is said to mark important stages of Buddha’s life like birth, enlightenment, teaching and death and was built in 1969 with the message of peace and non-violence.
Bodhgaya and Mahabodhi temple
Bihar is the place from where Buddha started his journey to gain enlightenment and the Bodhi tree where he gained it is 100 km far from Patna. The most important pilgrimage place among Buddhists all over the world is Bodhgaya and the Maha Bodhi Temple is also declared as the world heritage by UNESCO.
Patna
Famous as Patliputra of the ancient India, it is one of the oldest cities in the world. Patna is the capital of Bihar and the pilgrimage place of Sikhs as it is the birthplace of the last Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. You can visit the Patna museum here built in 1917 which will inform you about the culture and tradition of the place. It is situated on the Southern bank of River Ganga and has experienced the period of Haryanka, Nanda, Mauryan, Shunga, Gupta and Pala.
Hieun Tsang Memorial Hall, Kundalpur
The place is built in the memory of the famous ChinesetravelerHieun Tsang. It is said that Hieun Tsang was so impressed after visiting Nalanda that he decided to stay in India for 12 long years for learning and teaching. It is noted that this was the place where he learnt yoga from Acharya ShilBhadra and the memorial throws light on the artistic and academic glory of Nalanda University.
Jalmandir, Pawapuri
It is an important Jain pilgrim place, situated in Pawapuri, Bihar. The elder brother of Lord Mahavira is said to have built the temple and is in the shape of a Vimana with being a sacred place for Jain followers as Lord Mahavira is said to have breathed his last here.
Sher Shah Suri Tomb, Sasaram
Bihar used to be the centre of power of ancient India. The tomb was built in between 1540-1545 AD in Sasaram and is an eminent picture portraying Indo-Islamic architecture of India. It is built in between an artificial lake and the sandstone structure is worth visiting when in Bihar.
