Bihar is one of the less visited states in India. While spiritual journeys are popular to Ganges in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar finds itself less prominent in mindshare of tourists. Bihar Tourism board is heavily promoting the Buddha circuit including Bodh Gaya- the place of his enlightenment, Vaishali- the place where he gave his last sermon and the birthplace of Lord Mahaveera. Patna, Bodh Gaya, Gaya, Nalanda, Barabar, Sasaram, Karkatgarh are some of the best places to visit in Bihar
We had taken a road trip from Gorakhpur to Nepal and didn’t want to return on the same route. Patna seemed another alternative covering Ramayana sites like Janakpur on the way
As I started exploring, I figured there were many more interesting places around. Sharing some which we ended up visiting and few more on our wish list
Sitamarhi
Believed to be the birthplace of Sita where she was found under the earth. There is a small temple with a pond nearby. The bustling markets and the traffic hide the temple from the streets until you reach
Vaishali
Vaishali is the place where Lord Buddha gave his last sermon. It is also believed to be the ancient Kundagrama, the birthplace of Lord Mahaveera. We also found another place near Nalanda- the different stemming from Swetambara and Digambara sect
Vaishali Stupa: Ancient brown bricked stupa amidst ruins. You can also find Ashoka pillar with a statue of lion on top, something unique not found elsewhere. There is a garden with butterflies around the stupa
Buddha Smriti monument: Modern stupa seems to be still under construction. We reached here trying to find Japanese Peace Pagoda. Don’t go by Google maps which shows a road through the complex to reach the Japanese Pagoda. You need to reach there through the main road and the next cut
Japanese Peace Pagoda: Has an elusive entrance. Most folks jump through the gate to enter. Similar style like the one in Lumbini, Pokhara
Bodh Gaya
Famous for the temple and Bodhi tree under which Lord Buddha used to meditate. The entire town has a spiritual feeling with monks from different countries living around the town. Surprisingly Bodh Gaya airport has direct flights to Buddhist religion dominant countries like Thailand, Bhutan
The 80 feet Buddha statue is a 15 min walk from Bodh Gaya temple, which you can spot from a few blocks away
You will also find temples/ monasteries from different countries like Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Bhutan, China, Japan. You can easily spend a day monastery hopping
Gaya
Vishnupad temple: A spiritual place for Hindus where death related ceremonies for ancestors are held. You need to leave footwear and mobile phones in a locker that charged us Rs 5-10 each
Maa Sarva Mangala Gauri Shaktipeeth: Another temple dedicated to devi. We found long lines that were not moving for some reason, so skipped entry inside
Barabar and Nagarjuni caves
Caves dating to 1st century with “Mauryan polish” which was not found in caves of subsequent centuries. Most caves have 2 rooms with mirror like finish in one of them. Rishi Lomas cave had some beautiful carvings at the entrance
We saw 3 out of 4 caves at Barabar. The 4th one is across the pond, slightly away from the other three
Nagarjuni caves is a kilometer away, with 3 caves. We could spot only one. There was a guide lurking around making us feel uncomfortable, we didn’t bother to d=find the other two as most caves are similar in structure and design
One of the best hidden gems of ancient architecture in Jehanabad district
Nalanda
One of the most prominent universities of ancient India, now in ruins. It was destroyed multiple times in history, never to be rebuilt after the Baktiyar Khilji’s conquest. The library is said to have thousands of manuscripts which burnt for months!
You can see constructions one over the other. Many monastery foundations are still around
Beware of tourist traps. Many e-rickshaw drivers approached us offering to take us around. We believed they would be taking us inside the ruins which is not the case. We were show Huan Tsang memorial which was good, Black Buddha which was found during excavation and a different Jain temple (instead of the actual birth of Lord Mahaveera) which was ok and dropped at the gate of ruins
You cannot take your own vehicle to visit some spots like Huan Tsang memorial going through Nalanda complex road and totos are the only option.
We paid INR 200 for 3 people. The starting ask was INR 200 which came down to INR 100, which the driver then clarified that it is per person. We acted like getting out post which brough it down from INR 300 to 200. After a point when we realized this was a scam, we just wanted to quickly wrap up so that we could spend more time at the ruins
Black Buddha and Jain temple seemed to be places soliciting donations and pestering tourists- a sad state when locals are not earning well
Bihar has so much tourism potential that real development and infrastructure, along with some marketing can get international tourists
Patna
The capital of Bihar. Once a Bimaru (ailing) state, we were pleasantly surprised by the development here. We didn’t have much time to explore. The prominent sites are
Golghar: An erstwhile 18th century granary on which you can climb through steps
Buddha Smriti park; Iconic dome in a park. You can try local Litti Chokha outside. DK Litti is close by and famous
On our future wish list
Sasaram: Sher Shah’s tomb is here with grand architecture
Karkatgarh, Telgarh Falls: We saw this on a Bihar tourism ad on Sony BBC earth- quite scenic
Deo: Famous for Sun temple
Kakolat falls: Another prominent falls on the eastern side