Bihar is located little towards the eastern part of India. On west hand it touches with Uttar Pradesh and on the northern, it shares its border with Nepal. Bihar has always been a famous and stronger center in terms of learning and studies. In ancient time it was called as Magdha and India’s first empire, ‘Maurya Empire’ was also established in this place. Nalanda University was built here and it is the most ancient center for learning and studies. From temples to Gompas, all can be seen in Bihar. In terms of agriculture, Bihar has a very strong agriculture sector due to the favorable weather conditions provided by the river Ganges. In terms of food, Bihar is very rich in it. A wide variety of sweets, snacks etc are available in this region. River Ganges also provides a nice channel for local transportation. Bihar has some of the best tourist stations, what are they? Let’s see below for more details.
Best Tourist Places to Visit in Bihar (A brief data on top places)
Patna
Being the capital of Bihar, Patna has all the facilities and a couple of the tourist places are there to roam around. In the 5th century, Patna was called as the Patliputra under the leadership of King Ajatasatru. It is well connected through a bus, trains and air service. It is located on the bank of Ganges and you can see lot number of temples situated near it. Although Patna is less crowded, because of the fact that it is a major station for Jharkhand and Bihar, but has a couple of places that are worth for exploring. Patna Museum, Buddha Smriti Park, Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library, Golghar, Har Mandir Takht, Qila House (Jalan Museum), Gandhi Museum are some of the star attractions in Patna.
Vaishali
Around 55 Km from Patna in the northwest direction, Vaishali comes and has a couple of places to visit. Japanese Peace Pagoda is situated here and a fine Buddhist architecture can be seen carved on this pagoda. Basokund is near to this place and it is a birthplace of Lord Mahavir who is 24th and final tiranthankar of Jain Religion.
Kesariya
It is said that when the Lord Buddha was dying, he donated his begging bowl at this place. A Stupa was built here in Pala period and it's among the second-tallest Stupa in world having height of around 34 m.
Gaya
Around 100 Km from Patna a famous religious site is located and we call it ‘Gaya’. There are large numbers of temples all around the Gaya and people from long distances come here to offer their prayers. Vishnupad Temple is very famous and a stone having impressions of foot that is said to belong lord Vishnu is kept inside the temples. This temple is situated near the banks of River Falgu. Brahmajuni Hill is also an important place and Buddhism followers visit it in large number and scenic beauty of this hill is also very nice. Bhodgaya is not very far from the Gaya and people who come to Gaya usually move towards Bhodgaya also which is a major destination among the Buddhist followers.
Bhodgaya
Bhodgaya is an important and a holy city for Buddhist culture. It is this place where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment and he achieved this under a tree which is very famous and called as Bodhi tree. Still the plants that have been originated from this tree are still growing and people all across the world take saplings from this place. A good arrangement for accommodation is present in this town and every year people from all around the globe come to pay their offerings in large numbers. Best time to visit is in the month of October and March. A jungle of monasteries can be seen and anybody can visit these monasteries, and can even offer their prayers with the help of monks. Mahabodhi Temple, Monasteries & Temples, Great Buddha Statue, Archaeological Museum and Bodh gaya Multimedia Museum are some of the places of attractions.
Rajgir
There are five hills that surround Rajgir and all these have ancient Structures that date back from Maurya Empire. A famous temple known as the ‘Lakshmi Narayan Temple’ is also located and people from different part of the country come here to take a bathe in the hot springs located inside the temple, as it is considered very auspicious. In the month of October a famous festival known as ‘Rajgir Mahotsava’ is celebrated and during this festival you can listen different music from all across the nation. Motor vehicles are very less in Rajgir and transportation is mainly through animal wagon. Vishwashanti Stupa, Veerayatan, Lakshmi Narayan Temple complex, Buddha Jal Vihar are places that are very famous in Rajgir and in the festive seasons all these places are visited by people from all across the world.
Nalanda
Nalanda is the site where world most ancient university stands called as the ‘Nalanda University’. In the 5th century this was among the very important destination for teachings and studying. It is said that around 10000 monks and students at a time used live in this area. It was a famous center for learning among the Buddhist people. Now although the university is not as same as it was in the ancient times but remains of it still persists. Beautiful gardens, tress has been planted and nice natural beauty can be experienced at this place. An archaeological museum indicating the souvenirs of the past is also present and you can spot number of Buddha paintings in this museum.
Kundalpur
A very famous temple called as ‘Trikal Chaubeesi Jinmandir’ is there and it is dedicated to the Jain religion. It is said that 24th tirthankar known as lord Mahavir was born here and inside this temple idol of all the lords in the Jain religion can be seen. There are total 72 idols that have been made and they represent lords of the past, present and those in the coming futures.
Tips for Journey
In terms of connectivity, Bihar is well connected to every part of India. There are several types of transportation like trains, Buses and Air etc. available in this state. People tend to avoid coming into the season of monsoon and in the month of May and June. In the month of summer hot air blow all across the region and visiting different places a hectic work. Although there is no scarcity of Hotels and guest houses, but their price shoots up in the festive season. So, prior coming to here, have your rooms booked. Avoid travelling in the monsoon season as a road may get blocked due to water logging. In summers the humidity of this region is a very bad thing and loose clothes are advisable to outside people coming from other states. It is recommended that travelling at night to be avoided.