Bihar Travel Guide

Bihar was India’s first cradle of civilization after Indus Valley, around 6th B.C., when a dynamic combination of geographical and political factors ensured its hegemony over the entire sub-continent. Bihar follows a rich culture. In the north, the predominant themes are from the myths and legends of Hinduism. The Hindu deities, Lord Rama and His consort Seeta; and Lord Shiva and His consort, Parvati, form the main theme of folk paintings. Lord Krishna and His consort, Radha, are not as common a theme as they are in the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Also included, either under the guise of the Hindu deities as couples, or more overtly by paintings of man and woman as husband and wife, is the theme of procreation. These paintings frequently adorn the nuptial chamber, the kohbar, of a newly married couple on their wedding night. One of the art forms of Bihar, the Madhubani School of Painting, has lately received much attention and poularity.

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Access: Bihar has two airports at Patna connected to Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Calcutta, and Katmandu. Indian Airlines and Sahara Airways have direct flights to Patna from Delhi. Bihar has well developed railway network with almost all the major and minor places connected by good trains. Major railway stations like Patna, Muzaffarpur, and Gaya are connected to all the major cities of India by regular trains. There is good network of roads connecting all the major parts of the state with Patna, the state capital. National highways like 2, 31, 28, 23, 30, and 33 connect the state from places all over India. Distance of some of the major places in the state from Patna are Sonepur (25 km), Vaishali (55 km), Nalanda (90 km), Gaya (97 km), Bodhgaya (117 km) and Rajgir (102 km). The Buddhist trail begins at the capital city, Patna, where a noteworthy museum contains a collection of Hindu and Buddhist sculptures. 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 as 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 traveller, was a student. Here, kingdom after kingdom rose and fell, leaving their indelible mark on history. Rival kings fought legendary battles, devastating the land and people. Yet, by some strange alchemy, the same land saw the birth and maturity of some of the most gentle and progressive religious teachers like the Buddha, Mahavira and Guru Gobind Singh.

Then came the Muslims, ruling with panache for five centuries, to be eliminated in their turn by the ever expanding colonisation of the English, who ruled till the middle of this century. Bihar, today, is a quaint interface of the old and new. The state boasts of an incredible range of mineral resources. The coal belt in Bihar is the mainstay of thermal energy in India. Bihar's modern visage sports some of India's largest steel and mining industries.

Places which you can see here are: Gol Ghar, Patna Museum, Jalan Museum, Khuda Baksh Oriental Library, Patna Cemetery, Padri-ki-Haveli, Takht Har Mandir Sahib, Sher Khan Mosque, Agam Kuan and Mahendru Ghat. The historic sites of Nalanda, Rajgir, Pawapuri, Maner, Gaya, Bodhgaya and Vaishali are the must visits of Bihar.

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