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One of those dexterous superlatives that light up a whole spectrum of
ancient history and stimulates the imagination. India’s earliest
recorded capital was not only the political hub but suffused by
spiritual awakening.
It is exciting and thrilling to travel to a destination where thousands
of years ago other people lived whose spiritual insights informed the
tradition of which we are now a part. We encounter such people through
books, we get to learn about the actual or legendary details of these
lives, but it is not until we find ourselves at precisely these places
where they lived can we really imagine a physical encounter with them.
One such spot with unwavering curiosity is Rajagriha or modern Nalanda.
Imagine Lord Buddha on his first alms begging mission while staying in a
cave on the Rajagrih hills. Bypass your imagination to the hill of
vultures - Gridhrakuta, the site where Lord Buddha returned after his
enlightement to deliver his sermons and converted the powerful Magadhan
King, Bimbisara into the Buddhist order.
Empathize with Fa Hein, the Chinese scholar who ventured to this site
900 years later and wept bitterly that he had not been fortunate enough
to listen to the sermons of Lord Buddha delivered here. Conjure an
intoxicated elephant let loose by Devadutta to kill Lord Buddha; the
next sequence on these hills of Nalanda may be the big boulder rolled
down from the cliff to crush him. The elephant, no doubt, was subdued
and the boulder broke into splinters. Let your imagination attend the
first Buddhist council held in the Saptaparni cave, the oldest in
Nalanda, wherein the teachings of Buddha hitherto unwritten were penned
down after his death.
The story of Nalanda is not just Buddha’s love for Nalanda and
events of his life but the place is equally revered by the Jains. Out of
the 32 years of his missionary life, Mahavira spent 14 rain retreats in
these surroundings. It was here on the Vipulachala hill that Mahavira
delivered his first sermon. The 72 feet high Samvasran temple
commemorates this sacred event. of the eleven ganadharas or chief disciples of Mahavira, everyone is said to have died on the top
of one or the other of the Rajgriha hills. Asoka (3rd cen
B.C.) too is believed to have died on one of these hills and his stupa
can be seen here. A still earlier stupa has been identified as that of
Ajatasatru (497-459 B.C).
A good deal of history finds shelter in the lush green forests and
hills of Rajgriha - the capital of the mighty Magadhan empire in the
fourth century B.C. (also construed as the first recorded capital in
Indian history). Prior to the advent of Buddhism, Rajagriha was known as
Girivaraja and Kusagarapura which indicates an abundance of tall scented
grass. Ramayana and Mahabharat frequently refer to this place and depict
it as full of wealth and water. It has been depicted as a beautiful
capital with trees standing everywhere on the hill and peaks which make
it impregnable. The cheerful inhabitants are given to perennial
festivites.
 The Vedic seers are hostile towards Magadh and they often make
derogatory references. Magadh inhabitants are referred to as Vratas or low class people outside the pale of Vedic Brahmanism. Other than
pilgrimage, entry into Magadha was looked down upon. One had to perform
an expiatory rite after visiting these places. However the pride, power
and prowess of prehistoric kings of Magadha like Brahadratha, Dirga,
Jarasandha, Meghasandhi, etc was an established fact. In those days
issues were settled by the wrestling duels between kings and warriors.
Meghasandhi is believed to have attacked Arjuna while a duel on the
advice of Krishna was fought between Bhim and Jarasandha.
Krishna is believed to have left for Dwarka when Mathura was repeatedly
raided by Jarasandha. In words of Harivamsa, "The highly powerful,
effulent and persevering Lord Paramount Jarasandha came to Mathura
encircled by fourfold ocean like forces, consisting of war chariots,
containing beautiful seats and drawn by powerful steeds, whose course is
never obstructed anywhere, cloud like elephants embellished with bells
and golden seats, ridden by car warriors well read in the science of war
and driven by clever charioteers, horses going by leaps and bounds,
driven by horsemen and resembling clouds and numberless fearful foot
soldiers armed with swords and coats of mail, who could bound up in the
sky like serpents."
The reigns of Bimbisara and his son Ajatasatru saw Rajgriha in its
highest prosperity. The main interest of this period lies in the close
association of both kings with the lives of Gautam Buddha and Vardhamana
Mahavira. Within the ruins of the cyclopean walls of Rajgriha there are
visible landmarks of tumultuous times, when empires flourished and
disappeared. Until the discovery of Mohenjodaro and Harappa, this wall
was deemed to be the oldest architectural remains of India. The 12 feet
high and 18 feet thick walls consists of undressed stones and are so
well piled up that they still hold together at various places.
The name Rajagriha stems from the town where the king Bimbisara
banished himself as punished, for the outbreak of fire in the palace. In
order to prevent the occurrences of fire in the city the king had passed
a law to punish the guilty person. Unfortunately the king himself was
the first victim so he left the kingdom under the care of his son.
Finding the king alone, the neighbouring enemies thought of vanquishing
him. However people surrounded the king and gradually the city of
Rajgriha sprang up which was possibly a burial ground earlier, for the
people of the old town. The new city sprang up with all houses
resembling the royal palace and it prospered until the last days of
Buddha when the capital was shifted to Patiliputra.
Travel to Nalanda, first encounters the long stretch of dry stone walls
that criss-crosses the road at various points. Originally the 40 km
stretch of cyclopean wall encircling Nalanda had 32 large gates and 64
posterns. However, only one such gateway in the North has survived the
ravages of time. At regular intervals, the defensive wall was
strengthened with bastions and watch towers while rivers and canals took
care of the entire surroundings. Once the city gates were closed in the
evening, no one, not even the king could gain entry into the city. High
stone walled area and the west was possibly the king’s palace while
the dwelling of common people centered in the eastern fringe, as is
evident from the mud walls.
 The
Jain and Buddhist literature describe Nalanda as a populous and
prosperous city abounding with unending beauty. Ananda, a disciple of
Buddha considers this place good enough for his master to attain mahaparinirvana here. These literatures are replete with references to numerous sites
associated with the lives of Mahavir and Buddha but most of them cannot
be identified to satisfaction. The concept of monastic institutions was
laid at Nalanda which later developed into magnificent academic and
religious centres, producing learned and well disciplined monks. It was
at Nalanda that Buddha had commanded his monks neither to sing nor hear
any song; they were further forbidden to rub their bodies while taking
bath, to grow long hair, to put on any thread either round the neck or
waist; the monks were also to refrain from exhibiting miracles.
Amongst the various spots around Rajagriha, travel to Venuvana and
Gridhrakuta, the most sacred site in Nalanda. Devout Buddhists can be seen prostrating at these places in particular.
Venuvana or the forest of Bamboos was the royal park gifted to Buddha in
order to make it easier for his devotees to visit him. It started with
king Bimbisara, who was first attracted by the dignified and high born
demeanor of Buddha, much before his enlightenment when he was wandering
through Nalanda in search of an ideal teacher. The king lured the
wandering prince with wealth and territory but when the future Buddha
refused, he was requested to visit the king after his enlightenment.
Bimbisara was impressed by the Buddhist doctrine and accepted the
Buddhist faith. He was equally enlightened by the Jain school and it is
not surprising to hear about Mahavira’s claim about the conversion
of Bimbisara to Jainism. Mahavira is further believed to have brought 23
sons and 13 queens of Bimbisara into the Jaina fold.Today the new
Venuvana Vihar is identified by the site of a stupa built by Ajatsatru
to enshirine the relics of Buddha.
A little further up the Vaibhara hill is the Pipali
cave, well known in the Pali
literature. It is named because of the sacred pipal tree at the entrance
of the cave that was occasionally used by Buddha for meditation after
his midday meal. If one manages to climb the hill, one is rewarded with
a view of multicolour crops and variegated patches of cornfield. Buddha
never missed passing through such scenic beauties without comments, and
is believed to have called his companion Ananda to enjoy this particular
panorama from the Vaibhara hill top, an area now crowded with Jain
temples.
Following the foot track on this hill one reaches the Jarasandha
ki Baithak.
Historians consider it to be a military outpost with cells that served
as living quarters for the picket. Another interesting spot associated
with Jarasandha is the Ranbhumi or Jarasandha ka
akhada. It marks the legendary
wrestling arena that witnessed the month long duel between Jarasandh and
Bhima, who had entered Nalanda alongwith the Krishna and Arjun in
disguise. The soil of the Ranbhumi was once soft and white. It has now
exhausted on account of wrestling enthusiasts who carry away a good
quantity of it. Two parallel cuts on the rock stretching for about 30
feet are believed to be the prints left behind by the chariot of
Krishna.
Other points of travel attractiions include the Maniyar
Math, a cylindrical brick shrine
dedicated to the worship of the presiding deity of Rajagriha - Mani Nag.
Naga (snake) worship was a distincitive feature of non-Vedic religion
and Nalanda was a great centre of pilgrimage. People of Magadha regarded
Nagas as generous deities who, they believed, could bring rains if
properly appeased by worship. Excavations have brought to light large
groups of multi spouted jars, the spouts of which having the form of
serpent hood. Possibly these were used for offering milk to the snakes.
Huge pits full of skeletal remains of animals have been exposed, that
makes history believe that the place was associated with human sacrifice
as well. In fact, Buddhist tales picture Rajagriha as a notorious place
for the supremacy of these presiding deities which reasoned them to
offer protection-charm when visiting Rajagriha.
Amravana or Jivaka’s mango garden marks the site of the dispensary of the
royal physician, Jivaka who happended to dress the woulds of Buddha here
when he was injured by his unfriendly cousin, Devdutta. Jivaka converted
this site into a Vihara and gifted it to the Buddhist order. It was
amidst this thicket of Amravana that Buddha dwelt for some time and King
Ajatsatru came to him seeking spiritual guidance. Swarna
Bhandar is an interesting cave where
the guide will convince you that it still contains the wealth hidden by
Bimbisara. He points to the marks left behind by the British canons when
they tried to explode the cave to retrieve the gold. The surrounding
shell script can’t be deciphered and hence the treasure remains
inside. Only the recitation of the mantra can open the cave leading to
the fabulous Magadhan treasury !
 Topada
in the epic Mahabharata refers to the hot water springs of Rajagriha.
Legend ascribes it to the tapah (austerites) of Brahma. In Buddhist
literature the main rivers of Rajagriha is called Tapoda, the waters of
which were diverted to form a lake for the king. The authors of the
shastras accorded great sanctity to Sarasvati river in Nalanda. Vayu
Puran suggests that bathing in this river is equivalent to bathing for
one year in the Ganges. Today Nalanda is noted for its numerous hot water
springs at the base of Vibhara Hill, attracting not only the pilgrims
and tourists but the sick and the infirm as well. There are separate
bathing cells for men and women. The hottest of the springs is the Brahmakundi where the water gushes at 45 degrees centigrade. Guru Nanak is believed
to have bathed in one of these springs during his sojourn to this place.
Buddha spent much of his life in the caves of his favourite Gridhrakuta
hill. Here he gave audience to one and all. It was from this site that
he delivered his message of peace to the world and expounded the famous
Saddharma Pundarika Sutra, which refers to the ever presence of Budha on
the hills of Gridhrakuta. Buddhist pilgrims spend their days and nights
in religious vigils burning lamps in these caves. The original road
leading to the cave was built by King Bimbisara to facilitate the
pilgrim’s visit. Two small stupas once stood on the roadside which
marked the spots where from the king began to walk on foot and the other
stupa demarcates the point where the king dismissed his retinue in order
to be alone with the Lord. King Bimbisara was unfortunate to be
imprisoned by his impatient son Ajatsatru but his request for a cell
offering a view of Buddha on the Gridhakuta hill was granted. Much later
Mahendra (Ashoka’s son) built his hermitage on this hill. The
remnants of this prison can be identified by the iron rings on the floor
that were discovered during the initial excavation.
Adjacent to Gridhakuta hill is the Ratnagiri hill humming with tourists
plying on the aerial ropeway leading to the 160 feet high Vishva
Shanti Stupa built by the Budha Sangha of
Japan. A 2200 feet aerial ropeway carries the tourists to the hill top
where the stupa is all alive with the chantings of na-mu-myo-h-nga-kyo
amidst the beating of big drums.
Nalanda
Nalanda,
15 km, should be the first choice for the visitor to see the ancient
monastery.
Gaya
Gaya 68
km, is the famous pilgrim centre for the Hindus where they offer
oblations for the salvation of their dead ancestors. 12 km further south
is Bodh Gaya, the rallying point for the Buddhists from all over the
world.
Pawapuri
Pawapuri,
38 km is a sinless town, sacred to the Jains. Lord Mahavira attained
nirvana here. The site is commemorated with a beautiful marble temple,
Jalmandir, set amidst a lotus pond which was the outcome of the sacred
ash and later the mud being carried away in great quantity by the
pilgrims.
Bihar Sherif
Bihar Sherif,
25 km is venerated by the Muslims on account of the tombs of sufi
saints. Prominent among them is Makhdum Shah Sharfuddin dating back to
the 14th century. It was once the capital of the Muslim governors of
Bihar between 13-16 centuries when the city was an active cultural
centre and seat of Muslim thought and learning. The earliest among the
graves is that of Malik Ibrahim Bayu perched on the hill top of Pir
Pahar. He was the first local governor of the Delhi sultanate who died
in 1353. The dome is curiously elongated and stands as one of the
earliest examples of Muslim domes in this part of the country.
1. The nearest airport is Patna from where taxis and luxury buses are
available.
2. Local trains are available from Patna or Bakhtiarpur.
3. Local information can be obtained from the tourist office of the
Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation.
4. Hotel Gautam Vihar, Hotel Ajatshatru Vihar and Hotel Tathagat Vihar
are three of the hotels managed by the B.S.T.D.C. Cenatur Hokke is a
Japanese undertaking with 24 rooms.
5. The best time to visit is between October and March.
Jalmandir, set amidst a lotus
pond is a picturesque sight at Pawapuri (the sinless town) that reminds
us of the Jain faith in Sallekhana (facing death voluntarily). It was
precisely at this spot that Mahavira after his prolonged discourse took
to Jal Samadhi and ended his life. Mahavira believed that the virtuous
and the learned who have controlled themselves and subdued their senses
achieve, on their death either "freedom from all misery or god hood
of great power." A Jain monk is supposed to reach the end of his
life after having patiently chosen one of the three ways of attainment
of Nirvana.
Jainism believes in rebirth and so the consequences of our karmas
(deeds) are dependent upon our own good and bad thoughts, words and
actions. One cannot escape from one’s karmas except by experiencing
their consequences, good or bad. Depending on the nature of individual’s
karma, the next life may be human or otherwise.
Every individual soul, by its nature, is pure and perfect, with
infinite perception, knowledge, power and bliss. All are potentially
capable of attaining perfection. No divine favour is required for this.
But for eternity, it is associated with Karmic matter and has therefore
become subject to birth and rebirth in numerous forms and existence.
Jainism recognises fourteen stages in the evolution of the soul from
impurity to purity or complete liberation. The entire ethical code is
directed towards the attainment of complete liberation by cultivating
Ratna traya (three jewels), namely right faith, right knowledge and
right conduct, which constitutes the path to it.
The best time to visit Pawapuri is during Dipawali or the festival of
lights, when the Jains assemble and chariots appear on the streets. The
Jains claim that this festival originated when the 18 kings who were
present at the Nirvana of Mahavira, lighted torches, symbolising the
perpetuation of soul-illuminating "light of knowledge".
Pawapuri is 12 km from Bihar Sherif, 38 km from Nalanda, 80 km from
Patna. There are reasonably clean dharamshalas at Pawapuri.
Alternatively one can consider Bihar Sherif for better accommodation.
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