We took a small Tour of Patna, Gaya, Nalanda , Rajgir from 6 March to 10 March 2020. Here is our tour details .
Points To Consider.
1. It is better to take Flt to Patna and back, as flts to Gaya are expensive.
2. It is better to travel to Gaya by Train as it is faster and more comfortable
3. The cost of Taxi to Gaya and Back is approx. 3500, where as cost of ACII for Twoone way is Rs 1400 and Rs 850 for Seniors.
06 March .
We took the flt from Delhi at 15.40 pm and arrived at Patna at 17.15Pm. We took the car from Airport to Patna Sahib , Bala Kila , where you get place to stay for night. The distance from airport was 35 km but it takes almost 1 hour 30 mins to travel.
At the Sarai we requested for a Room. Mob No 8294622289 We paid Rs1000.00 , of which we were refunded Rs500 next day at check out. You need to show an identity card for taking a Room. There is another Sarai just at the Entrance of this Sarai, which appeared to be better Sarai, and was new Sarai. It has Double Room for Rs 1500.00 per night and they take Advance reservations. Details are Patna Sahib Asthan ph No 7091175737 Email gnnsjindia@gmail.com . There is a Langar Hall next to Sarai and you can have your meals here.
Having checked into our Room we went to Takht Sahib for Darshan. The Takht Sahib is just 300 meters away and you can walk comfortably thru the lane. You can also go by E Rick which are available .
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| Takht Sahib |
07 March.
We had our breakfast in Langar Hall and then walked to Kangan Sahib Gurudawra. It is just 500 yards. You can view the Ganges River and if you want, you can take a boat ride as well.
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| River Ganga |
At 09.00Am we started for Gaya by Car. The road is thru many small cities and at times the road is very choked with traffic. The distance is just 90 km but you take 3 Hr and 30min to 4 hour for travel. There is no good place enroute to stop and have for any refreshments.We reached Gaya at 2Pm.
After Lunch and rest we left for Bodh Gaya at 4Pm. We went to see the Mahabodhi Temple and the Bodhi tree.
The Mahabodhi Temple built near the Mahabodhi tree , under which Gautam Buddha meditated and attained enlightenment. One can still find the remnants and descendants of the original Mahabodhi Tree,On statistical notes, it belongs to the fifth generation of original Bodhi Tree. It stands as high as 80-feet and is 115 years old. Beneath the tree, there exists a stone platform where it is said that Lord Buddha sat for hours meditating and gazing particularly in the east direction. It is now one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites .Bodh Gaya was earlier known as Uruwela. It was also known as Sambodhi, Vajrasana or Mahabodhi until the 18th century CE.
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| Mahabodhi Tree |
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| Entrance Gate |
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| Maha Bodhi Temple with Its Tree |
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| Inside the Temple |
You also can see the Steps that Lord Budhha took after his meditation.
There after we saw the Big Buddha Statute.This was installed by the XIV Dalai Lama in 1989. This Lord Buddha statue is 80 ft high and rests on a giant lotus in absolute meditation, in ‘Dhyana Mudra’ position.
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| 80 Feet High Budha |
We then went to see Thai Monastery. This is well-known Buddhist monastery in Bihar. It was constructed by the joint venture of the Indian and Thai govt. in 2002. This monastery is a serene spot and many from Thailand and locals visit there alike. It has holy ambience provides calmness to the senses.
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| Receiving Prashadam |
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| Thai Temple |
08 March
We left early at 7.30AM for Nalanda. The distance to Nalanda is just 80km and takes little over 2 hours to reach. We initially saw the small Museum.
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| 1915 -1917 |
The beehive was disturbed at Nalanda Heritage Site thus we went to see the Lord Mahaveer’s birth place at Kundalpur. This is just 2 km away from the Museam.
The Nadyavart Mahal, Trikal Chaubisi Mandir,& the Navgrah Shanti Mandir, are 3 different temples, established with different goals, & it is a treat to watch these temples.
Nalanda. Thereafter we came to see the Great Nalanda University , a World Heritage Site.Nalanda was a Buddhist university established in 450CE, and was the longest running university in Indian history. Among its many notable guests were the Buddha and Mahavira, and at its zenith accommodated over 10,000 students and over 2,000 faculty. However, it was destroyed by Turkish Muslim invaders in 1193, when the students and teachers were massacred and the massive university library was burnt down, and currently all that remains are extensive ruins that are spread over an area of 14 hectares.
Nalanda was largely forgotten until Francis Buchanan-Hamilton surveyed the site in 1811–1812 after locals in the vicinity drew his attention to a vast complex of ruins in the area. He, however, did not associate the mounds of earth and debris with famed Nalanda. That link was established by Major Markham Kittoe in 1847. Alexander Cunningham and the newly formed Archaeological Survey of India conducted an official survey in 1861–1862.Systematic excavation of the ruins by the ASI did not begin until 1915 and ended in 1937. The second round of excavation and restoration took place between 1974 and 1982.
The remains of Nalanda today extend some 1,600 feet north to south and around 800 feet east to west. Excavations have revealed eleven monasteries and six major brick temples arranged in an ordered layout. It is belived that Nalanda Mahavihara occupied a far greater area in medieval times.
The subjects taught at Nalanda covered every field of learning, and it attracted pupils and scholars from Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Persia and Turkey.
Xuanzang left detailed accounts of the school in the 7th century. He described how the regularly laid-out towers, forest of pavilions, harmikas and temples , and the cells where the monks used to study and live.
Library
It is evident from the large numbers of texts that Yijing carried back with him after his 10-year residence at Nalanda, that the Mahavihara must have featured a well-equipped library. Traditional Tibetan sources mention the existence of a great library at Nalanda named Dharmaganja , which comprised three large multi-storeyed buildings. Ratnodadhi , One part of Library, was nine storeys high and housed the most sacred manuscripts .
The exact number of volumes in the Nalanda library is not known, but it is estimated to have been in the hundreds of thousands.. The library kept burning for over 6 months after it was set on fire around 1193 CE by , Muhammad Bin Bakhtiyar Khilij , a Turkishchieftain out to make a name for himself.
Fleeing monks took some of the Nalanda manuscripts. A few of them have survived and are preserved in collections such as those at:
a. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Folios from a Dharanisamgraha, circa 1075.
b. Asia Society. This Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita manuscript records, in Sanskrit and Tibetan.
c. Yarlung Museum, Tsetang (From the On ke ru Lha khang monastery)Astasahahasrika Prajnaparamita Sanskrit palm-leaf manuscript, with 139 leaves and painted wooden covers. According to the colophon, this manuscript was donated by the mother of the great pandita Sri Asoka in the second year of the reign of King Surapala at end of the 11th century.
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| 1925-- 1927 |
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| Today |
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| Living and Meditation Area |
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3 Diffrent Stairs as 3 Different Kings Added to Structure
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| Large Pot for Grains |
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| Entrance for Keeping the Grain Pot |
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| Storage Place For Pot |
Rajgir.Having seen Nalanda we drove for about 14 Km to Rajgir, enroute we stopped to purchase the famous “Khaja” which is made Sweet as well as Saltish.
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Khaja Shop at Rajgir
Rajgir (historically known as Girivraj) is an ancient city in Nalanda district in Bihar. The city of Rajgir was the first capital of the kingdom of Magadha, a state became into the Mauryan Empire. The city finds mention in India's greatest literary epic, the Mahabharata, through its king Jarasandha. Its date of origin is unknown, although ceramics dating to about 1000 BC have been found in the city. |
Historically, Rajgir has been a very important place in Jainism, as capital to many empires. The main tourist attractions include the ancient city walls from Ajatshatru's period, the Bimbisar’s Jail, Jarasandh’s Akhara, Gridhra-kuta,, Son Bhandar Caves and the Jain temples on the five peaks.
Rajgir is famous for its hot water springs, locally known as Brahmakund, a sacred place for Hindus where water from seven different springs (Saptarshi) merge and is notable for its healing effects.
We first went up the rope way to Shanti Stupa. This is most visited place.
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| Shanti Stupa |
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| Rope way Ticket Rs 80.00 |
Thereafter we saw Chariot marks of Lord Krishna and foot prints of Bhim and Jarasandh.
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| Chariot Marks |
We then drove back to Gaya. We briefly stopped at the mountain which was cut by Dashrath Manji.
Manjhi was a agricultural laborer from 1959 or 1960, Manjhi's wife Falguni Devi was badly injured and died because the nearest town with a doctor was 55 km away. Some reports say she was injured while walking along a narrow path across the rocky ridge to bring water or lunch to Manjhi, who had to work away from the village at a location south of the ridge.
As a result of this experience Manjhi resolved to cut a roadway across the ridge to make his village more accessible.Manjhi felt the need to do something for society and decided to carve a path through the ridge so that his village could have easier access to medical care.
He carved a path 110 m long, 7.7 m deep in places and 9.1 m wide to form a road through the ridge of rocks.
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| Dashrath manji |
He completed the work in 22 years (1960–1982). This path reduced the distance between the Atri and Wazirganj sectors from 55 km to 15 km. Though mocked for his efforts, Manjhi's work has made life easier for people of the Gehlaur village. Official roads between his village and Wazirganj and Atri and Gaya were only built where his path was after his death in 2007.
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| Road Cut in 22 Years |
09 March
Today morning we went to see few more places in Gaya.
Vishnupad Temple.
Once a demon known as Gayasura, did a heavy penance and sought a boon that whoever see him should attain salvation . Since salvation is achieved through being righteous in one's lifetime, people started obtaining it easily. To prevent immoral people from attaining salvation Lord Vishnu asked Gayasura to go beneath the earth and did so by placing his right foot on asura's head. After pushing Gayasura below the surface of earth, Lord Vishnu's 40-centimetre long foot print remained on the surface that we see even today. The footprint consists of nine different symbols including Shankam, Chakram and Gadham. These are believed to be weapons of the lord. Gayasura now pushed into earth pleaded for food. Lord Vishnu gave him a boon that every day, someone will offer him food..
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| Vishnu pad |
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| Vishnu Pad Temple |
Exactly opposite to Vishnu pad temple but on the other banks of phalgu river is a small temple depicting the spot where Sita devi performed pinda dana for her father-in-law. This lila is depicted in form of a beautiful deity of Sita devi offering the pinda with sand balls of river phalguni (now phalgu) & hand of Dashrath appearing from the earth to accept it.
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| Sita Kund |
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| Hand of Dashrath with Pind |
Mangla Gauri Temple
The present temple dates back to the 15th Century. This shrine is dedicated to Goddess Shakti or Sati. She is worshipped in the form of Goddess Mangla Gauri, the deity of benevolence. It is one of the ‘Shaktipeeths’ constructed on the top of Manglagauri Hill, according to beliefs, the breasts of the mother goddess fell at this place after her body was shredded by the ‘sudarshana chakra’ of Lord Vishnu. Here Goddess Sati or Mangla or Shakti is worshipped in the form of the breast symbol, which signifies nourishment. The temple complex consists of small shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva and the images of Goddess Sati as Mahishasura Mardini, Durga and Dakshina Kali.
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| Inside of Temple |
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| Mangla Gauri Temple |
Mynamar Vihara
This is a Meditation Center made by in collaboration with Myanmar Govt.
OTA Gaya.
We drove through OTA Gaya . You need a permission to visit OTA Gaya.
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| Entrance Gate |
10 March
Today was Holi festival. We played holi with our friends and then took a train at 13.20pm to Patna.
We reached Patna at 15.30 pm . We then went to look up our old friend.
We took the flight at 7.20Pm for Delhi.
We reached home by 22.00 pm
The Nadyavart Mahal, Trikal Chaubisi Mandir,& the Navgrah Shanti Mandir, are 3 different temples, established with different goals, & it is a treat to watch these temples.
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