Bihar is a northern state of India. The state of Bihar lies south of Nepal and with West Bengal in the west and Uttar Pradesh in the east. It is the Hindi heartland of India. It is here that Buddha gave his first sermons and obtained enlightenment.
The capital of Bihar is Patna. The city of Patna lies on the junction of 3 major rivers of which one is the river Ganges. Lord Buddha once said that this city Patna, then called Patliputra will face 3 major issues.
They were to be fire, political turmoil and flood. Indeed the state of Bihar but also the city is under constant threat from fire, flood from the major rivers and it’s a political hotbed.
The province of Bihar was titled as Magadha in its old times. Its very first crucial emperor was called by the name of Ashoka the Great. The spread of Buddhism in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Far East is attributable to this distinguished emperor.
It is said that he directed his numerous sons to several regions of the Earth as missionaries. The empire of Ashoka fans out from the east of India to the Persian Empire. It is said that he fell short of occupying the Persian Empire merely because the ruler had a matrimonial alliance to the king of Persia.
Anyone interested in ancient history and the Buddhist religion, a trip to Bihar should be worthwhile. The old city of Bodh Gaya of Bihar has the most important grounds of the Buddhist religion.
Here grows the Bodhi tree, where Buddha attained enlightenment. Most Buddhism countries and sects of the world have set of temples in the holy town of Bodh Gaya. The city of Bodh Gaya can be reached by either flying or taking a train to Patna and then taking the road or train to Bodh Gaya. A trip to the town of Godh Gaya is revelation.