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 city of Bihar is city of Patna. Patna is situated at the meeting point of 3 important rivers of which one is the might river Ganges.
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 state of Bihar was named as Magadha in its ancient times. Its very first major ruler was called Ashoka the Great. The spread of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and the Far East is credited to this great ruler.
It is said that he sent his numerous sons to various parts of the world as missionaries. The empire of Ashoka spread from the east of India to Persia. It is said that he fell short of invading Persia simply because the rulers had him married 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.
Various factions of Buddhism and various Buddhist states of the world have set of temples at Bodh Gaya. The township of Bodh Gaya can be arrived at by getting to Patna and then taking the road or nightlong train. The pilgrim’s journey to the holy sites of Bodh Gaya is definitely a revalation.