About Bihar
Bihar finds mention in the Vedas, Puranas, Epics etc. and was the main scene of activities of the Buddha and the 24 Jain Tirthankaras. Bihar state is also one of the important places in the annals of Indian history that has seen the rise and fall of major empires. It's antiquity is evident from its name, which is derived from the ancient word "VIHARA" (monastery), it is indeed a land of monasteries. Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Muslim and Sikh shrines abound in this ancient land where India's first major empires rose and fell. The passage of Ganga, flowing wide and deep enrich the plains of Bihar before distributing in Bengal's deltoid zone there.
Among the all India states, Bihar is the one most intimately linked to the Buddha’s life, resulting in a trail of pilgrimages, which have come to be known as the Buddhist circuit. The Buddhist trail begins at the capital city, Patna, where a noteworthy museum contains a collection of Hindu and Buddhist sculptures, futhermore a terracotta urn said to contain the ashes of Lord Buddha. It has Khuda Baksh Oriental Library that 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 is the presence of ruins testify. 90 km south of Patna is Nalanda that translates as the place that confers the lotus’ (of spiritual knowledge). The monastic university also 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 there. Lord Buddha himself taught here and Hieun Tsang, the 7th century Chinese traveler, was a student.
Bihar tourism has great knowledge and the Buddha spent five years at Rajgir after having attained enlightenment, and many of the remains at Rajgir commemorate various incidents related to life of Buddha, the hill of Gridhrakuta being perhaps the most important, as this is where the Buddha delivered most of his sermons. Here, Bodhgaya is the spot where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment, with the Mahabodhi Temple marking the precise location.
Capital: - Patna
Country: - India
Language: -
Hindi, English, Urdu, Bhojpuri, Magahi and Maithili
Location
The Bihar state plain is divided into two unequal halves by the river Ganges that flows through the middle from west to east. The state of Bihar has 94,163 sq. km area. Bihar state is located in the eastern part of the country and lies mid-way between the West Bengal in the east and the Uttar Pradesh in the west. Bihar's boundary touches Nepal in north and Jharkhand state in south. The geographical area of Bihar is 21°-58'-10" N ~ 27°-31'-15" N latitude and between 82°-19'-50" E ~ 88°-17'-40" E longitude. Its average elevation above sea level is 173 Feet.
Weather
It is mildly cold in the winter worst it could get is 5-10 degrees Celsius. Winter months are December and January. It is very hot in the summer 40-45 degrees. April, May and first half of June are the hot months. Then comes the monsoon in the months of June, July, August, and September. October, November, February, and March are very pleasant months for Bihar tourism.
Airport
It 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.
Rail junction
Bihar has well developed railway network with almost all the major and minor places that are connected by good trains. Major railway stations like Patna, Muzaffarpur, and Gaya are connected to all the major cities of India by regular trains.
Transport
There is good network of roads connecting all the major parts of the state with Patna, the state capital. 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).
