Sights in Bihar & Jharkhand
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Golghar
Gandhi Maidan is a large park around which are a couple of sights. For a dome with a view, climb the landmark Golghar, which is a short walk west of the Gandhi Maidan. The British army built this massive and bulbous beehive of a granary in 1786, in the hope of avoiding a repeat of the vicious 1770 famine. Fortunately it was never required. Its dual spiralling staircases (250 steps each side), designed so that workers could climb up one side and down the other, lead to an unparalleled view of the city and Ganges.
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Kesariya Stupa
Rising high out of the earth from where the dying Buddha donated his begging bowl, this stupa is an enthralling example how nature reclaimed a deserted monument. Excavated and half revealed from under a grassy and wooded veil, is what’s likely to be the world’s second-tallest (38m) Buddhist stupa dating from the Pala period. Above the 425m-circumference pedestal are five uniquely shaped terraces that form a gargantuan Buddhist tantric mandala. Each terrace has a number of niches containing mutilated Buddha statues whose heads were lopped off by Muslim invaders.
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Betla (Palamau) National Park
The park is open year-round, but the best time to visit is October to April. If you can stand the heat, May is prime time for tiger spotting as forest cover is reduced and animals venture out in search of waterholes. Jeep safaris can be arranged privately at the park gate. You must also hire a local guide to accompany you.
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Mahabodhi Temple
The magnificent World Heritage-listed Mahabodhi Temple, where Buddha attained enlightenment and formulated his philosophy of life, forms the spiritual heart of Bodhgaya. Within the temple complex entrance is a bookshop with a range of Buddhist literature.
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Indosan Nipponji Temple
The different monasteries offer visitors a unique opportunity to peek into different Buddhist cultures and compare architectural styles. For example, the Indosan Nipponji Temple is an exercise in quiet Japanese understatement compared to its richly presented Bhutan neighbour. The most impressive is the Thai Monastery, a brightly coloured wat with shimmering gold leaf and manicured gardens. Meditation sessions are held here in the morning. The Tibetan KarmaTemple and Namgyal Monastery each contain large prayer wheels, and the brand new Tergar Monastery of the Karmapa (Black Hat sect) is a glory of Tibetan decorative arts. Other noteworthy monasteries include those from …
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Mausoleum of Sher Shah
If you’re motoring on from Gaya to Varanasi, a short detour to the Mausoleum of Sher Shah at Sasaram is worthwhile. Seemingly floating within a large tank, this is the mausoleum of the historically significant emperor Sher Shah. The whole museum is an exercise in architectural restraint. Its beauty lies in an aesthetic use of proportion from its rounded dome down through a ring of chhatris (pavilions or pillar-supported canopies) to its solid pedestal. Very similar in style to Isa Khan’s tomb in Delhi, it still bears vestiges of deep-blue Persian tiling. Within is the tomb of Sher Shah, his son and their family. Hasan Shah, father of Sher Shah, has his own less…
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Patna Museum
Behind the impressive but decaying exterior, this museum houses a splendid collection of Mauryan and Gupta stone sculptures. There’s the usual collection of period weapons, including Humayun’s dagger, and a gallery of wonderful Rajasthani miniatures. In another gallery is a motley collection of stuffed animals, including tigers, a large gharial (crocodile), a bizarre three-eared and eight-legged goat kid and an Australian wombat! Upstairs in a locked gallery an extra Rs. 500 permits you a glimpse of a tiny casket that’s believed to contain some of Buddha’s ashes which were retrieved from Vaishali.
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Chhoti Dargah
Worth visiting 30km west of Patna is Chhoti Dargah, an architecturally elegant three-storey mausoleum fronted by a large tank. The venerable Muslim saint Makhdum Shah Daulat was buried here in 1619 under a canopied tomb. As it is auspicious to be buried close to a saint, several cloth-covered graves in front of the mausoleum keep the saint company. The large body of water is a favourite swimming playground for local children and its steps provide a good laundry site.
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Nalanda Ruins
Allow an hour or two for wandering the extensive ruins – they’re peaceful and well-maintained with a park-like atmosphere of clipped lawns, shrubs and roses. A guide (Rs. 50 per hour) is a worthwhile investment in unravelling the labyrinthine buildings and their history. The red-brick ruins consist of nine monasteries and four main temples. Most impressive is the Great Stupa, with steps, terraces, a few intact votive stupas, and monks’ cells.
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Museum
Most sites in Vaishali surround a large tank. Dominating the skyline is a gleaming, modern Japanese Peace Pagoda, while opposite is a small museum presenting a collection of clay and terracotta figures plus an intriguing 1st- to 2nd-century AD toilet pan with appropriately sized exit holes. Nearby are the ground-floor remains of a stupa that contained Buddha’s ashes that now reside in Patna Museum.
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Kolhua Complex
The ruins of the Kolhua Complex, comprise of a hemispherical brick stupa guarded by a dignified lion squatting atop a 2300-year-old Ashoka pillar. The pillar is plain and contains no Ashokan edicts that were usually carved onto Ashoka pillars. Attending are the ruins of smaller stupas and monastic buildings. According to legend, Buddha was given a bowl of honey here by monkeys who also dug out a rainwater tank for his water supply.
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Har Mandir Takht
Behind a grand gate and sheltered from the mayhem of Patna’s Chowk area is an important Sikh shrine. Its miniature marble domes, sweeping staircases and fine latticework mark the spot where Guru Gobind Singh, last of the 10 Sikh gurus, was born in 1666. It’s 11km east of Gandhi Maidan. There is a free guide to show you around and you can show your appreciation of his services by putting a contribution in the temple donations box.
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Qila House (Jalan Museum)
This intriguing and eclectic private museum overflows with antiques ranging from elaborate Mughal-period silverware and weaponry to the wooden bed of Napoleon III. Look for Marie Antoinette’s Sèvres porcelain and the Crown Derby dinner service printed bold and garish for the failing eyes of King George III. To visit, telephone ahead and provide a photocopy of your passport identity and visa pages.
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Vishnupad Temple
Close to the banks of the Falgu River south of town, the sikhara (spired) Vishnupad Temple was constructed in 1787 by Queen Ahalya Bai of Indore and houses a 40cm 'footprint' of Vishnu imprinted in solid rock. Non-Hindus are not permitted to enter, but you can get a look at the temple from the pink platform near the entrance. Along the ghats on the river's edge, Hindus bathe and light funeral pyres.
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Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library
This fascinating library, founded in 1900, contains a renowned collection of Arabic and Persian manuscripts, Mughal and Rajput paintings, and even the Quran inscribed in a book just 25mm wide. A significant exhibit is Nadir Shah’s sword – perhaps this was the one he raised at Sunehri Mosque, Delhi, in 1739 to order the massacre of the city’s residents.
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Ruins of Pataliputra
These historic ruins are unfortunately often flooded, but excavations of this ancient capital have found evidence from the periods of Ajatasatru (491-459 BC), Chandragupta (321-297 BC) and Ashoka (274-237 BC). The ruins/ponds are surrounded by well cared for gardens and a museum that details the site’s historic past.
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Great Buddha Statue
A 25m-high Great Buddha Statue towers above a pleasant garden at the end of Temple St. The impressive monument was unveiled by the Dalai Lama in 1989, and is surrounded by 10 smaller sculptures of Buddha’s disciples. The statue is partially hollow and is said to contain some 20,000 bronze Buddhas.
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Archaeological Museum
The archaeological museum is a small but fascinating museum housing the Nalanda University seal and a host of sculptures and bronzes unearthed from Nalanda and Rajgir. Along with the many Buddha figures and Picasso-like 9th-century Kirtimukha (gargoyle), look out for the bizarre many-spouted pot.
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Xuan Zang Memorial Hall
About 2km from the Archaeological Museum is the huge Xuan Zang Memorial Hall, built by the Chinese as a peace pagoda in honour of the famous Chinese traveller who studied and taught for some years at Nalanda. Modern-day backpackers will appreciate the statue of Xuan Zang at the front.
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Brahmajuni Hill
One thousand stone steps leads to the top of the Brahmajuni Hill, 1km southwest of the Vishnupad Temple, where Buddha is said to have preached the fire sermon. The view from the top of Gaya and the surrounding plains is expansive and there's a small temple and cave here.
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Tribal Research Institute Museum
The Tribal Research Institute Museum is worth a visit to delve into the history of Jharkhand’s many tribal groups, including the Asurs, Mundas and Gonds. The museum is not signed in English and is about 200m from Murabadi stadium.
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Archaeological Museum
The archaeological museum contains a small collection of local Buddha figures, but pride of place goes to part of the original granite railings and pillars rescued from the Mahabodhi Temple.
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Gandhi Museum
The small Gandhi Museum contains a pictorial history of the Mahatma’s life plus some of his meagre belongings.
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