Pariksha SaathiLesson 10 of 10 · Bihar General Knowledge
Monuments, Tourist Circuits and Famous Personalities of Bihar
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Bodh Gaya and the Mahabodhi Temple
The Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya in Gaya district became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002. Ashoka built the first shrine here in the 3rd century BCE; the present brick temple, about 50 m tall, dates from the 5th-6th century CE and is one of the earliest brick temples surviving in India. The complex holds the Vajrasana (diamond throne), a descendant of the original Bodhi tree, the Animeshlochana shrine and the Lotus pond. The temple was restored in the 1880s under Alexander Cunningham, and the Bodh Gaya Temple Act 1949 places it under a committee of Hindu and Buddhist members.
Nalanda, Rajgir and Vaishali
The Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara became a World Heritage Site in 2016, and the Nalanda University Act 2010 revived a university of that name at Rajgir. Rajgir has the Vishwa Shanti Stupa (1969) on Ratnagiri hill, built by the Japanese Nipponzan Myohoji order and reached by an aerial ropeway, as well as the Griddhakuta, the Saptaparni cave, the Venuvana, the ancient Cyclopean Wall and the Brahmakund hot springs. Vaishali has the Ashokan pillar at Kolhua with a single lion capital, the Abhishek Pushkarini (coronation tank of the Licchavis) and the Relic Stupa. Kesaria in East Champaran has a huge excavated Buddhist stupa, Lauriya Nandangarh an Ashokan pillar with its lion capital intact, and Antichak in Bhagalpur the ruins of Vikramashila.
Caves and Mauryan Patna
The Barabar caves in Jehanabad district, among them the Lomas Rishi cave with its gateway carved to imitate wooden architecture and the Sudama cave dedicated by Ashoka to the Ajivikas, are the oldest surviving rock-cut caves in India; the nearby Nagarjuni caves were given by Ashoka's grandson Dasharatha. Their polished interiors inspired the Marabar caves of E.M. Forster's novel A Passage to India. In Patna, Kumhrar preserves the remains of a Mauryan pillared hall with 80 columns, and Agam Kuan is an ancient well linked by legend to Ashoka. The Didarganj Yakshi, a chauri-bearer with a mirror-like Mauryan polish, was found at Patna in 1917.
Medieval and colonial monuments
Sher Shah Suri's tomb at Sasaram rises in the middle of an artificial lake, an octagonal red sandstone building of the 1540s. The Rohtasgarh fort stands on the Kaimur plateau, the Maner Sharif dargahs near Patna include the Chhoti Dargah built in Jahangir's reign, and the Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib marks Guru Gobind Singh's birthplace at Patna. The Golghar of Patna, a beehive-shaped granary with stairs winding round the outside, was built in 1786 by Captain John Garstin after the famine of 1770. The Patna Museum, popularly called Jadu Ghar, was founded in 1917. The Mundeshwari temple in Kaimur district, octagonal in plan, is regarded as one of the oldest functioning temples in India.
Tourist circuits
Bihar's sites are grouped into circuits. The Buddhist circuit links Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Nalanda, Vaishali and Kesaria with Kushinagar and Lumbini beyond the state. The Jain circuit covers Pawapuri, Rajgir and Kundagrama near Vaishali; the Sikh pilgrimage centres on Patna Sahib; the Sufi circuit on Maner and Bihar Sharif. The Ramayana circuit includes Sitamarhi, believed to be Sita's birthplace, and Valmikinagar, while the Gandhi circuit in Champaran includes the Bhitiharwa ashram that Gandhi set up in 1917.
Famous personalities
Aryabhata (born 476 CE) wrote the Aryabhatiya at Kusumapura (Patna) in 499 CE, used the place-value system, gave pi as 3.1416 and taught that the earth rotates on its axis; India's first satellite (1975) was named after him. Chanakya (Kautilya), author of the Arthashastra, was the guide and minister of Chandragupta Maurya at Pataliputra. Dr Rajendra Prasad of Zeradei was India's first President. Ustad Bismillah Khan, the shehnai maestro, was born at Dumraon in Buxar district in 1916 and received the Bharat Ratna in 2001. Bhikhari Thakur of Saran made Bidesia theatre famous, Jagjivan Ram of Bhojpur became Deputy Prime Minister, and Dashrath Manjhi of Gehlaur in Gaya, the Mountain Man, cut a road through a rocky hill alone over 22 years. Writers such as Vidyapati, Dinkar, Renu and Nagarjun complete the list.
Key facts
- Bihar's UNESCO World Heritage Sites include the Mahabodhi Temple Complex, Bodh Gaya (2002) and the Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (2016).
- Mahabodhi: first shrine by Ashoka; present brick temple of the 5th-6th century CE; Vajrasana and Bodhi tree; Bodh Gaya Temple Act 1949.
- Barabar caves (Jehanabad): Sudama cave dedicated by Ashoka to the Ajivikas, Lomas Rishi cave with a gateway copying wooden architecture; Nagarjuni caves by Dasharatha; models for the Marabar caves of A Passage to India.
- Golghar, Patna: beehive-shaped granary built in 1786 by Captain John Garstin after the famine of 1770.
- Patna Museum (Jadu Ghar) was founded in 1917; Kumhrar has the remains of a Mauryan hall with 80 pillars; the Didarganj Yakshi was found at Patna in 1917.
- Rajgir: Vishwa Shanti Stupa (1969) with ropeway, Saptaparni cave, Griddhakuta, Cyclopean Wall, Brahmakund hot springs.
- Vaishali: Ashokan pillar at Kolhua with a single lion capital, Abhishek Pushkarini, Relic Stupa; Kesaria (East Champaran) has a giant excavated stupa.
- Aryabhata: Aryabhatiya (499 CE) at Kusumapura; pi as 3.1416; India's first satellite (1975) bears his name.
- Bismillah Khan: born at Dumraon (Buxar) in 1916, shehnai maestro, Bharat Ratna 2001.
- Dashrath Manjhi, the Mountain Man of Gehlaur (Gaya), cut a road through a hill alone over 22 years.
Quick revision
UNESCO: Mahabodhi 2002, Nalanda 2016; Mahabodhi first shrine by Ashoka, brick temple 5th-6th century, Act 1949; Vishwa Shanti Stupa Rajgir 1969; Kolhua lion pillar, Abhishek Pushkarini; Kesaria stupa; Barabar caves (Sudama for Ajivikas, Lomas Rishi gateway); Kumhrar 80 pillars; Golghar 1786 (Garstin); Patna Museum 1917; Sasaram tomb; Mundeshwari temple; Aryabhata 499 CE, pi 3.1416; Bismillah Khan Dumraon 1916, Bharat Ratna 2001; Dashrath Manjhi 22 years.