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Rajgir
Rajgir, in district
Nalanda, was called Rajgriha or Girivraja in the ancient period
before time of Lord Buddha. The word Rajgriha literally means Royal
Palace. It is also called the Pancha Pahari or the five hills. This
place is considered holy by Hindus, Jains and Buddhists. Siddhartha Gautam
Buddha (Sakyamuni), the founder of Buddhist religion and Vardhamana
Mahavira, the twenty-fourth Tirthankar, the enlightened teacher of Jain
religion, both visited this city many times in their lives. It was an
affluent and flourishing city just 15 kilometers or 9 miles south of the
famous university of Nalanda in the lifetime of Buddha and Mahavira. Sitting
on the Gridhakuta Hill Lord Buddha delivered many important sermons of the
Buddhist religion. His teachings were recorded in writing for the first time
in this city. A modern Stupa built by the Japanese Buddhists on the hilltop
commemorates the site of his seat on this hill. An aerial ropeway has been
constructed for the convenience of modern pilgrims to the site. The first
Buddhist Sangha (religious council) after the Mahaparinirwana (demise) of
Lord Buddha was held in the “Saptaparni Cave” in this city when Raja
Ajatshatru was ruling this region.
Raja Ajatshatru is
believed to be originally a follower of Jain religion and belonged to the
Haryanka Dynasty that ruled the mighty kingdom of Magadha from their capital
in Rajgir. Many archaeologists and historians believe that Ajatshatru met
Lord Buddha and was very impressed by him. He later converted to Buddhism.
Contemporary texts mention that he sought forgiveness from Lord Buddha for
imprisoning and subsequently killing his own father, Bimbisar. Lord Buddha
passed on to the state of Mahaparinivana in 483 BCE. After his cremation in
Kushinagar, his relics were divided into eight parts that various regional
rulers claimed. The Licchavi rulers and Ajatshatru of Magadha among other
rulers built many Stupas to honor the relics of Lord Buddha. Ajatshatru died
in about 462 BCE.
In June 2001 the
archaeologists discovered the largest Stupa in the world at Rajgir. This had
remained a mystery to archaeologists for a very long time because all
structures that archaeologists found were made of stone. This Stupa made of
bricks is referred to in Mahaparinirvanasutta, an ancient Buddhist
text on the life of Lord Buddha. A famous Chinese traveler and Buddhist
pilgrim had also described in detail the Stupa made of brick. In the region
located southeast of Rajgir there were dense forests. In this area they
found a flat land surrounded by mounds. The Archaeological Survey of India
started digging in this area in 1997. They were emboldened to dig further
when some structures immerged from underneath the earth. This great
archaeological discovery was almost lost when the Indian Railways had
acquired this area for expansion of railway track sometime earlier. They
started leveling the mounds for laying the tracks. Luckily some
archaeologist acted swiftly and asked the railways to leave aside the
relevant area. They immediately started excavations and found the structure
that is so vividly described in the Jivakamravana, an ancient
Buddhist text. This structure matched the description precisely. It is made
out of brick and has two terraces that measure 29x25 meters (95x82 feet).
Unfortunately some of the relics found were damaged but they were determined
to be authentic from the period of Ajatshatru. While digging further in this
area the archaeologist also found Palaeolithic stone tools that have proved
that this area was inhabited long before the sixth century BCE and is
scientifically proven to be one of the ancient cradles of human
civilization. This also gives credibility to the theory of some historians
that Rajgir was called Vasumati after the fourth son of Brahma
whose name was Vasu. The excavated areas of Rajgir are very extensive
and display ancient fortifications, signs of ancient habitations, shrines,
Stupas and Viharas (monasteries). The Jeevak Amravan site referred in
many ancient Buddhist texts as the one that was favorite of Lord Buddha and
the one to which he retreated quite often has also been found.
The important Buddhist and other sites in this area are:
Gridhakuta Hill
(Vulture Peak) is located
about 10 kilometers or 6 miles from the railway station. This was one of
first places where Buddha delivered sermons after attaining enlightenment at
Bodhgaya. The Lotus Sutra and the Prajnaparamita (Perfection
of Wisdom Sutra) were both delivered at this site.
Vishwa Shanti Stupa
(International Peace Stupa): The Japanese Buddhist devotees had this 38
meters or 126 feet high Stupa constructed and a fifteen minute round-trip
chairlift ride takes one to the top of this hill signifying the site where
Lord Buddha preached.
Fort
of Ajatashatru was constructed around the sixth
century BCE if not earlier and it was in this fort that Ajatshatru
imprisoned and killed his father, Bimbisar. The famous Parinirvana
sculpture that shows Buddha lying on his right side with right forearm
supporting his head is also in this area.
Venuvana Vihar
is a Japanese shrine on the
site where Bimbisar built a monastery for Lord Buddha and called it the
Venuvana or the monastery of the bamboo grove. Near it is a shallow muddy
water pool called Karanda where Lord Buddha is believed to have taken
bath.
Amaravana or Mango
Garden of Jivaka
is the site mentioned in ancient Buddhist texts as the place where Jivaka,
the royal physician of Bimbisar and Ajatshatru, treated the wounds on the
feet of Lord Buddha. Jivaka was one of most famous medical practitioners of
this period and was trained in the world famous Takshila university, now in
the northern Pakistan. One of the chambers is believed to have been the
guard room; the rear wall has two straight vertical lines and one horizontal
line cut into the rock. This is supposed to signify that it is a doorway to
the treasury of Raja Bimbisar. There are some inscriptions written in a yet
to be deciphered script, called Shankhalipi or shell script that are
etched into the wall surface. The local people believe that the script gives
clue to open the doorway to treasury. The second chamber has faint remains
of one seated and one standing guard that are etched on its outer wall.
The Cyclopean Wall
was originally 40 kilometers or 25 miles long and encircled the entire
ancient city of Rajgir. It is built out of huge stone pieces that are
carefully fitted together. This is one of the very few pre-Mauryan stone
structures that have been found in the archaeological excavations in Rajgir.
The wall remains are quite distinct near the road to Gaya.
Saptadhara
are seven hot springs gushing out of the foot of Vaibhava Hill. It is
believed that Lord Buddha asked the sick and ill people to take a bath in
these hot springs. Brahmakund is the hottest of these seven springs
where water temperature is a steaming 450 degrees centigrade.
Pippala Cave
is located above the hot springs in the Vaibhava Hill. It is a naturally
formed rectangular stone that may have been used as a watch tower. Its name
is derived to signify that it was a resort that was frequented by pious
hermits and saints. Its popular name is Jarasandh ki Baithak or the
living room of Raja Jarasandh who was a contemporary ruler of Lord Krishna,
the incarnation of the Hindu God Vishnu, mentioned in the Hindu ancient epic
Mahabharat.
Lakshmi Narayan Mandir
is a pink-hued temple that is located beside the Saptadhara hot springs and
is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and his consort, Goddess Lakshmi.
Jain Temples
can be seen on the horizon on hill crests all around Rajgir. They are 26
altogether. There are no proper roads or paths to reach them other than by a
vigorous trek from Rajgir.
Other less frequented archaeological sites are:
The Maniyar Math
dating from the 1st century AD.
The Maraka Kukshi where the still unborn Ajatashatru was cursed that
he would kill his own father.
The Rannbhumi where Bhima and Jarasandh fought one of
the Mahabharat battles.
The Chariot Route is a strange natural phenomenon; two parallel
furrows cut deep into the rock for about thirty feet are believed to be
burnt into the rock by the speed and power of chariot of Lord Krishna when
he entered the Rajgir area during the Mahabharat war.
Virayatan Jain temple and museum.
EXCURSIONS
Nalanda
university was, like the Takshila in northwest of the Indian subcontinent
(now north of Pakistan capital of Islamabad), one of the most popular and
greatest of ancient Indian universities where apart from religious studies
subjects like language, logic, mathematics and astronomy were taught. Both
Sakyamuni Siddhartha Gautam Buddha and Vardhman Mahavir had taught at this
university. The three Chinese pilgrims/religious students, Fa Hien, Hieun
Tsang and I-Tsing had visited this university between the fifth and seventh
centuries CE. Apart from these prominent Chinese pilgrims students from
regions that now are in Tibet, Nepal, Korea, Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia
also came to study at this university. This university had a vast collection
of ancient books in its library and was one of the most important centers of
learning in the world until the Islamic invader Bakhtiar Khilji destroyed
the entire complex.
The Archaeological
Survey of India maintains the Nalanda Museum across the road from the
site of excavations of Nalanda. It houses some exquisite bronzes of the 9th
and 10th centuries, Pala dynasty, and other remains excavated at the site.
The beautiful Thai Temple and the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, a
center for research in Pali language and Buddhist studies, are 2 kilometers
or 1.2 miles from the main site. Nalanda archaeological site is about 99
kilometers or 62 miles from Patna, 15 kilometers or 9 miles from Rajgir and
80 kilometers or 50 miles from Bodhgaya, the site where Buddha attained
enlightenment.
Pawapuri is held in great
reverence by the Jains as Lord Vardhaman Mahavira, the 24th
teacher of Jainism, was cremated here in 500BC. Jal Mandir here is the white
marble temple in the middle of a lake that has beautiful blooming lotus
flowers.
Rajgir hotels:
Indo Hokke Hotel – 26
rooms
Rajgir Residency Hotel – 28 rooms
Distance from Rajgir in Kilometers and Miles:
Bodhgaya: 70 Kilometers or 43 Miles
Gaya: 32 Kilometers or 20 Miles
Nalanda: 11 Kilometers or 7 Miles
Pavapuri: 30 Kilometers or 19 Miles
Patna: 102 Kilometers or 63 Miles
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