BIHAR TRAVEL INFORMATION

Bihar is a state of the Indian union situated in the eastern part of the country. Its capital is Patna. Etymologically, the name Bihar derives from the Sanskrit Vihara which means abode. The Buddhist Vihara, which were the abode of the Buddhist monks, dotted the area in the ancient and medieval periods.

Bihar's north is the Kingdom of Nepal. On its other three sides Bihar is surrounded by the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh to the west, Jharkhand to the south and West Bengal to the east. Bihar lies in the very fertile Gangetic plains. Culturally, it is a part of the Hindi heartland of India.

Bihar has a very rich history. It was called Magadha in ancient times. Its capital Patna, then known as Pataliputra, was the center of the Mauryan empire, which dominated the Indian subcontinent from 325 BC to 185 BC. Emperor Ashoka was the most famous ruler of this dynasty. Bihar remained an important place of power, culture and education during the next one thousand years. The Vikramshila and Nalanda Universities, were one of the oldest and best centres of education in ancient India but unfortunately got destroyed by the maruading invaders during the medieval period.

Climate: Bihar is mildly cold in the winter (the lowest temperatures being around 5 to 10 degrees Celsius; 41 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit). Winter months are December and January. It is hot in the summer (40 to 45 degrees Celsius; 104 to 114 degrees Fahrenheit). April, May and the first half of June are the hot months. The monsoon months of June, July, August, and September see good rainfall. October, November, February, and March are very pleasant months for climate.

Transport & travel : Bihar has three airports - Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport, Patna, Bhagalpur Airport and Gaya. Patna airport is connected to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Ranchi. It is categorized as a restricted international airport, with customs facilities to receive international chartered flights. Gaya airport is a small international airport connected to Colombo and Bangkok. Bihar is well-connected by railway lines to the rest of India. Most of the towns are interconnected among themselves, and they also are directly connected to Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai. Patna, Bhagalpur and Gaya are Bihar's best-connected railway stations. The state has a vast network of National and State highways. For Buddhist pilgrims, the best option for travel to Bihar is to reach Patna or Gaya, either by air or train, and then travel to Bodh Gaya, Nalanda, Rajgir and Vaishali. Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh also is not very far.

Places to See : Buddhist sites - Bodh Gaya, Nalanda, Rajgir, Vaishali, Bhagalpur , Vikramshila ,Sultanganj. Jain sites - Vaishali and Pawapuri, Bhagalpur.Sikh sites - Har Mandir Sahib, Patna City, the birth place of Guru Gobind Singh. Hindu sites - Sultanganj (Bhagalpur), Vishnu Pad temple at Gaya,Konch Shiva Temple, Baidyanath Dham, Tara Mandir at Mahisi, Patan Devi at Patna, Sun Temple at Deoghar, near Aurangabad, Varah Temple at Harihar Kshetra, Shiv temple at singhesarsthan (Madhopur). Muslim sites - Bihar-E-Sharif, [Sultanganj], Bhagalpur. Historic sites - The landscape is dotted with historic sites. Important ones are Patna, Bhagalpur Gaya, Bodh Gaya, Nalanda, Rajgir, Vaishali, Pawapuri, Champaran, and Sasaram.
Sanjay Gandhi Jaivik Udyaan, patna.

Culture : Chhath is a major festival in Bihar and is celebrated a week after Deepawali. Chhath is the worship of the Sun God. Wherever people from Bihar have migrated, they have taken with them the tradition of Chhath, and now this festival is known even in a metropolis like Calcutta, or New Delhi or Mumbai. Teej and Chitragupta Puja are other local festivals celebrated with fervour in Bihar. Bihar has a very old tradition of beautiful folk songs, sung during important family occasions, such as marriage, birth ceremonies, festivals, etc. They are sung mainly in group settings without the help of many musical instruments, though Dholak, and occasionally Tabla and Harmonium are used.

Language & Literature : Hindi, Urdu, Angika, Bhojpuri, Maithili, and Magadhi (Magahi). are the major languages spoken in Bihar. Bihar has produced a number of writers of Hindi, including Raja Radhika Raman Singh, Shiva Pujan Sahay, Divakar Prasad Vidyarthy, Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar', Ram Briksha Benipuri, Phanishwar Nath 'Renu'. Different regional languages also have produced some prominent poets and authors.

Major Travel Destinations

Gaya   ::  Gaya is one of the important pilgrimages in India. The Hindus from all over India come here to offer pindas (funeral cakes) so that the souls of their departed forefather may rest in peace. it is a place sanctified by both the Hindu and the Buddhist religions.

Nalanda  ::  Nalanda is a historical place in central Bihar. It is famous for the ancient International Monastic University. It was a famous learning centres in ancient times. The university had centres for studies in Buddhism, Vedas, Logic, Grammar, Medicine, Meta-Physics, Prose Composition and Rhetoric.

Patna  ::  Patna is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world. Patna has a very long river line and it is surrounded on three sides by rivers—the Ganga, Sone, and Poonpun.


Refer Map of Bihar