Bihar Sightseeing, Quick Facts, History, Packages, Tours & Excursions

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   About Bihar

Bihar is located in the eastern part of India. It is bounded by Nepal in the north, and is surrounded by the states of Uttar Pradesh to the west, Jharkhand to the south and West Bengal to the east. Bihar is watered mainly by the River Ganga but also the Saryu, Gandak and Sone. Part of the flat Ganges riverine plain, it is mainly an agricultural state. There's little by way of industry, service sector or infrastructure.

 

The name Bihar is derived from Vihara meaning monastery and for visitors today Bihar is important as the land where Lord Buddha (6-5th century BC), the founder of Buddhism, spent most of his life, and where Buddhist monasteries flourished. Today, remnants of this past can be seen at Bodhgaya, Rajgir and Nalanda. Bodhgaya is the most important Buddhist pilgrimage destination in the world, hosting the site where Buddha attained enlightenment. Rajgir is important for both Jains and Buddhists. Nalanda was a great ancient centre of learning and still shows impressive ruins of the university. Given the importance of these places for Buddhists from Sri Lanka and Thailand, Gaya airport has a small international airport connected to Colombo and Thailand.

 

Bihar's capital Patna was the ancient city of Pataliputra, the capital of two of the most powerful dynasties north India has seen the Maurya (4th-2nd century BC) and Gupta (3rd -6th century AD). Patna is situated on the banks of the Ganges and has the 7.5-km long Mahatma Gandhi Setu, one of the longest bridges in the world. Gurudwara Har Mandir marks the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh, Sikhism's tenth guru.

 

Sonepur village is situated near Patna, on the confluence of the Gandhak and Ganges, and is famous for its huge two-week cattle fair in November, where elephants, horses, birds are famously traded.

 

Bihar's single most important festival is Chhath, in honour of the sun god, celebrated by fasting and sun worship in October-November.

spacer.gif »Bhagalpur Activities     spacer.gif »Bihar Sharif Activities     spacer.gif »Bodhgaya Activities    
spacer.gif »Buxar Activities     spacer.gif »Gaya Activities     spacer.gif »Kakolat Activities    
spacer.gif »Keshria Activities     spacer.gif »Madhubani Activities     spacer.gif »Mohania Activities    
spacer.gif »Motihari Activities     spacer.gif »Munger Activities     spacer.gif »Muzaffarpur Activities    
spacer.gif »Nalanda Activities     spacer.gif »Patna Activities     spacer.gif »Pawapuri Activities    
spacer.gif »Rajgir Activities     spacer.gif »Rupnarayanpur Activities     spacer.gif »Samastipur Activities    
spacer.gif »Sasaram Activities     spacer.gif »Sitamarhi Activities     spacer.gif »Sonepur Activities    
spacer.gif »Vaishali Activities     spacer.gif »Valmiki Activities    
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Quick Facts  Bihar Climate / Weather
Capital Patna
Coordinates Latitude 21°58' - 27°31'N; Longitude 82°19' - 88°17'E
Population 82.9 million
Area 94,163 sq. km
Official language(s) Hindi, Maithili
  
Summers 20° - 44°C. Winters 4° - 28°C
Best time to visit
October to March
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Capital City
Mr and Mrs Mathur of Kanpur went to Patna to stay with their relations who lived there. They also planned to v
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Pilgrimages
The Mathurs of Kanpur came to this pilgrimage spot on the banks of the holy Ganga to offer prayers for their a
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Buddhist Heritage
Kumi of Tokyo accompanied her grandmother to the Buddhist sites of Nalanda and Bodh Gaya. They were traveling
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How to Reach - Bihar Destinations
Keshria     Motihari     Rajgir    
Bhagalpur     Valmiki     Muzaffarpur    
Buxar     Kakolat     Vaishali    
Gaya     Madhubani     Sasaram    
Munger     Sitamarhi     Sonepur    
Useful Links for Bihar
Articles and Blogs
Bihar Information - Welcome to to Bihar. Bihar or ancient Magadha, has been the cradle of Indian civilization and the centre of Indian culture and education.
Bihar Blog - Blog about Bihar Today, news & views about Bihar, regular updates on Bihar, Articles about Bihar etc.,
Official Websites
Bihar Tourism - Bihar Tourism Government portal - Official website of Dept. of Tourism, covers Bihar Culture, Places of Interest and Tourism in Bihar.
Bihar official sites Directory - Bihar Government Web directory of Health, Bihar Tourism, Education, Finance, Banking, Judiciary and Executive.
Other Useful Links
Jai Bihar - Jai Bihar: The Land Where Gods Chose to Take Birth. The History of Bihar as a region is very rich and eventful. This is due to the fact that Bihar was a center of power, learning and culture.
Buddhist Circuit - BodhGaya is 15 kms. from Gaya. About 2500 years ago, Gautam the prince of Kapilvastu attained enlightenment under the Peepal tree to become Buddha.
Weather- Weather forecast for Bihar with a fast, easy to use interface. Includes weather maps, graphics and radar images.
 
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