Unexplored Bihar

Kesariya Stupa ( Buddha Stupa ), Bihar : Situated in the East Champaran district of Bihar, Kesariya serves as the place of the largest Buddhist stupa in the world. Kesariya stupa, as it is known, is located at a distance of about 110 km from Patna, the capital of Bihar. The stupa is believed to date back to somewhere between 200 AD and 750 AD may have been associated with the 4th century ruler, Raja Chakravarti. The local people call this Stupa as Devala, "means the house of god". Before the excavation of this, they believed that inside it there is a temple of 'Lord shiva' which is built by king Bhema .  The stupa is the largest in the world, with a height of 104 ft, and attracts lots of Buddhist pilgrims from around the world. The stupa is rare example of Buddhist architecture and archaeological preservation. It is believed that the stupa has further immersed into earth after the famous 1934- earthquake before which, the height of this stupa was 123 ft....

Maner Sharif , Patna, Bihar : Maner is a town situated 25 Km from Patna on bank of Ganga. Maner was the western gate of Patliputra (Patna) in the Mauryan rule. It is believed the town is named after the Sufi saint Hazrat Makhdoom Yahiya Maner , whose tomb is known as Bari Dargah . The Tomb of Makhdum Shah Daulat, locally called as Chhoti Dargah , is situated in Maner. This mausoleum is the finest Mugal monument in Bihar and is remarkable for its architectural elegance and rich decorative carvings. It was built in 1616 A.D. by Ibrahim Khan Fath Jang, Governor of Bihar under the Emperor Jahangir, over the grave of his religious preacher Makhdum Shah Daulat who according to the Persian inscription over the southern enterence, died in 1608 A.D. . The mosque to the west was completed in 1619 A.D. and the gateway on the north in 1623 A.D. Architecturally it is the finest specimen of its time in Bihar. In the centre it houses the grave of Saint Makhdum Shah Daulat and of Ibrah...

Koshi Mahasatu :-   Kosi Mahasatu , a 1.8 km bridge that will be a lifeline to millions was opened over the flood-prone Kosi in Bihar    78 years after an earthquake in 1934 destroyed an earlier one. Today, with the completion of the Kosi Maha Setu over the river Kosi rapid development is taking place in the villages.  The bridge has been providing the crucial linkage to the East- West corridor. Today, Kosi river is a ‘Pride of Bihar’. Kosi Mahasetu Bypass Rd is located in    Supaul District of    Bihar State .

Shilanath Temple, Silhauri, Bihar :-   Shilanath temple is a Shiv temple located in Silhauri near Marhowra in Saran district. This is an important place as per the child Episode of Shiv Puran and Ram charitra Manas. The” Mohbhan “of Narad depicts the place to be here.   On every Shiv ratary , mela is organized here during which the devotes of Baba Shilanath come to pay their obeisances. Silhauri is a sacred place located in Saran. Shivratri is celebrated here with a lot of pomp and a huge mela is organised during the festival. Visitors are taken to a completely new high in this festival. One can learn the traditions of the people here and also shop for momentos while here.

Prahlad Sthumb  ,Satlgarh , Dharahara, Banmankhi, Purnea :-   About 2 kms from Banmankhi, exists a modern temple dedicated to the Narasimha  avatar of Vishnu. The temple has the idol of Narasimha Vishnu in the Sanctum Sanctorum surrounded by different enclosures containing other prominent deities of the Hindu religion. This was the place related to Hiranyakashyap’s attempted slaghter of his son Prahlad for devotion to the worship of lord Vishnu.  There is an underground pillar known as "Prahlāda khamba". It is said to be the pillar from which Narasiṁha, the half-man half-lion avatara, manifested to kill Hiranyakashap. Adjacent to the pillar is a large temple devoted to Lord Narasiṁha. Allegedly, attempts to excavate or move the "Prahlada khamba" have failed.Dharahara, a village extreme west of the district Purnea approx. 30 km, situated about 12 miles to the south of Raniganj and a few miles north of Dhamdaha . At the northwest corner is Mon...

Ruins of Patliputra , Khumrar , Patna . Bihar :- Ancient literatures refer Patliputra by various names like Pataligram, Patalipur, Kusumpur, Pushpapur or Kusumdhvaj . In 6 th century B.C. it was a small village where Buddha ,sometime before death, had noticed a fort being constructed under the orders of King Ajatshatru of Rajgrih for defence of magadh Kingdom against the Lichchavi Republic of Vaishali. Impressed by its strategic location Kingh Udayin , son and successor of Ajatshatru, shifted the capital of Magadh Kingdom from Rajgrih to Patliputra in the middle of 5 th century B.C. Since then for about thousand years Patliputra remained the capital of Great Indian Empires of Shaishunag, Nanda, Maurya , Sunga and Gupta dynasties . The Place has also been an important centre of activity in the fields of learning,commerce,art and religion. Sthulbhadra the eminent Jain ascetic had convened a council here during the period of Chandragupta Maurya. During Ashoka’s reign the thi...

Someshwar Nath Temple , Areraj :- At Areraj, 30 km south of Motihari is  Someshwar Nath temple of Lord Shiva. Old shivling of the temple is Panch Mukhi.The platform of   garve grih of the temple is   7’ above the ground level. Mandaleshwar Mahadeo temple at Mundeshwari Devi temple in Kaimur is the oldest temple in Bihar and Someshwarnath Mahadeo temple at Areraj occupies the second place. Shivlingam of Someshwarnath temple is flat and it denotes that it belongs to Kushan era. This temple is ancient where devotees come with traditional prasad of 'rote'. 'Shiv Puran' refers that King Som constructed this 55 feet high temple.Some historian believe that Some nomenclature came from Chandragupta Maurya whose birth place Pipra (old Piplikanan) is very near to Areraj. He established  the Shivling  for his worship so the name Someshwar. Another mythological story is that lord Moon or Chandra himself established this ling ,on command of Agastya rishi to get ri...