Visiting Bihar? Stop Over at Rajgir to Relive its Historical Roots

Packing up from the city of knowledge (Nalanda), I had the strangest of feeling. It was the feeling that I have often felt when I come to the last chapter of a gripping novel - the feeling of a dearly loved journey nearing its end.  Rajgir or Raja-Griha (the abode of the king) was the last leg of my quest to reconnect with my birthplace. Rajgir has a whole plethora of places that would keep you entangled in their beauty, history, and culture and tradition. But before exploring the niches of Rajgir, I believe a brief history of the place is in order. Rajgir has the distinction of being India’s earliest recorded capital. Rajgir was the first capital of the erstwhile Magadh Mahajanpad, which eventually evolved into the legendary Mauryan Empire. Rajgir is also deeply associated with Lord Buddha and Buddhism. Lord Buddha spent many years in Rajgir during the reign of King Bimbisara. According to popular belief, Lord Buddha was treated in Rajgir after sustaining injuries at the hands of his cousin Devdatta.  The Jivekarmavan Monastery was the preferred residence of  Lord Buddha. The teachings of Buddha were penned down in Rajgir. Rajgir, incidentally, also played host to the first Buddhist Council ever.

It took me less than half an hour to get to Rajgir from Nalanda (15 kms away). Rajgir can be reached by flight and train both.  The nearest airport is Patna (101 kms away). You can board a train from Patna to the Rajgir railway station or you can book a cab to Rajgir. You can also board a bus from Patna to Rajgir.

Rajgir was greener and had a more pleasant climate than I had imagined. The morning breeze was cool and quite pleasant. I immediately reached into my pocket to fish out my trusted pocket notebook and looked up all the places I had marked as ‘must visit’ in Rajgir.

Pipali Cave I reached the Pipali Cave by mid morning. The Pipali Cave, a little further up the Vaibhara Hills,  got its peculiar name from the sacred peepal tree at the entrance of the cave. There were quite a few devotees already lined up to get in to the cave and see for themselves the place where the great venerated sage Lord Buddha meditated. The challenge lies in climbing the Vaibhara Hills to reach the Pipali Cave. I tumbled (occasionally) and stumbled (more than occasionally) and held on to my nerves to reach the spot. I was rewarded with the panoramic view of multicolour crops and variegated patches of cornfield. Standing atop the hill, near the Pipali Cave, I could feel a certain calm and peace that would be hard to find at many of the exotic destinations in the world.

Jarasandha ki Baithak I tumbled and stumbled a little more and finally managed to get down the Vaibhara Hills. After taking a half hour respite, I made my way to the famous Jarasandh ki Baithak. Contemporary historians are of the view that this place was a military outfit. I had heard that it was here at Jarasandha ka Akhada that Bhima and Jarasandha locked their horns in a month long wrestling duel. Well, there were no marks to corroborate the legend but there were certainly no marks to question the legend either. There are two parallel cuts on the rocky part of the ground here that are believed to be the prints of the wheels of the Lord Krishna driven chariot. I gave the cracks a close scrutiny and quite frankly could not explain why after hundreds of years of rain, soil erosion, and other natural phenomenon, the cracks had not vanished. Maybe divine power at work. What do you think?

Amravana or Jivaka - Mango Garden In Rajgir, wherever you go, history and romance of the ancient times follows, tugging at your sleeves to be noticed. The Jivaka or Amravana marks the site of the dispensary of the royal physician, Jivaka, who dressed the wounds of an injured Lord Buddha. I noticed a guide of a touring party telling the seemingly flabbergasted group that the cave called ‘Svarna Bhandar’ in Amravana still contained a vast amount of hidden gold of King Bimbisara. I went to the Swarna Bhandar cave and was again told that the inscriptions on the side of the rocks contain the magic code to get access to the ultra-secret location of the hidden Magadh treasure. Great professors and even greater researchers had already tried to decipher the writings (obviously not for the gold but knowledge) but none had succeeded. With the shallow motive of getting at least a bagful of gold, I tried to decipher the encryption. Needless to say, I failed miserably. With my tailed tamely tucked behind between my legs, I marched out of the cave with broken dreams of Mercedes Benz and a beach house.

Hot Water Springs of Rajgir The last part of the journey was the most relaxing and unbelievably rejuvenating. I had heard about the hot water springs of Rajgir and the healing powers of the water. Reading about it and going there and feeling the warm water wash away all the fatigue and melancholy thoughts, is quite a different experience. There are a number of spas I have been to but none can match what a natural hot water spring does to your body. Three days of walking, trudging, tiredness and fatigue, was washed away with a half hour bath in the hot water springs at the base of the Vibhara Hills. Today, Rajgir has gained a celebrated status due to its numerous hot water springs, attracting not only pilgrims and tourists but the sick and the infirm as well. There are many people who are willing to testify and swear by the healing powers of these hot water springs; I don’t doubt them. The hottest of the springs is the Brahmakundi where the water gushes at 45 degrees centigrade.