Bihar And Jharkhand – World Travel

Ranchi Bihar And Jharkhand India Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 09:01:32 +0000

Jharkhand’s capital, Ranchi was once the summer capital of Bihar under the British – set on a plateau at about 700m, it’s marginally cooler than the plains. For travellers there’s not a lot of interest in the city and it’s not really on the way to anywhere – the only real reason for landing here is to transit to Betla National Park, or to tour the surrounding waterfalls.

There’s a tourist office (2310230; 5 Main Rd; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat) at the Birsa Vihar tourist complex, and a HDFC ATM across the road. The State Bank of India (Main Rd; 10am-3.30pm Mon-Fri) changes cash and travellers cheques. Check email at the i-way Internet Café (Station Rd; per hr Rs 25; 9am-9pm) next to Hotel Embassy.

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Rajgir Bihar And Jharkhand India Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 09:01:36 +0000

Set among bushland and surrounded by five rocky hills, each lined with vestiges of ancient cyclopean walls, is the ancient capital of the Magadha kingdom, known today as Rajgir. Thanks to both Buddha and Mahavira spending some serious time here, Rajgir is an important pilgrimage site for Buddhists and Jains. A mention in the Mahabharata also ensures that Rajgir has a good supply of Hindu pilgrims who come to bathe in the hot springs at the Lakshmi Narayan Temple.

For travellers, a couple of days spent exploring the many historic Buddhist sites around Rajgir and the ancient university site of Nalanda, 12km south of town, provides the perfect complement to Bodhgaya, 80km away.

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Patna Bihar And Jharkhand India Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:01:05 +0000

Bihar’s busy capital spreads out over a vast area on the south bank of the swollen and polluted Ganges, just east of the river’s confluence with three major tributaries. Unlike Varanasi, there is little of interest along the river itself and Patna has only a handful of worthwhile sights, but it’s a major transport hub for the state and a useful base for visiting the Buddhist sites of Vaishali, Kesariya and Rajgir. The 7.5km-long Mahatma Gandhi Seti, one of the world’s longest river bridges, spans the Ganges between Patna and Hajipur.

Patna was once a powerful city. Early in the 5th century BC, Ajatasatru shifted his capital of the Magadha kingdom from Rajgir to Pataliputra (Patna), fulfilling Buddha’s prophecy that a great city would arise here. Emperors Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka also called Pataliputra home and it remained one of India’s most important cities for almost 1000 years. The ruins of this ancient city sit submersed in Kumrahar, a southern district of Patna.

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Jharkhand Bihar And Jharkhand India Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:01:26 +0000

One of three new states created in India in 2000, Jharkhand was hewn out of neighbouring Bihar to meet the growing demands of the Adivasi (tribal) population. Despite the fledgling state having a jaw-dropping 40% of the country’s mineral wealth (mainly coal, copper and iron ore), rich forests, several major industrial centres and the healthy budget of a newly formed state, it still suffers thanks to the crippling demands of tribal populations, poverty, corruption, and outbursts of Maoist and Naxalite violence. For travellers, Jharkhand’s prime attractions are its national parks, a few waterfalls around the capital Ranchi and the chance to explore a tourist-free northern India – with Jharkhand off most visitors’ radars, you may well be the only foreigner in the state.

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Gaya Bihar And Jharkhand India Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:01:13 +0000

Gaya is a raucous, dusty town about 100km south of Patna. Although it’s a centre for Hindu pilgrims, it’s really only of interest to travellers as the transport hub for Bodhgaya, 13km away. Pilgrims come here to offer pinda (funeral cake) at the ghats along the river, and perform a lengthy circuit of the holy places around Gaya to free their ancestors from bondage to the earth.

There’s a Bihar State tourist office (2420155; 10am-8pm Mon-Sat) and a State Bank of India ATM at the train station. The nearest foreign exchange for cash and travellers cheques is in Bodhgaya. There are several internet cafés (per hr Rs 20) along Swarajayapur Rd.

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Bodhgaya Bihar And Jharkhand India Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Mon, 19 May 2008 08:01:08 +0000

Buddhist pilgrims from around the world are drawn to Bodhgaya. It was here, 26 centuries ago, that Prince Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment beneath a bodhi tree and so became the Buddha. A beautifully serene temple marks the spot and a descendent of that original Bodhi Tree remains, its roots happily clutching the same soil as its celebrated ancestor.

Monasteries and temples, built by international Buddhist communities, are peppered around and attract pilgrims to study, meditate and absorb the ambience. Bodhgaya is not so much a town as a true Buddhist working centre surrounded by farmland and rural villages, but it has the best range of accommodation and eating in Bihar and the attendant accumulation of tourist paraphernalia and souvenir stalls.

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Bihar And Jharkhand India Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:01:11 +0000

After a controversial vote in the Indian Parliament in August 2000, Bihar was split along tribal lines, creating the new southern state of Jharkhand. Home to numerous waterfalls and lush forests, Jharkhand is notable as the key Jain pilgrimage site in east India, though the state’s best-kept secret is Betla National Park, where you can ride atop an elephant into the forest’s depths in search of an elusive tiger.

Unfortunately, the twin states of Bihar and Jharkhand are one of India’s poorest and most troubled regions. Wracked by widespread government corruption, sporadic intercaste warfare, kidnappings, extortion, banditry and Naxalite violence, Bihar remains the least literate and most lawless part of India – maligned as a basket case and the antithesis of the economically prosperous ‘new India’. All this keeps it well off most travellers’ radars, but don’t be put off. This is India, barely diluted by tourism and all the more intriguing for it.

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Bihar Bihar And Jharkhand India Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Thu, 15 May 2008 08:01:12 +0000

The birthplace of Buddhism in India, Bihar occupies an important place in India’s cultural and spiritual history. Siddhartha Gautama – the Buddha – spent much of his life here and attained enlightenment beneath a bodhi tree at Bodhgaya – making it the most significant Buddhist pilgrimage site in the world. Little more than a rural village, Bodhgaya is peppered with international monasteries and attracts devotees from around the world to meditate and soak up the powerful ambience. Following a trail of ancient and modern Buddhist sites, you can visit the extensive ruins of Nalanda, one of the ancient world’s first universities, the many shrines and temples at nearby Rajgir, and the great Ashokan pillar at Vaishali.

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Betla Palamau National Park Bihar And Jharkhand India Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Sun, 04 May 2008 08:01:23 +0000

Home to the world’s first tiger census in 1932 and now part of Project Tiger, this undisputed natural gem of the state is 140km west of Ranchi and is one of the best places in India to see wild elephants, though tiger sightings are comparatively rare. The entire Palamau Sanctuary covers around 1026 sq km, while the core area of 232 sq km was declared as Betla National Park in 1989. Pure stands of sal forest, rich evergreens, teak trees and bamboo thickets are home to some 37 tigers, 62 leopards, 210 elephants and 249 bison. There are several rickety observation towers for the brave to climb and lay low, while watching wildlife in silence. Living among the animals are eight local tribes spread across 200 small villages. This area was also the seat of power in the Chero dynasty and two of its 16th-century forts still exist in the jungle.

While open year-round, the best time to visit the park (06562-222650; admission per vehicle Rs 80, camera/video Rs 50/300; 5am-7pm) is October through April. If you can stand the heat, May is a prime time for tiger-spotting as the forest cover is reduced and the animals venture out in search of waterholes. Jeep safaris (per hr about Rs 200) can be arranged privately at the park gate. You must also hire a local guide (per hour Rs 20) to bring in your vehicle.

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