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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Bidar Karnataka India Travel
Tucked away in Karnataka’s far northeastern corner, Bidar is an afterthought on most travellers’ itineraries. This is a great shame since the old walled town has some amazing ruins and monuments dating from its time as the capital of the Bahmani kingdom (1428–87), and later the capital of the Barid Shahi dynasty.
Bhuntar has the main airport for the Kullu Valley and a handful of hotels catering to airline passengers. This is also the junction town for buses to the popular Parvati Valley, but most people prefer to stay in Kullu.
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Bhuj Gujarat India Travel
The capital of Kutch is an interesting outback city resurrected from the 2001 earthquake that killed 10% of the city’s 150, 000 people, and devastated its rich cultural heritage. But the city’s physical and psychological scars are healing, and much of interest still remains. The beguiling bazaars sell amazing Kutch handicrafts, and some historic buildings, such as the Aina Mahal and Prag Mahal, have an eerie beauty that makes Bhuj more than just a springboard for visits to the surrounding tribal villages.
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Bhubaneswar Orissa India Travel
Bhubaneswar’s rapid expansion has been tempered by the construction of wide avenues and the green belts; nevertheless a typically hectic, noisy, congested city centre greets the traveller. The old city’s spiritual centre is around Bindu Sagar where, from the thousands that once stood here, 50-odd stone temples remain, survivors from the heyday of Orissan medieval temple architecture.
South of the two lakes, the state capital lives up to its role in life – shopping complexes and bright lights compete for space in New Market; hotels, museums and restaurants nestle in the Arera and Shamla Hills. On Upper Lake, nicknamed ‘the Bhopal beauty’, the wealthy race around in speedboats or fill the night with ringtones on the Lake Princess cruise boat.
Three rivers flow out to sea at Bhitarkanika forming a tidal maze of muddy creeks and mangroves. Most of this 672-sq-km delta forms Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary (272460; permit Indian/foreigner per day Rs 20/1000). A significant ecosystem, it contains 63 of the world’s 75 mangrove varieties. Hundreds of estuarine crocodiles, some 6m-plus monsters, bask on mud flats waiting for the next meal to swim by. Dangmar Island contains a successful breeding and conservation programme for these crocodiles. Less dangerous creatures are pythons, water monitors, wild boar and timid deer. The best time to visit is from December to February.
Secreted in a forest of teak and sal in craggy cliffs, 46km south of Bhopal, are more than 600 rock shelters (Indian/foreigner Rs 2/10, vehicle Rs 10; dawn-dusk); almost half contain prehistoric paintings.
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Bhavnagar Gujarat India Travel
Bhavnagar is a busy industrial centre that makes a useful base for journeys to nearby Shatrunjaya and Velavadar National Park. Founded in 1743, Bhavnagar has long been an important cotton trading post, but now supplements its survival on diamonds, plastics and ship parts – Bhavnagar lock gate keeps ships afloat in the port at low tide. The tangled bazaars and crumbling wooden houses of the old city feel remarkably untouched by the outside world, but otherwise there’s little to see, and tourists are treated with a warm second glance.
From Chamba, a perilous mountain road winds 65km east to the ancient slate-roofed village of Bharmour, hovering on the edge of a seemingly bottomless valley. Bharmour was the capital of the princely state of Chamba until AD 920, and there are fascinating temples and treks to surrounding mountain passes. The villages around Bharmour are home to the semi-nomadic Gaddis, pastoralists who move their flocks up to alpine pastures during the summer, and descend to Kangra, Mandi and Bilaspur in winter.