Rajgir
Rajgir
Rajagriha | |
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Rajgir (SC) (173) | |
Website | nalanda |
Rajgir, meaning "The City of Kings," is a historic
Rajgir was the first capital of the ancient kingdom of Magadha, a state that would eventually evolve into the Mauryan Empire.[3] It finds mention in India's renowned literary epic, the Mahabharata, through its king Jarasandha. The town's date of origin is unknown, although ceramics dating to about 1000 BC have been found in the city. The 2,500-year-old cyclopean wall is also located in the region.
The town is also notable in
The ancient
Etymology
The name Rajgir (Sanskrit Rājagṛha, Pali: Rajagriha), literally meaning "royal mountain" comes from the historic Rājagṛiha, meaning "house of the king" or "royal house".[6][7] It has also historically been known as Vasumati, Brahdrathapura, Grivraja/Girivraja and Kusagrapura.[6][8] Girivraja means an enclosure of hills.[8]
History
The epic Mahabharata calls it Girivraja and recounts the story of its king, Jarasandha, and his battle with the Pandava brothers and their allies Krishna.[9][10] Mahabharata recounts a wrestling match between Bhima (one of the Pandavas) and Jarasandha, the then king of Magadha. Jarasandha was invincible as his body could rejoin any dismembered limbs. According to the legend, Bhima split Jarasandha into two and threw the two halves facing opposite to each other so that they could not join. There is a famous Jarasandha's Akhara (the place where martial arts are practised).
Rajgir was the capital of
It is associated with the founders of both the religions:
It was here that Gautama Buddha spent several months meditating, and preaching at
Geography and climate
The modern town is situated close to the Rajgir hills while the valley is surrounded by seven hills: Vaibhara, Ratna, Saila, Sona, Udaya, Chhatha, and Vipula. River Panchane flows through the outskirts of the town.
- Summer temperature: maximum 44 °C (111.2 °F), minimum 20 °C (68 °F)
- Winter temperature: maximum 28 °C (82.4 °F), minimum 6 °C (42.8 °F)
- Rainfall: 1,860 mm (mid-June to mid-September)
- Dry/warm season: March to October
Rajgir Wildlife Sanctuary
The landscape of Rajgir or Pant WLS is uneven terrain enclosed by five hills; Ratnagiri, Vipulgiri, Vaibhagiri, Songiri and Udaygiri. It is situated in Nalanda Forest Division covering an area of 35.84 km2 under the
It is home to a number of wild animals including: mammals – blue bull (
Demographics
According to
Tourism
The main tourist attractions include the ancient city walls from
Another major attraction is the
A new rope way has been planned.[15]
Rajgir has hot water springs, locally known as Brahmakund, a sacred place for
There is a Japanese temple beside the Venu Vana, an artificial forest with historical associations to Buddha and the kings of the region. Other places of interest include the Rajgir Heritage Museum,[18] the Sariputta Stupa,[19] Ghora Katora Lake, and the Rajgir glass bridge.[20]
The
These caves should be related to
Makhdum Kund, also recognised as Dargah-e-Makhdoomiya is a sacred site situated in Rajgir. Renowned for its thermal spring and the tomb of Makhdoom Syed Ghulam Ali, as well as the prayer space of Sharfuddin Yahya Maneri, it holds significance for pilgrims and visitors alike. The thermal spring, dating back approximately 800 years, attracts numerous visitors who utilise it for ablution (Wudu) and bathing purposes.[21] The Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar also took bath here in his childhood.[22][23]
Transportation
) and Sikh Circuit in Bihar.- Air: The nearest is .
- Rail: Bakhtiyarpur-Gaya line provides improved rail connectivity to many places. It is one of the destinations of the prestigious Buddhist pilgrimage train of Indian Railways-Mahaparinirvan Express.
- Road: Rajgir is connected by road to , transverses the city of Rajgir, connecting it with Bodhgaya, Gaya, Nalanda, Bihar Sharif and further to Patna. State Highway 71 also passes through Rajgir connecting it with Giriyak, Islampur and Jahanabad.
- Bus: Regular buses are available from all the above said points to Rajgir.
- Local Transport: Taxis and Buses and Tongas are available.
Economy
Located in Patna division, this
Rajgir ranks top in Bihar, in reference to revenue collected by tourism.
- An ordinance factory for defence forces is located in the city.[24]
- Rajgir is also home to Bihar Police Academy.
- RTC CRPF – Rajgir is also home to the Recruit Training centre of the Central Reserve Police Force for three states namely Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
- Government of Bihar has acquired 100 acres of land to build an IT city near Nalanda university and also develop India's first multimedia hub which will provide advanced courses in different spheres of IT.[25]
- Rajgir Film City is an integrated film studio complex. Spread over 20 acres, it is the second largest integrated film city in Bihar. It is being built by the Bihar government since 2017.[26][27]
Sports
Nalanda University
Nalanda University, a modern university that is based on the famous university and Buddhist monastery of ancient India, has been established with its campus in Rajgir. It began its first academic session on 1 September 2014.
Events
- Rajgir Mahotsav
- Purushottam Maas Mela
- Sariputta World Peace Walk
- Makar Sankranti Mela
Notable people
- Bimbisara, ruler of Haryanaka Dynasty
- Ajatashatru, ruler of Haryanaka Dynasty
- Udayin, ruler of Haryanaka Dynasty
- Sariputta, one of the two chief disciples of Budhha
- Jivaka, a physician and contemporary of Bimbisara and Buddha
- Abhay K, poet, diplomat, editor, translator, ambassador, artist
- Satyadev Narayan Arya, Governor of Haryana, former 8-time MLA from Rajgir and former Minister of Mines and Geology of Bihar
- Kaushal Kishore, politician and current MLA, Rajgir
- Jabir Husain, author and former chairperson of Bihar Legislative Council
See also
Buddha's Holy Sites |
- Rajgir hills
- Atanatiya Sutta
- Rajgir Mahotsav
- Legendary kings of Magadha
- Bhadda Kundalakesa
- Nahub
- Kurkihar hoard
- Avanti-Magadhan Wars
References
- ^ "पत्रांक-213 : राजगीर क्षेत्रीय आयोजना क्षेत्र एवं बोधगया आयोजना क्षेत्र के सीमांकन एवं घोषणा" (PDF). Urban Development Housing Dept., Government of Bihar, Patna. 15 April 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
- ^ a b "Census of India: Rajgir". www.censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
- ^ "Rajgir". BSTDC. Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
- ^ Jain Dharma ka Maulik Itihas Part-1, Ed. Acharya Shri Hastimalji Maharaj, 1971 p. 739-742
- ^ "Rajgir – The Abode of Kings". Times Travel. The Times of India. 31 March 2014.
- ^ ISBN 9781481795517. Archivedfrom the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ^ Law 1938, p. 1.
- ^ a b Narayan 1983, p. 91.
- ^ See Bhagavata Purana, 10.70.30
- ^ "Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead". Archived from the original on 21 April 2008. Retrieved 25 April 2008.
- ^ Sharma, Gopal; Kumar, Rahul (May 2017). "Butterfly diversity of Pant Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajgir (Bihar), India". Bioglobal. 4 (1): 39–46.
- ^ "Report of the officer in charge of the Rajgir Wildlife Sanctuary" (PDF).
- Buddha's India, Shravasti Dhammika, Buddhist Publication Society, 1992 p. 98
- ^ a b History behind Son Bhandar cave of Rajgir. Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine – JainGlory.com
- ^ Dutta, Prabhash K. (5 September 2018). "Rajgir: Bihar's highest revenue earning tourist destination is a story of neglect". India Today. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
- ISBN 978-9381500095.
- ^ "गर्म पानी के इस कुंड में नहाने से होती है सभी बीमारिया दूर". News Track. 11 February 2017. Archived from the original on 19 April 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
- ^ "Rajgir Heritage Museum inaugurated by CM Nitish Kumar". 8 September 2013. Archived from the original on 11 September 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ^ Sinha, Shashank Shekhar (1 April 2018). "The Lesser Known Journey of Buddhist Relics - from India to UK and Back". The Wire. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- ^ "Rajgir in Bihar now has a 200-ft glass bridge, set to open on New Year which is located in the nature safari". Times of India. 20 December 2020.
- ^ "Water is not for all". www.downtoearth.org.in. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ^ "CM Nitish chastised Makhudam Saheb said In his childhood he has bathed in the pond here | CM नीतीश ने मखुदम साहब को की चादरपोशी, कहा- बचपन में यहां के कुंड में किया है स्नान | Hindi News, बिहार एवं झारखंड". zeenews.india.com. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ^ "नीतीश ने गुरुद्वारा नानक देव और शीतलकुंड एवं मखदूम कुंड का दौरा किया". Navbharat Times (in Hindi). Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ^ "Ordnance Factory Rajgir". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "23rd February 2002: When Gilchrist Hit a Record-breaking Double Ton". News18. 23 February 2018.
- ^ "Bihar to get two film cities". The Hindu. 4 July 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Choudhary, Neena (12 December 2015). "Shatrughan Sinha's Dream Comes True, Bihar Gets its Own Film City". TheQuint. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Sengupta, Joy (2 August 2014). "Land in Rajgir for cricket stadium on Ranchi model". Telegraph India. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
- ^ "Bihar to construct world class cricket stadium". Zee News. 11 December 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
Further reading
- Narayan, Sachindra (1983). Sacred Complexes of Deoghar and Rajgir. Concept Publishing Company.
- Karaishi, Muhammad Hamid; Ghosh, A. (1956). Rajgir (4 ed.). Department of Archaeology, India.
- N. Kumar (1971). Bihar District Gazetteers Image of Patna. Patna, Department of District Gazetteers.
- Cunningham, Alexander (1871). Four Reports Made During the Years 1862-63-64-65, Vol. I – via Indian Culture.
- Ray, Kakoli (2000). "Rajgir in the Gupta and the post Gupta period: Literary and Archaeological Evidence". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 61: 1280–1286. JSTOR 44144440.
- Gautam, Anant; Rai, S. C.; Shekhar, Ravi (February 2018). "Hot-Springs of Rajgir: Spatial Re-distribution and Conservation". Sree Journal of Spatial Perspectives. 2 (1) – via ResearchGate.
- Mani, B.R.; Gupta, Vinay (2014). "VII.11. Rajagriha". In Chakrabarti, Dilip K.; Lal, Makkhan (eds.). The Texts, Political History and Administration till c. 200 BC. Vol. 3. Vivekananda International Foundation. Aryan Books International. )
- Chauhan, Poonam S.; Sekar, Helen R.; Rehman, M.M., eds. (2015). Organising Rural Labour. Process and Experiences (PDF). Vol. 1. V.V. Giri National Labour Institute. ISBN 978-93-82902-21-8.
- Law, Bimla Churn (1938). Rajagriha in Ancient Literature. Vol. 58 – via Internet Archive.
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ignored (help) - Paul, S. R. (1981). "Flora of Rajgir Hills, Bihar". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 78: 16–37 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
- Shukla, Ganesh Shankar (1981), Geochemical Interpretation of Water Quality in The Rajgir-Monghqr Hot Spring Belt, India, IIT Kanpur
- Kuraishi, Maulvi Muhammad Hamid (1931). List of Ancient Monuments Protected under Act VII of 1904 in the Province of Bihar and Orissa. Vol. LI.
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:|work=
ignored (help) - Official website
External links
- Bihar state tourism development corporation – Rajgir Archived 1 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- Places to visit in Rajgir