Chaotic Land of Faith

The holiest river of India, Ganga, flourishes this land with fertility and at every source where she springs, a temple is bound to be seen! Faith seems to be in abundance here – the number of holy places and also the devotion the people of this land still carry.

Bihar – the place I like to call “Chaotic Land of Faith” was world famous as Pataliputra since time unknown!  One week stay in this state has left a crater-size impact in my head. Landing in the Patna airport – Lok Nayak  Jayaprakash International Airport is in total contrary to Bengalooru or Kolkata International airports that we are used to seeing. This airport gives you the feeling of India, a feeling of home. It is small when compared to the other airports and it is not a structure of glasses like the million others. I was welcomed with a bang of heat wave as soon as I stepped onto the land. I stayed over at a relative’s place in Patna, a big Indian joint family. Being a South Indian and having stayed in Mysore for the majority of my life, I am used to wide empty roads. Patna came as a shocker to me. The inner roads are narrower than we can imagine, but SUVs like Scorpio, Fortuner still manage to ply on them, with cars parked on one side of the road. If SUVs represent the modernity being ushered into Bihar, man pulled rickshaws plying with two passengers remind us of the past of this land which manages to squeeze and remain in the present.

My first visit was to Patan Devi’s temple in the inner roads of Patna. People of this city believe and worship this Goddess very strongly. Although, I did not find much peace here due to loud music of ‘Chikni Chameli’, a popular bollywood tune being played right next to the temple and thousands of flies swarming the place. This was followed by a visit to Patna Sahib, a beautiful marble Gurudwar in the midst of the city. This was the place where Guru Gobind Singh was born. The British rule gifted India with priceless monuments and one of it being Gol Ghar – a grain storage monument. The heat tires you out very soon and it was time to say ‘pack up’ for the day.

The next morning we left early to see places near Rajgirh. We had amazing litti with channa by the roadside hawkers. Then we had amazing undiluted sugarcane juice with a pinch of salt. We reached the ruins of Nalanda University and I remained spell bound for the next two hours. I am proud to say I am from a country which respects knowledge from time immemorial. The excavated ruins are just 10% of the actual University which supported more than thousands of students, providing them with accommodation, food and education. Even though the temperature was soaring above 40®C, I felt very peaceful in these ruins. I wished I could travel back in time and experience this place when it was blossoming at its peak where Buddhist monks gained immense knowledge to become scholars in the kings’ hall. Sadly, all the resources were burnt by the invaders and it’s only the ruins that remain. After this we visited the museum right opposite the ruins, which houses the articles excavated in the university premises.

Rajgir, the erstwhile capital of the Magadha kingdom now houses a beautiful Shanthi Stupa on the hill top. The Stupa gives you a feeling of peace even when you visit it in the noon while the sun burns at its highest. It can be reached by taking the steps or using the ropeway. The ropeway journey is unique and lets you calm your nerves while you travel amidst breath taking view of the greenery all around.

In Rajgir, we also have the hot water spring which has a high level of sulphur. Numerous people come here to take a long bath in the “kund” which miraculously rids them of all skin irritants and bruises. The sulphur in the water is what does the trick!

Next stop was Paawapuri and its impressive Jal Mandir. Nowhere else in India would anyone find the National flower in this abundance! Amidst the grandeur of lotuses lies a soothing white floating-like structure – the Jal Mandir, a holy place of the Jains.

On the way back home in Patna, we stopped to see the very famous ‘Agam Kuan’. India has plenty of stories of fratricide for the coveted throne. Agam Kuan is the place where Ashoka disposed his brothers’ corpses to become the king of the Mauryan Empire.  The well is said to be so deep that the government has not been able to measure its depth even after using the modern equipments to pump out the water. It is also said that this place was part of Ashoka’s hell, a disguised torture chamber. Only the Agam Kuan remains today!

One cannot visit the state of Bihar and not see Bodhgaya. The place where Buddha attained enlightenment is now the place of monasteries from all the Buddhist countries. Each nation has a monastery of its own in its unique style and décor. The Thailand monastery glitters when the sun rays fall on its glassed roof. Japanese monastery is so silent and peaceful, that I could hear silence whisper in my ears. Buddha’s reminiscence is felt all around you in Bodhgaya, even though the place is brimming with commercialization and looks at economizing by the tourist inflow into this place.

Gaya is hardly 6-7kms from Bodhgaya and is famous for its temples. River Phalgun flows underground here and the Hindus burn the bodies of their dear ones on the rivers’ shore and also perform ‘pind dhaan’. The story behind the river being underground is that Sita cursed the river that the river will never show her face on the earth again. Hence, Phalgun flows underground at just 2ft below the surface.  

There are numerous folklore and mythical stories in Bihar and interacting with the locals gives you the best opportunity to know the history of the place/ river/ monument in the state. The locals still refer to Ashoka as ‘Samrat Ashoka’ which shows the reverence an emperor of his stature still commands even centuries after his reign. Every time I think of the ruins of Nalanda, the temple in Bodhgaya, the stupas in Rajgir I wish I could travel back in time to experience India when Bihar was world famous as Pataliputra.

For the abundance of faith that we see in the countless temples, stupas and the gurudwar, Bihar is reeling in chaos due to globalization and when you view the city atop Gol Ghar, all you can imagine is Ashoka ruling his empire from Pataliputra with all its grandeur and splendor!