Eternal India Encyclopedia

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Eternal India encyclopedia

A GREAT DESTINATION

Nandan hills, Anukul Thakur's Ashram are the other attractions. Top Chanchi Lake : 37 km from Dhanbad, coal mining city of Bihar. Top Chanchi is an ideal resort.

Nalanda : 90 km south of Patna. Once the site of world famous Buddhist University, Nalanda, accommodating 10,000 students. It was sacked & burnt by Muslims. Hiuen-Tsang, Chinese scholar stayed here for 5 years. The excavated ruins are im- mensely impressive with chapels, monasteries & lecture halls spreading symmetrically. An international centre for the study of Buddhism was established here in 1951. Rajagriha : 103 km from Patna, ancient capital of Magadha empire. The first Buddhist council was held here after the Buddha attained Nirvana. Pawapuri :104 km from Patna. Mahavira attained Nirvana here. White marble temples dominate this holy place. Jal Mandir, a shrine amidst a lake, is a serene sight. Parashnath Hill : 200 km from Pawapuri. Jain pilgrimage centre. 21 out of the 24 Tirthankaras attained their Nirvana here. The hill derives its name from Parashnath, the 23rd Tirthankara. Maner : 29 km west of Patna earliest seat of Islam in Bihar. Here lived, in the 13th century, a famous Sufi saint, Pir Hazrat Makhadun Yahiya Maneri. His tomb is known as Bane Dargah while his disciple Shah Daulat's tomb is known as Chhoti Dargah. Bihar-Shariff : 64 km from Patna, important centre of Muslim culture during 13-16th centuries. The tomb of a saint, Pir Mukhdum Shah Sharifuddin, is the object of pilgrimage for the Muslims. Sasaram : 193 km from Patna. One of the finest buildings of medieval India. Mausoleum of Sher Shah. The Mausoleum stands in an artificial lake. Ranchi : Hill resort, 338 km from Patna a number of waterfalls in- cluding the famous Hudru‘Falls. Jamshedpur : Steel city founded in 1907 by Sir Jamshedji Tata. The gigantic factory complex of the Tata Iron & Steel Company domi- nates the city. Nearby is Dimna lake. One of the popular beauty spots of the state. Hazaribagh : At an altitude of 2000 feet is an ideal summer resort. A few km from the city is the Hazaribagh National Park. Maithon : Biggest reservoir of Damodar valley project covering 104 sq.km. Sindhri : 77 km from Maithon largest fertiliser factory in Asia. Panchet Dam : 16 km from Maithon - biggest dam in Damodar valley project - 6 km long. Konar Dam : 56km from Hazaribagh. Flowering trees and shrubs surround the lake. Damodar Valley Project : The project impounds waters of the Damodar river and its tributaries through a number of dams and utilises it for power generation and irrigation. The two states served are Bihar & West Bengal. Tilaiya Dam: Reservoir flanked by two green hills. Bhagalpur : University town, famous for Barari caves and rockcut temple at Colgang. In a forest south of the city is the Mandar hill capped by a Vishnu temple. Sultanganj : Near Bhagalpur. Famous for Ajigaivanath temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It stands on an islet in the middle of the river. On the other bank stands a beautiful mosque. Deoghar : Baidyanath Dham Tapobana, Karamibagh Trikut &

Bokaro : Thermal power plant & steel plant.

Simultala : Health resort.

Jasidih : Hill resort. Kumrahar: 11km from Patna railway station. Site of ancient city of Pataliputra. It was earlier the capital of Chandragupta (321-297 B.C) & Bindusara (297-274 B.C) before Ashoka ruled here be- tween 274 & 237 B.C. Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador in Chandragupta Maurya's court, wrote that the royal palace ex- celled in splendour the palaces of the Egyptian, Babylonian and Cretan monarchs. Here polished sand stone columns have been found with decayed woodwork still clinging to some of them. Golghar : Huge, hemispherical granary, built in 1786 has two spiral stair cases. From its top one can have a panoramic view of the city and its suburbs. Was built as a granary to store surpluses against famines. It is about 25m high. It was built by Captain John Garstin, on the advice of British Governor General Warren Hastings, following the terrible famine of 1770. Harmandir : One of the holiest Sikh shrines. In 1666, the last of the ten Sikh Gurus, Guru Gobind Singh was born here. The marble temple was built by the illustrious 19th century Sikh king of Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Celebrations to mark the Guru's birthday are held here in Dec- Jan of each year. Khudabaksh Oriental Library : Contains many rare Persian & Arabic manuscripts, Moghul & Rajput paintings, a number of them are beautifully illuminated. Patna Museum :-Beautiful sculptures and bronze images, Tibetan antiques, a fine collection of coins. Sonepur : Venue of the world's largest cattle fair held in the month of November. Once even elephants were brought for sale here! Jalan's Qila : Houses a collection of rare antiques, including carvings on jade and precious stones. Sher Shahi : Built by Afghan ruler Sher Shah in 1545, is the oldest mosque in Patna. Datar Ki Masjid : Emperor Jehangir's son Parvez built this mosque on the banks of the river Ganga. Also known as Saif Khan's mosque. Sadaquat Ashram : Residence of India's first president Dr.Rajendra Prasad. It is the seat of Bihar Vidyapith, a national University since 1921. Padri-Ki-Haweli : This 18th century Roman Catholic Church

was built in 1751 by the Capuchin fathers. Biological park : Zoo-cum-Botanical garden.

GOA

This tiny former Portuguese territory has some of the world's best beaches and is inhabited by easy going, hospitable people.