The land where the Buddha once lived, a place that is known for cloisters – Bihar is visited by an impressive number of Buddhist supporters just as voyagers of different beliefs as the year progressed. Its relationship with Buddhism and Jainism makes it an important place to visit for peace lovers, individuals who might want to get a vibe of the inborn culture and experience life in the provincial pieces of India, and individuals who might want to get a brief look at our great past. Derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Vihara’, which implies religious community, Bihar has a sublime legacy with regard to Indian history. Bihar is situated in the eastern pieces of India arranged in the Gangetic fields, and it imparts its fringes to Uttar Pradesh in the West, Jharkhand in the South, and West Bengal in the east, and Nepal in the North. The spiritual importance of Bihar originates from the way that it is where the Buddha once lived and achieved Nirvana. His footprints can be followed through his lessons and the landmarks which stand tall right up ’til the present time, serving to control individuals and show them the privileged way. There are also many more places to visit in Bihar. Here is the mini-guide of it, have a look-
Places to visit in Bihar
1. Mahabodhi Temple
The Mahabodhi Temple has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is an ancient, but much rebuilt and restored, Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya. It marks the location where the Buddha attained enlightenment. Bodh Gaya is around 96 km from Patna. The site comprises of Bodhi Tree under which Buddha gained enlightenment. It has been a major pilgrimage destination for Hindus and Buddhists, a must-visit destination if you are going to see places to visit in Bihar.
Timing- 5:00 AM To 7:00 PM
Time Required- 1-2 Hours
Entry Fee- No Entry Fee
2. Giant Buddha
The Giant Buddha statue is one of the stops in the Buddhist pilgrimage. It has famous tourist routes in Bodhgaya, Bihar. The statue is 19.507 m high. It is in meditation pose or dhyana mudra. The statue is seated on a lotus in the open air. It took seven years to complete the statue. It was done with the help of 12,000 masons. It is truly the best place to visit in Bihar. Probably you wouldn’t want to miss that! Right it down to your list of places to visit in Bihar.
Timing- Open 24 Hours
Time Required- 1-2 Hours
Entry Fee- No Entry Fee
3. Golghar
The Golghar is a huge granary that is located to the west of the Gandhi Maidan in Patna, the capital of Bihar state. As suggested by the contemporary inscription at its base, the Golghar was intended to be just the first of a series of huge grain stores. But in the end, no others were ever built. The granary was a part of a general plan for the continuous prevention of famine in these provinces. Its making was ordered in 1784 by Warren Hastings, the then Governor-General of India.
Timing- 10:00 AM To 7:00 PM
Time Required- 1-2 Hours
Entry Fee- No Entry Fee
4. Patna Museum
Patna Museum is the state museum of Bihar. It was started in April 1917. At that time there was British Raj. It was done to house the historical artifacts found in the vicinity of Patna. It is in the style of Mughal and Rajput architecture. This museum is known locally as the Jadu Ghar. The Museum was constructed by the British to conserve and have a good display of historical artifacts. The idea to have a museum arose in 1912. This took place after Bihar and Bengal were separated.
Timing- 10:00 AM To 5:00 PM
Time Required- 1-2 Hours
Entry Fee- INR 10 For Indians and INR 20 For Foreigners
5. Barabar Caves
The Barabar Hill Caves are the oldest rock-cut caves surviving in India & a good site to visit with other places to visit in Bihar. They date back from the Maurya Empire, some with Ashokan inscriptions, located in the Makhdumpur region of Jehanabad district, Bihar. These caves are situated in the twin hills. These hills are Barabar (four caves) and Nagarjuna (three caves). These rock-cut chambers date back to the 3rd century BCE, the period of Ashoka. It is an ideal location for photography too. Hence, don’t forget to carry your camera!
Timing- Open 24 Hours
Time Required- 1-2 Hours
Entry Fee- No Entry Fee
6. Sanjay Gandhi Jaivik Udyan
Sanjay Gandhi Jaivik Udyan is located off Bailey Road in Patna. The park was opened as a zoo for the public. It was started in 1973. The park is Patna’s most frequented picnic spot. It has more than 36,000 visitors on New Year’s Day. The park was first established as a botanical garden in the year 1969. The then Governor of Bihar, Sri Nityanand Kanungo, provided almost 34 acres of land from the Governor House campus for this beautiful garden. Here you will find various animals and varieties of flora and fauna too. It is an ideal location for animal photography too. You should visit here once, if you are in Bihar. So add this spot to your itinerary list of places to visit in Bihar.
Timing- 10:00 AM To 5:00 PM
Time Required- 2-3 Hours
Entry Fee- INR 20 For Indians and INR 50 For Foreigners
7. Patna Sahib Gurudwara – JanhitGurbaani
Takht Sri Patna Sahib also famously known as the Harmandir Sahib, is a Gurdwara in the neighborhood of Patna Sahib. It was to commemorate the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh who is the tenth Guru of the Sikhs on December 1666. The architectural view of this pilgrimage attracts most of the tourists towards it. In short, the best place for inner peace and for some shrine time with your family. Visit this place if you are going Bihar along with other places to visit in Bihar.
Timing- 4:00 AM To 11:00 PM
Time Required- 1-2 Hours
Entry Fee- No Entry Fee
8. Mahatma Gandhi Setu
Your next destination in places to visit in Bihar is Mahatma Gandhi Setu is a very large bridge over the river Ganges. It connects Patna and Hajipur in Bihar. Its length is 5,750 meters. It is the second-longest river bridge in India. It was inaugurated in May 1982 by the then Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi. The bridge was provided with approval by the Central Government in 1969. It was built by Gammon India Limited. It took over a period of ten years, from 1972 to 1982 with a total expenditure of Rs 87.22 crore at that time to make it. You should take a walk towards it, whenever you plan your trip to Bihar.
Timing- Open 24 Hours
Time Required- 1-2 Hours
Entry Fee- No Entry Fee
9. Bihar Museum
The Bihar Museum is another tourist attraction located in Patna. It was opened in August 2015. ‘The children’s museum’, the main entrance area, and an orientation theatre were the only parts opened to the public at that time. Later, in the year 2017 remaining galleries were also opened. Here you will find amazing artifacts, some cultural pictures, and paintings related to the history of India. If you truly love to explore such a kind of educational spot then it is the right spot among places to visit in Bihar for you.
Timing- 10:30 AM To 5:00 PM (but closed on Monday)
Time Required- 1-2 Hours
Entry Fee- No Entry Fee
10. Bodh Gaya
Bodh Gaya is a Buddhist journey site in the Gaya District of Bihar. Well known for the Mahabodhi Temple, It was here under the Bodhi tree that Gautama Buddha accomplished illumination. It is presently one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and a ton of outside nations, including Japan and China, have helped the Indian government in building offices for the Buddhist pioneers. The spot is clamoring with explorers all during that time from India and abroad who come to pay their tribute to religious communities, temples, and remnants of the Bodhi Tree. Situated close to the stream Niranjana, Bodh Gaya was prior known as Uruwela. It was otherwise called Sambodhi, Vajrasana, or Mahabodhi until the eighteenth century CE. It is one of the four significant Buddhist locales that include: Kushinagar, Lumbini, and Sarnath.
Timing- Open 24 Hours
Time Required- 1-3 Days
Best Time To Visit- October To March
Nearest Airport- Bodh Gaya
11. Madhubani
An antiquated city, Madhubani in Bihar is known for the wealth in craftsmanship and culture that the locale makes progress toward. Referenced in the Ramayana, the city is known for the world-famous Madhubani works of art whose source lies here. Madhubani rose up out of the Darbhanga locale of Bihar in 1972 during the reshuffling of regional limits. This little region is gradually developing as a mainstream traveler goal among craftsmanship lovers coming here for Madhubani artistic creations. With Nepal on the north, Darbhanga toward the south, Sitamarhi and Supaul on either side, Madhubani is additionally a significant business town in the Madhubani area. The town has various sanctuaries which are the fundamental fascination purposes of the town for local people. Be that as it may, the town isn’t very visitor neighborly, and there isn’t a lot to do on the off chance that you are thinking about a touring visit.
Timing- Open 24 Hours
Time Required- 1 Day
Best Time To Visit- October To March
Nearest Airport- Patna
12. Rajgir
Rajgir is a town where the air that encompasses its wonderful views conveys traces of otherworldliness and lively tints of history with joins with both Buddhism and Jainism. Set in a green valley and encompassed by rough slopes, Rajgir is an otherworldly town with normal tranquility among the thick backwoods, puzzling caverns, and springs. Rajgir houses numerous strict goals that are significantly devoted to either Buddhism or Jainism. Both master Buddha and Lord Mahavir have said to invest energy here giving it immense profound and religious significance. One can visit different remains, temples, and sites here and furthermore spend some time enjoying its reviving calmness.
Timing- Open 24 Hours
Time Required- 1-2 Days
Best Time To Visit- October To March
Nearest Airport- Bodh Gaya
13. Jal Mandir
Situated in Pawapuri in the territory of Bihar, Jal Mandir is a loved Jain sanctuary that is committed to the 24th Tirthankara-Lord Mahavir. Also called Apapuri, the dazzling white marble temple denotes the incineration spot of Lord Mahavir and is a sacrosanct journey focal point of Jainism. The dazzling temple is built inside a gigantic water tank that is filled entirely pink lotus blossoms. Viewed as one of the main five Jain sanctuaries in the district, the temple has “Charan Paduka” or a foot impression of Lord Mahavir as the focal god.
Timing- 5:00 AM To 7:00 PM
Time Required- 1-2 Hours
Entry Fee- No Entry Fee
14. Mundeshwari Devi Temple
The Mundeshwari Devi Temple exists in the Kaimur locale of Bihar. It is an antiquated temple devoted to loving the interminable team of Shiva-Parvati. It is considered as probably the most seasoned temple in India, maybe being as old as 625 CE. Worked of stone, the sanctuary engineering follows an uncommon octagonal arrangement. The fundamental divinities in the sanctuary are Devi Mundeshwari and the four-colored Shiva linga. It likewise has murtis of Ganesha, Surya, and Vishnu. It has been an official subject of archeological examination for quite a while, dating certain engravings to 635 CE.
Timing- 6:00 AM To 7:00 PM
Time Required- 1-2 Hours
Entry Fee- No Entry Fee
15. Valmiki National Park
Situated in the West Champaran area, Valmiki National Park is arranged on the India-Nepal verge on the banks of stream Gandak. Rambling over a humongous territory, the park is divided into two areas the wildlife sanctuary pronounced in the year 1978 spreads and region of 545 sq km, and the national park which was set up in 1990 covers a zone of around 335 sq km. The main wildlife reserve in the territory of Bihar, Valmiki National Park is canvassed in thick green woodlands of the Himalayan Terai scene. Parading of a prospering wildlife sanctuary with broad assortments of flora, fauna, and avifauna, the feature of the locale is Bengal tigers (22 in the area starting at 2013). The legislature further designed to change over 800 hectares of the timberland zone into fields to make it the biggest meadow in the nation. Valmiki National Park gets its name from Valmiki Nagar-the the abutting town to the forests which is also the main conceivable access to the wildlife reserve.
Timing- 10:00 AM To 5:00 PM
Time Required- 1-2 Hours
Entry Fee- No Entry Fee
16. Navlakha Palace
Located in Rajnagar on the eastern bank of River Kamla, close Madhubani region of Bihar, Navlakha Palace, also called Rajnagar Palace, is an antiquated imperial royal residence that is a famous legacy working in the locale. Constructed by Maharaja Rameshwar Singh, the royal residence previously bragged very much cleared nurseries, fiddling lakes, temple buildings, and many more. However, it endured significant misfortune and broad harm in 1934 when a seismic tremor hit it. It has never been fixed and as of now lies in ruins. However, still, at the end of the day, it gloats of old-world appeal and splendid design and is still visited by tourists and local people much of the time.
Timing- 10:00 AM To 7:00 PM
Time Required- 1-2 Hours
Entry Fee- No Entry Fee
17. Tomb of Sher Suri
Situated in the town Sasaram in the province of Bihar in India, the Tomb of Sher Shah Suri is a shocking sepulcher that has been devoted to the memory of Emperor Sher Shah Suri. Bragging Indo-Islamic engineering, the tomb is one of the most famous places of interest around and is otherwise called the ‘Second Taj Mahal of India’ conversationally. Worked in red sandstone, the landmark is three stories tall and stands in the focal point of a pleasant lake, adding to its mood and excellence of it. The development of the tomb began during the life of Sher Shah Suri itself yet was finished 3 months after his demise.
Timing- 10:00 AM To 7:00 PM
Time Required- 1-2 Hours
Entry Fee- INR 30 For Indians and INR 100 For Foreigners
18. Hajipur
Hajipur is one of those urban areas of India which has associated the past and the present in a smooth change throughout the years. In spite of the fact that scant and dispersed, Hajipur holds returning the pages of Indian history – be it the hour of Lord Buddha or the standard of Islam or the British time, somehow or another or other, Hajipur is consistently there. The locale of Vaishali, of which Hajipur is the headquarter just as the biggest city, is known for being where Lord Gautama Buddha settled on his last resting – nirvana after real passing. The place that is known for Hajipur is specked with numerous temples, generally Hindu. Supporters of both Vaishnavism and Shaivism, two critical factions of Hindu confidence, visit this spot for the numerous spots of love dispersed everywhere throughout the city. Settled in the midst of stretches of horticultural grounds and sections of land of banana estate, these sanctuaries bid to those for whom otherworldliness is at the center of voyaging. Hajipur likewise has probably the longest scaffold of Asia, extending over the stream Ganges for 5.75km. It is also a must-visit place in Bihar.
Timing- Open 24 Hours
Time Required- 1 Day
Entry Fee- No Entry Fee