Bihar is a state in the Hindi heartland of India. Its capital Patna, earlier known as Pataliputra, has been an important cultural and administrative center for almost 2500 years. Bihar, the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size, borders the states of Uttar Pradesh in the west, Jharkhand in the South, West Bengal in East and the nation of Nepal in the North.
Bihar is the 3rd largest state by population, with a Hindu majority and a large Muslim minority. Hindi is the language spoken by the majority, along with significant populations speaking Urdu and Bhojpuri. It has a rich cultural heritage, being the birthplace of Buddhism. It is also home to one of the first universities ever established anywhere in the world, located at Nalanda.
Geography & Climate:
Bihar is mainly a vast stretch of very fertile flat land. It has several major rivers: Ganga, Son, Bagmati, Kosi, Budhi Gandak, Chandan, Orhani and Falgu. Central parts of Bihar have some small hills, for example the Rajgir hills. The Himalayan mountains are to the north, in Nepal. To the south is the Chota Nagpur plateau, which was part of Bihar until 2000 but now is part of a separate state called jharkhand.
Climate:
Bihar is mildly cold in the winter (the lowest temperatures being around 5 to 10 degrees Celsius; 41 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit). Winter months are December and January. It is hot in the summer(with average highs around 35-40 Celsius; 95-105 Fahrenheit). April to mid June are the hot months. The monsoon months of June, July, August, and September see good rainfall. October & November and February & March have pleasant climate.
Transport & Travel:
Bihar has three airports: Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport, Patna, Bhagalpur Airport and Gaya. Patna airport is connected to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Ranchi. It is categorized as a restricted international airport, with customs facilities to receive international chartered flights. Gaya airport is a small international airport connected to Colombo, Singapore, Bangkok and more.
Bihar is well-connected by railway lines to the rest of India. Most of the towns are interconnected among themselves, and they also are directly connected to Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai. Patna, Muzaffarpur Darbhanga, Kathihar, Baruani, Chapra, Bhagalpur and Gaya are Bihar's best-connected railway stations.
The state has a vast network of National and State highways. For Buddhist pilgrims, the best option for travel to Bihar is to reach Patna or Gaya, either by air or train, and then travel to Bodh Gaya, Nalanda, Rajgir and Vaishali. Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh also is not very far.
Places to see:
Buddhist sites - Bodh Gaya, Nalanda, Rajgir, Vaishali, Bhagalpur, Vikramshila, Sultanganj.
Jain sites - Vaishali and Pawapuri, Bhagalpur.
Sikh sites - Gurdwaras, Patna Sahib, the birth place of Guru Gobind Singh.
Hindu sites - Sultanganj (Bhagalpur), Vishnupad Temple at Gaya, Konch Shiva Temple, Tara Mandir at Mahisi, Patan Devi at Patna, Mahavir Temple at Patna, Mundesvari at Bhabua, Sun Temple at Deo,near Aurangabad ,Punyark , Shiv Temple at Singhesarsthan (Madhepura), Thawe Ma durga temple (gopalganj) Gopalmandir, Bahraua siv Hathwa (gopalganj), Hanuman Mandir (Siwan), Bhavnath Temple (Siwan). Aranya Devi temple [Ara], Gadhdevi Ma [Madhauda, Saran], Ambika Bhawani [Aami, Saran] and Janki Mandir in Sitamarhi. durga and kali mandir at karuta Bakhtiyarpur.
Muslim sites - Bihar-E-Sharif, [Sultanganj], Bhagalpur ,Phulwari Sharif.
Historic sites - The landscape is dotted with historic sites. Important ones are Patna, Bhagalpur, Gaya, Bodh Gaya, Nalanda, Rajgir, Vaishali, Pawapuri, Chapra Chirand, a site famous for remnants of Neolithic phase of civilization Champaran, and Sasaram Hathwa (gopalganj).
Sanjay Gandhi Jaivik Udyan, Patna.
A. N. Sinha Institute Of Social Sciences Gandhi Maidan, Patna: a prominent social research institute with has vast literary collection and rare historical documentation.
The Jamalpur Workshop, established on 8th. February, 1862, enjoys the distinction of being the oldest and the largest locomotive workshop in India.
Gandhi Maidan: a historic ground that symbolises the Indian independence movement in Bihar. It was used to hold meetings by great illumanaries like Rajendra Prasad, Nehru, Anugrah Narayan Sinha, Sri Babu, Jayaprakash Narayan and others.
Anugrah Seva Sadan: it was established by Loknayak Jayprakash Narayan to serve the underprivileged masses and to serve as a care home for the poor. It bears the pious name of reverend leader Bihar Bibhuti Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha.
