Bihar Tourism

Bihar is the third largest state by population and twelfth largest state in terms of geographical size. The name Bihar is derived from the word “vihara” meaning monastery. Bihar was a great religious centre for Jains, Hindus and most, importantly Buddhists. It was at Bodh Gaya that Lord Buddha attained enlightenment. It is here also that Lord Mahavira, the founder of another great religion, Jainism, was born and attained nirvana. The state of Bihar is bordered by Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, northern part of West Bengal to the east and Jharkhand to the south.

History
The documented history of tourism in Bihar region dates back to the 4th century BCE. Greek geographer Megasthenes (c. 350–290 BC) visited the region in reign of Chandragupta Maurya. His observations were recorded in Indika. Dionysius was son of Megasthenes, who visited Pataliputra in reign of Ashoka. Hsuan-Tsang and I Ching visited Nalanda to study in the 7th century. educational tourism as Bihar was home of some prominent ancient universities like Nalanda and Vikramashila.

Fairs & Festivals
Bihar is an eastern state in India and it shares the passion and zeal of celebrating the established and spiritual fairs and festivals of India with the rest of the country. Fairs and festivals have always been an essential part of life in Bihar. Each state of the country has some festivals that are a unique part of its cultural heritage and are different from the rest. It fascinating to witness these festivities. Bihar wholeheartedly celebrates festivals like Durga Puja, Bhaiya Dooj, Holi, Saraswati Puja etc.

Best Time to Visit
October to March are the best months to visit Bihar. While Bihar sweats in the scorching heat during Summers, the state experiences high rainfall and humidity during Monsoon. October to Bihar, when the weather is pleasant with sunny days and cool nights, rainfall is moderate, and the paddy fields look resplendent, is the best time to visit Bihar.

How to Reach :-

BY AIR - Bihar has two airports at Patna and Ranchi connected to Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Calcutta, as well as Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Indian Airlines and Sahara Airways have direct flights between Patna and Delhi.

BY RAIL - The state has a well-developed railway network with almost all the major and minor places connected through good trains. Major railway stations like Patna, Dhanbad, Muzaffarpur, Gaya, and Ranchi are connected to all the major cities of India by regular trains.

BY ROAD - There is good network of roads connecting all the major parts of the state with Patna, the state capital. National Highways like 2, 23, 28, 30, 31, and 33 connect the state to places all over India. The distance of some of the major places in the state from Patna are Sonepur 25 km, Vaishali 55 km, Nalanda 90 km, Gaya 97 km, Bodhgaya 110 km, and Ranchi 289 km.

Tourist Attractions
Bihar, situated in the eastern part of the country, the place that gave birth to Buddhism and Jainism and helped in the growth of Sikhism and Hinduism, has a past that is unmatched anywhere in the world. It was the center of first republic in the world at Vaishali. The city of Patliputra was largest and grandest in the world at the height of its glory. To Bihar's north is the Kingdom of Nepal. On its other three sides Bihar is surrounded by the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh to the west, Jharkhand to the south and West Bengal to the east. Patna is the capital of Bihar. Bihar was called Magadha in ancient times. Its capital Patna, then known as Pataliputra, was the center of the Mauryan empire, which dominated the Indian subcontinent from 325 BC to 185 BC. Emperor Ashoka was the most famous ruler of this dynasty. Bihar remained an important place of power, culture and education during the next one thousand years. The Vikramshila and Nalanda Universities, were among the oldest and best centres of education in ancient India but got destroyed by wars in the medieval period.