10 Interesting Facts About Bihar

Bihar is the 12th most populous state in the country, with a population of more than 103 million people. The name Bihar was first mentioned in “The Epic Mahabharata”, Bihar is the birthplace of great scholars. This state represents various cultures and religions along with numerous languages.

The alluring Mahabodhi temple is situated in Bihar, one of the famous UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In ancient times Bihar was known as ‘Magadh’, the birthplace of many different religions. The historical background of Bihar makes it one of the precious places that gives you vast information regarding our culture’s thickness. Bihar lost its prestigiousness in the medieval era when the Mughals were ruling India.

Bihar is the birthplace of the first-ever university to be witnessed by the World. The Epicentre of education “The Nalanda University”.This University is the testimony of many students from different cultures and countries across the world. Many International students preferred this place because it was aa finest education hub.

The curriculum at Nalanda University was vast and included subjects like astronomy, mathematics, medicine, literature, philosophy, and theology. The university also had a strong emphasis on the study of Buddhism, and many scholars came here to study Buddhist philosophy. Nalanda University has a huge forum that includes eight separate compounds and 12 temples. This university was considered a pioneer of Medical Science. The university was destroyed in the 12th century CE by invading Turkish armies led by Bakhtiyar Khilji.

Bihar is the cradler of the tenth Sikh Guru ‘Guru Gobind Singh’ as Bihar is the birthplace of many religions. Bihar holds a high significance for the Sikhs. Guru Gobind Singh was such a great leader that he became the 10th Sikh Guru at the age of 9th. He introduced the “Five Ks” – Kesh (uncut hair), Kara (steel bracelet), Kanga (wooden comb), Kachera (cotton undergarments), and Kirpan (sword) – as symbols of a baptized Sikh. Guru Gobind Singh was a prolific poet and writer. He composed many hymns and scriptures that are now part of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of Sikhism. He fought numerous battles and lastly in 1708 Guru Gobind Singh Ji decided to leave his earthly form and merge with the divine.

Bihar is the bystander of  ‘World’s first Republic ever’  The Vaishali district located in Bihar has an immensely high historical and political significance since it is known as the ‘First Republic in the World’.Vaishali is a great Buddhist shrine and also the birthplace of Lord Mahavira. The Buddha also gave his last sermon at Vaishali and announced his nirvana here Other than Hindi the most popular language of Vaishali is “Bajjika” There are many top tourist attractions in Vaishali such as RELIC STUPA, KUTAGARASALA VIHARA, CORONATION TANK, WORLD PEACE PAGODA, RAJA VISHAL KA GARH IN VAISHALI.

The Largest Cattle Fair In Asia takes place in Bihar “The Sonepur Fair” is celebrated with great enthusiasm It is organized at the time of the post-harvest season and is also awaited eagerly by every Bihari all over India. This Eye-catching fair is organised in conjunction with two Mighty Rivers “The Ganga and The Gandak River” This month-long event takes place on the auspicious occasion of Kartik Purnima in November. This cattle Fair is now more known for rural items, handicrafts, clothes, food items, agri implements, furniture, costume jewelry, folk toys, and utensils.

The Birthplace of Great Mathematicians ‘Aryabhata’  the great astronomer and mathematician was born in Patna, He gave the World ‘The Idea Of Zero’ He was the first to compute the value of ‘pi’ to the fourth decimal point with precision Aryabhatta was awarded the title of ‘Father Of Algebra’ The theory related to the ‘Rotation Of The Earth that The world spins daily on its axis around the sun, and the movement of stars appears to be owing to the relative motion induced by the rotation of the earth, as Aryabhatta correctly said. His studies, investigations, and calculations were translated into various languages to benefit other astronomers. The contemporary names for trigonometric functions, sine, and cosine were discovered by Aryabhata. One of his major works was Aryabhatiya written in 499 AD.

Bihar is the home of the Oldest Hindu Temples In India. The Temple is dedicated to four-headed Shiva which is an interesting amalgamation of Male and Female. It is believed that rituals and worship have been performed here without a break; hence Mundeshwari is considered one of the most ancient functional Hindu temples in the world. The festivals of Ramnavami and Shivrartri hold special charm at the Mundeshwari temple and the temple is visited by a large number of pilgrims each year, to soak in the spiritual glory. This beautiful temple is located at the summit of Piwara Hill, It is believed that this temple was built in 3-4 BC and was allocated to Lord Vishnu but somehow that deity disappeared and the temple was reallocated with Lord Shiva and Shakti’s Amalgamation.

Bihar is the place where Lord Buddha attained liberation in Bodh Gaya. Bodh Gaya after Buddha’s enlightenment is often known as the place of ‘Enlightenment’.

Siddhartha Gautama sat in meditation under the Bodhi tree, having renounced his princely life to wander and practice asceticism. Here, he defeated temptation in the form of the demon Mara and set a great world religion Buddhism into existence. The Mahabodhi temple complex is located in the middle of ancient  Bodhgaya. The site on which Buddha sat is now known as Vajrasana, Bodh Gaya, or Enlightenment Throne of Buddha. The Mahabodhi Temple Complex is one of the four holy sites related to the life of the Lord Buddha, The property has a total area of 4.8600 ha. It is one of the earliest Buddhist temples built entirely in brick, still standing, from the late Gupta period and it is considered to have had a significant influence on the development of brick architecture over the centuries.