THE FINAL DESTINATION OF BUDDHA- KUSHINARA

SRILANKAN PILGRIMS IN FRONT OF THE TEMPLE

In 483 BC, Buddha chose Kushinara now called Kushinagar as the last place that he would live in. He announced at Vaishali that he was leaving Vaishali for ever, then at Kesaria he gave his begging bowl to the people of  Vaishali and asked them to go back to their own town and not grieve for him.

Kushinagar is in UP near the river Hiranyavati. The place is not far from the Nepal border and also Kapilvastu to which place Siddhartha belonged. Reaching it was quite a tough job. The distance from Kesariya was hardly 124 kms, yet it took us over five hours to reach as the road was in a very bad condition. In some places I did think that perhaps walking would have been a wiser option!

During the days of the Buddha,the Mallas were the rulers here, and this place was one of the sixteen Maha-jana-padas of 6th century BC.

THE TEMPLE

As one enters the small town, the first place one sees is the Parinirvana Temple. This is the exact place where Buddha died. As the story goes Ananda his disciple was not very happy and the Buddha told him "Don't grieve, Ananda!  The nature of things dictates that we must leave those dear to us. Everything born contains its own cessation. I too, Ananda, am grown old, and full of years, my journey is drawing to its close, I am turning 80 years of age, and just as a worn-out cart can only with much additional care be made to move along, so too the body of the Buddha can only be kept going with much additional care".

THE SERENE FACE

The present temple at the parinirvana spot was built by the Indian Government in 1956 as part of the commemoration of the 2,500th year of the Mahaparinivana or 2500 BE (Buddhist Era). Inside this temple, one can see the famous Reclining Buddha image lying on its right side with the head to the north, facing the west. The statue is 6.1 m long and is made of Chunar sandstone. This statue was made in the 5th Century AD.

THE RECLINING STATUE

On reaching Kushinara,I went inside the temple and sat in a corner.The thought that 2500 years ago the great Buddha lay down here to die was very over whelming.

On the next morning of our stay I again visited the temple early in the morning. A whole procession of Buddhists from Srilanka were circambulating the temple. They were holding lit candles and lotus flowers in their hands. It was a silent procession. Every one was wearing white. This was the same group that I had earlier seen at Bodhgaya. They were on a  pilgrimage to visit all the places connected with the life of the Buddha.

PILGRIMS FROM BENGAL

There was another group of devotees from Bengal. They were accompanied by their Bhikhu. The Devotees sat and listened to the discourse given by the Bhikhu. They too were traveling to all the places connected with the life of Buddha. 

THAI PILGRIMS

I spent a long time inside the temple and watched as the various groups of people brought in long cheevars(cloth) for the Buddha. They would keep the cheevar on the statue  and move on. These cheevars were in golden colour and were very beautifully decorated. There must have been at least 15 cheevars donated by the Srilankans. Once they had gone then came the Thai devotees. They were fewer in number, but they too offered the Cheevar and then sat down to pray.

RAMABHAR STUPA

After the death of Buddha, he was cremated at the bank of the river Hiranyavati. A stupa was built over the place It is now called the Ramabhar Stupa, earlier it was called Mukut-bandhana Chaitya.

The ashes were then collected and divided into eight portions. The claimants of the ashes were  Ajatshatru of Magadha, Licchavis of Vaishali, Shakyas of Kapilvastu to which clan Siddhartha belonged, Bulis of Allakappa, Kolis of Ramagama to which clan his mother Mahamaya belonged, Mallas of Kushinara, Mallas of Pava and the Vethadipa Brahman. All of them took the ashes and built stupas over the ashes. Later Asoka in the 3rd Century BC built 84000 stupas over the ashes removed from some of these eight Stupas and divided into smaller portions.

After visiting the Ramabhar Stupa we visited the Museum. The building is quite big but the stuff inside is just too little.

BURMESE TEMPLE

There are a number of temples built by  other countries in Kushinara. The temple made by the Burmese is located close to the Ramambhar Stupa and is quite beautiful.

OUTSIDE THE TEMPLE

The compassionate Buddha on his death bed told the assembled people not to blame Cunda who had served Buddha his last meal, after which he had fallen ill. He left us a message that compassion and forgiveness are great virtues.  Before his death he asked all the assembled Bhikhus if they had any doubts about the Dhamma or the Sangha. They were all invited to get their doubts cleared. Buddha asked them this question three times. When no one had any doubts, he said his last words, which were, "Listen, Bhikhus, I say this, all conditioned things are subject to decay, strive with diligence for your liberation".

That's me!

Leaving Kushinagar I thought about death. 
Death is only the culmination of the journey of this body. What lives on is the memory of what a person did during this journey. How many people did he /she reach out to. 
What legacy did he/she leave for humanity. What difference did he/she make to the world which he inhabited. Did his/her existence bring a smile on the face of  people whom he touched. 

Will people remember me  long after I am gone? 

Buddha the great teacher died at Kushinara about 2500 years ago, but his thoughts, philosophy, live on trying to make us all better human beings. In a world ridden with war, strife, disparity and discrimination his message of peace, compassion, kindness, equality are eternal solutions for all times to come. 

THE MOST BESOTTED VAISHALI.

COMPLETE LION PILLAR AT VAISHALI

 In those days, around 2500 years ago, in the fertile land of the terai(wet land), where huge rivers like the Ganga, Gandak, Sone, Pun pun, Ghaghra, Kosi flowed, there was a sort of Democracy practiced, which was called Ganarajya. Gana means clan and rajya here means rule.The ruler was elected for a year. He was elected by 7707 Rajas and had a Council of nine people to assist him in administration. These rajas were male heads  of families belonging to the Kshatriya clan. Interestingly around the same time in 507 BC, an Athenian leader Cleisthenes introduced a system of political reforms that was called demokratia or Rule by the people. Here too the ruler was elected by male citizens of Athens who were over the age of 18.

There were 16 confederacies in North India then and the Vajji Mahajanapada had its capital at Vaishali  which was the seat of the Lichchavi Ganarajya. Being in the terai region with plenty of river water which brought a lot of silt with it, this fertile land was very prosperous. When food is a plenty and all needs are met, then human race progresses and flourishes and development takes place in other aspects of life. Perhaps that is the reason why this area gave us our Historical glory, great culture and intellectual and reformative Religions. The great Buddha and Mahavira were born in this era and area.

Continuing on my journey from Patna on the path that Gautama the Buddha traversed 2500 years ago, while crossing the mighty Ganga, I  looked at  the vast expanse of water with reverence as it had allowed such a great civilization to flourish here. Perhaps that is the reason why this humongous Ganga is considered sacred! So many rivers have already flown into the Ganga by this time that all the soil, and culture seems to have converged together.

KING VISHAL'S PALACE- RUINS

After crossing the Ganga, I reached one of the most important cities of ancient India "Vaishali". Today Vaishali is just a bit bigger than a small town of rural India. All that might, beauty and  glory that it once possessed has vanished. Time has taken its toll and what once was a much coveted City and where Buddha stayed and preached for many years, no longer wields the power it did once upon a time!

This was the place where King Vishal ruled. There are some ruins where one can see what once must have been very glorious. If Bimbisar and his son Ajatshatru of Rajgrih wanted to conquer Vaishali there must have been something worth conquering here!

This was the place where the most beautiful girl of the Region was made the Nagar-vadhu or Bride of the City! What a sad state of affairs! The most beautiful girl would be chosen, would be trained in the arts of music and dance, but she would also have to be the courtesan who would have to be the bride of  anyone who could pay her price. Amrapali was one such City bride. It is said that this tradition was started by King Manudev of the Lichchavi clan who wished to possess Amrapali and therefore set up this practice as Amrapali wanted to marry someone else.The village of Ambada Chowk is  the place where Amrapali lived. A Girls School is built upon the place where it is said once lived Amrapali.  Amrapali had become a disciple of the Buddha and had renounced the World and joined the Bhikhshu  Sangha.

THIS CONTAINED RELICS OF BUDDHA NOW OPEN

As we moved away from the ruins of the palace of King Vishal, we reached the pond where the Abhishek or anointment of the King was done every year. Near by is the Stupa where the relics of the Buddha were preserved. This Stupa was opened by Asoka in the 3rd Century BC. The Relics were removed and smaller portions were distributed all over India where it is believed that 84,000 Stupas were built over the distributed relics.

 Vaishali was the place where at the age of 80, Buddha gave his last discourse and declared to the people that he was departing from Vaishali and would soon be leaving the world forever. The people of Vaishali were very upset at this disclosure and kept following him on his journey away from Vaishali. The Buddha then gave them his Bhiksha patra as a token and told them to return back to their homes.

STUPA OF ANANDA

As one leaves Vaishali one reaches the Stupa where the relics of Buddha's most favorite shishya (disciple) Anand are preserved. There is a beautiful Asoka Pillar here with a sitting Lion on the top. Thankfully this is a complete Pillar and not broken or damaged.

SWASTIKA SHAPED MONASTERY FOR WOMEN

There are also the ruins of a monastery in the shape of  a Swastika. Vaishali was the place where Maha Prajapati Gautami, the step mother of Siddhartha who had brought him up, asked Buddha to allow women to join the Sangha. After Ananda's persuasion Buddha allowed women to join the Sangha. That was quite a revolutionary step granting equality to women!

MAHAVIRA'S TEMPLE BEING BUILT AT KUNDAGRAM

 

FIVE LEVELS OF KESARIYA STUPA

Leaving Vaishali we went onwards towards Kesariya. Kesariya which was called Kessa-putta in the days of the Buddha is about 55 kms away from Vaishali. The people of Vaishali had followed Buddha upto Kesariya after his last discourse. This is the place where Buddha gave them his Bhiksha patra.

This is also the place where Buddha is supposed to have given his discourse where he had said that his followers must analyze his teachings thoroughly before accepting them, "Atta Deep Bhava". This was granting the people Freedom of thought.

DIFFERENT SHAPES

The Stupa  here is supposed to be the largest Stupa in the world. It has five levels and each level differs in shape.  We went around half the Stupa as the other half is still under a mound. While leaving the place, as we sat near the gate, the guard asked us if we had seen the statues of Buddha. He told us they were visible from a distance and were on the north side of the stupa. We quickly went back and then could see the various niches where there were about nine statues of the Buddha. Sadly, the Khaljis in the 13th century AD, had partly destroyed these statues.

 MANY STATUES

Many people do not visit Vaishali and even fewer visit Kesariya. Both these places were important places during the life of the Buddha. They both are also important as two very important discourses of the Buddha were held here. Vaishali is also the place where the Second Buddhist Council was held 100 years after the death of Buddha, where certain rules to be followed by the Bhikhus were discussed.

THE SETTING SUN

Breathing in the air of Vaishali, walking on the road taken by the Great Teacher,I could visualize  the surge of humanity grieving at the imminent death of their beloved Teacher. The thought that they would never see him, hear him again was surely the ultimate grief. 

The Buddha had said," The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help, are you freed."

STEPPING STONES?

THE GREAT MAGADH CAPITAL-PATNA

LAL SALAAM

After seeing the Historically and archeologically rich Bodhgaya, Rajgrih and Nalanda, I decided to get into urban Bihar. Around 4th century BC,Ajatshatru had made Pataliputra his capital. He shifted from Rajrih, maybe because of the proximity to the gigantic Ganga and also to be closer to Vaishali, which he wanted to conquer. 

GANGA THE MIGHTY RIVER

Pataliputra then, and Patna now is a big city, quite congested and has some charm of its own. It has got Colonial charm, as well as moffusil rustic charm. The cycle rickshaws are quite comfortable, but slightly high for my liking. 

It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited place in the world. It has been the Capital of Magadh since around 400 BC. In 300 BC during the rule of the Mauryas its population was 4,00,000. Quite a large population for those times! Pataliputra was ruled by the following dynasties.

1. Haryanka Empire- Bimbisar's dynasty-684 BC -413 BC. Bimbisar, Ajatshatru were of this dynasty.

2. Shishunaga Empire -413 BC -345 BC.

3. Nanda Empire- 424 BC -321 BC. This clan was not Kshatriya. Alexander had attacked India in 326 BC. He did not cross the Beas.

4. Maurya Empire -322 BC -185 BC.  It is said that this clan was not Kshatriya but Chandragupta  Maurya was the son of a dasi.  Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusara, Ashoka the Great were the rulers. Our relations with Greece were established. Ashoka ruled over almost the entire Bharatvarsha with the exception of parts of South India. Chanakya belonged to this era and also all the Asoka Stambhs and about 80,000 stupas were constructed all over the country. Buddhism flourished and was spread to South East Asia. He gave us our stone edicts with History written on it.

5. Sunga Empire 185 BC-75 BC. Patanjali's Mahabhashya was composed during their rule. This dynasty patronized Indian Culture and it is thought that they also persecuted followers of Buddhism, and revival of Hinduism began in their rule.

6. Gupta Empire -320 AD -600 AD. These rulers were not Kshatriya but were from Vaish community.  The known Rulers were Chandra Gupta, Samudra Gupta, Chandragupta II.This is the era that was called the Golden Age of India. because of the prosperity of the times when Art, Music, Literature, Science, Mathematics, Astronomy, prospered. This was the age that gave us Kalidas, Aryabhat, Varahamihira, Vishnu Sharma, Vatsyayana.

SOME WHERE HERE WAS THE PALACE OF ASOKA

How great the place was can only be imagined by us now. It was the place where two great Religions flourished, Buddhism and Jainism. Guru Gobind Singh the 10th Guru of the Sikh religion was also born in Patna. The famous University of Nalanda was located close by.

The modern city of Patna is situated on the southern bank of the Ganges. The river Sone, Gandak and Punpun also converge on the Ganga near Patna.

THE PILLAR AT KUMRAHAR

On this journey of mine in   Magadh, I started by visiting Kumrahar.  This is the place where the ancient Pataliputra ruins were. Today there is a huge garden and a small museum in the area, but the remains of the buildings of the Nand Empire and The Maurya Empire are very few. 

THE SUPINE PILLAR

If I remember correctly, I had visited this place about 50 years ago. I distinctly remember that then there were some pillars and the ruins of a wall, belonging to the Mauryan Empire in this place. This time I saw that the Pillars had been removed to the Museum and there was just one pillar supine on the grass. It left me feeling sad. 

The ruins of the mighty Empire which was perhaps the most important phase of our Indian History was totally displaced. There were some ruins belonging to the 4th and 5th century AD. This was the Hospital cum Monastery of Dhanvantri. Seals of the Arogyashala in Brahmi Lipi were found here and are kept in the Museum. One can read written on the seal "Sri Arogyavihara Bhikshusamghasya"

When ruins are in place, one's imagination can run  riot with visualizing all those high and mighty people walking on those corridors and the hustle bustle of a living city.

THE MUSEUM

After the disappointment of Kumrahar I went to the Patna Museum. The Museum building is majestic. I must say the British had this art of making imposing buildings which could make one want to enter the place and absorb all the beauty and knowledge of a time gone by. The Jadu Ghar, Ajaib Ghar or Museum is a red colored building spread out amidst a huge well maintained garden.  

DIDARGANJ YAKSHI

Entry to the first hall of the museum, made me stop and look  mesmerized at the extremely beautiful Didarganj Yakshi belonging to the 3rd Century BC. She is a work of beauty and art. 

YAKSHI FROM THE BACK

Yakshi's pretty nose got broken in one of her international trips. Yet she looks perfect. Her smile is no less enigmatic than the smile of Mona Lisa. She is  beautiful from every angle. The workmanship is very detailed and crafted very intricately.She is 64 inches tall, and is carved out of a single piece of stone.

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE YAKSHI

There were many more statues and Historical objects kept in the Museum. I liked the Buddha with a moustache.

BUDDHA WITH MOUSTACHE

Yet what made me sit quietly and peacefully was the room where the relics of Gautama the Buddha are kept. The room is not open to all. One has to buy a ticket of Rs. 100 to visit this room which is kept under lock and key with strict security.

THE PRECIOUS CASKET

The relics are kept in a small casket and consist of ashes of the Buddha, a stone bead, a broken glass bead, copper punch mark coin and a small leaf of gold. 

INSIDE THE CASKET

The relics are kept in controlled temperature. I loved being in that room all by myself with the relics of the greatest teacher of all times. It was the closest I could get to the Great teacher who lived more than 2500 years ago.

Having experienced  this, I did not want to see anything else in Patna. Yet we did go past the Golghar, which is a granary and has a unique shape, and also the Martyrs memorial.

GURU GOBIND SINGH'S BIRTHPALCE

Next morning we visited Patna Sahib the Gurudwara built over the place where the 10th Guru of the Sikh religion, Guru Gobind Singh was born.

Patna today does not convey to us that this is the place which is responsible for the ancient great works of Literature, art, Religion, education, knowledge. This was the place which gave India its name "Sone ki Chidiya". This was the most important land where so many eminent people lived, ruled and expanded their empires. All our past glory, History belonged to this place.

MAGADH?????

Magadh had so many Empires, there was so much bloodshed, each Ruler became more powerful than the other.  Magadh also broke the mould of the Caste system to some extent, as Rulers did not necessarily belong to the Kshatriya or warring caste. Asoka ruled the entire length and breadth of the country from Khorasan, Afghanistan to present day Bangladesh and Assam, and from North to North Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. He had three capitals, Pataliputra, Ujjain and Takshashila.  He became the biggest follower of Buddha who had preached Peace. Buddha had said that "we must train ourselves to attain peace". In Pali it is said, "Daiham sikkhata sanitya." He said peace can be attained by our own self. We are responsible for our own thoughts and our own thoughts shape our destiny.

QUEST FOR KNOWLEDGE.

THE PATH LEADING TO KNOWLEDGE

 If I  had to describe a University, I would  draw my answer from its ancient designation of a "Studium Generale", or “School of Universal Learning.” This description implies the assemblage of strangers from all parts of the world in one spot  with teachers and students for every department of knowledge.  

We Indians have always been very proud and vocal about our heritage, our parampara, our knowledge, our ancient glory, wisdom, development of art, science, niti and advancement in astronomy, maths, dance and music. Where did we learn it and where did we teach it? 

This question took me to our great centers of learning of which the most well  known  are Takshashila, Nalanda and Vikramshila. Takshashila, now in Pakistan was the oldest. A few  famous teachers of Takshashila were Chanakya, Vishnu Sharma who wrote the Pancha Tantra, Charaka the Physician, Panini the Grammar Exponent and Jeevaka, the Physician of the Buddha. A famous alumni was Chandragupta Maurya, grand father of Asoka the Great. Takshashila was in existence since eighth century BCE, and continued to attract students from around the old world until the destruction of the University in the 5th century by the Huns.Students came here from Babylon, Greece, Syria, Arabia, Phoenicia, China, Magadha, Kashi and Koshala. In spite of the long and arduous journey they had to undergo,  the excellence of the learned teachers  brought students from all over. The teachers were recognized as authorities in their respective subjects.There were about 68 different streams of discipline here. There were about 10500 students studying here.This University's primary concern was not with elementary, but higher education. Generally, a student entered Takshashila at the age of sixteen. 

When Alexander attacked India in the 4th Century BC, he took back with him a number of scholars from here. Is it therefore surprising that a lot of myths, and stories are quite similar in Greece, Syria and India?

Vikramshila is the lesser known University, which is located in Bihar near Bhagalpur. It came into existence after the Nalanda University was at its decline.

SARIPUTTA'S STUPA AT NALANDA

Nalanda is known to almost all of us. It is in Bihar, close to Rajgrih and Patna. This University existed from 5th Century AD to 1197 AD. In the first 300 years it flourished with liberal cultural traditions but from 9th century onwards the decline set in as Tantricism became more pronounced.  Yijing( 673- 695AD) a Chinese Buddhist scholar says that when he was at Nalanda there were 300 rooms and 8 colleges, and matters of discussion and administration required an assembly and consensus by all at the assembly as also of the resident monks, who were not at the Assembly. 

THE ENTRANCE IS BEHIND ME

My journey on the path traversed by The Great Buddha took me from  Rajgrih to Nalanda. The gate to this center of learning, education and   wisdom was quite small. But as soon as I went inside, it was like entering a different world, where there was no noise, no sound, nothing but bricks, and ruins which spoke of the amazing brilliance of this place. It was as if I had entered from a tunnel into an amazing space filled with light . 

ROOMS

There were ruins of monasteries after monasteries on one side, and then there were temples and then there were stupas.

Admissions to institutes of learning has always been tough. Ask the parents of a toddler today, and they will tell you that the toddler goes to a prep school so that subsequently the child gets admitted to a good school. So from time immemorial admissions to institutes of learning has been tough. Is it any wonder then that getting admission to the Nalanda University was really tough? Do you know, according to folklore  who asked the first questions for the admission interview? It was the dwarpal or the Doorman. So much wisdom oozed out from the place that even the gatekeeper could interview a new student to judge if the student was capable of studying at Nalanda. Religion, logic, metaphysics and a lot more disciplines were taught here. Students came from Korea, Japan,Iran, Indonesia and China, besides of course Magadh, Kosala and Kashi.

TWO BEDS & A BOOK SHELF

I allowed my imagination to fly as I entered the Monastery.Each Monastery is a complete unit by itself. There are rooms with a built in bed and a shelf for keeping books. Two students would share a room. There is a kitchen, a well, and a place for the teacher to sit and give his discourse. There is a drainage system, where the drain becomes deeper as it goes towards the pit.

TEACHING SPACE

I imagined a class going on where the students were eager to learn. There would be no forced learning, it was your own desire to learn. Fees were not charged. The rulers of the area made it mandatory for some villages to provide the University with funds to carry on with the teaching unhindered, so education was state sponsored.

Our famous tourists and scholars from China, the great Hieun Tsang and Fa Hein have written great accounts of the University.

THE GIANT WILD GOOSE PAGODA AT XIAN, CHINA

Hieun Tsang travelled to India in the seventh century AD to study at Nalanda. He took back a lot of books with him and in Xian in China, the Tang dynasty King gave him land to build a Library in 652 AD, which for some strange reason is called "The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda". I saw this pagoda which one cannot enter now, but the surroundings are maintained very beautifully.

THE MOUNDS & THE RUINS

Nalanda had a very huge campus. Even today the surrounding villages are  built over  mounds, which if  dug will reveal more monasteries and Temples.

The Library at Nalanda University was very famous and had a huge collection of books.

BURNT BRICKS

In the 13th century when the Khaljis set out to destroy everything which was not about their religion, they burnt this whole university down. It is said that the Library burnt for three whole months. Even today after almost  900 years, one can see some burnt brick walls, and feel sad about this misjudged act of arson.

A BENCH & SERENITY

The gardens and lawns around the ruins are maintained immaculately. One can sit under a tree and feel the monks moving about, and  hear the discussions, the theories and the debates going on. The air over here must be wise, the trees must be swishing thoughts when the wind blows, the walls if only they could communicate would tell us more tales than one.

Nalanda is where the stupa of Buddha's Shishya Sariputta exists.

SEEK & YOU WILL RECEIVE

Nalanda is where perhaps knowledge  spread, got wings and then got burnt down, ending our quest for learning, free thinking, radicle thoughts, where it was all about learning for betterment and improvement of the self. There were no certificates awarded, there were no jobs guaranteed, there was no money at the end of the knowledge gates.  It was emancipation, enlightenment, and development of the self.

 Learning was at its best, the thirst and quest for knowledge was the essence of existence. 

Could there be anything better than this insatiable hunger for knowledge?

ROOMS WITH PLACE FOR LAMP

As the Wise Buddha said, "Atta deep bhava", or in wisdom be a lamp unto yourself. He also said, "Do not blindly believe what others say, even if it is said by the Buddha. See for yourself what brings contentment, clarity and peace, that is the path for you to follow".

Knowledge, freedom from blind faith and eventual enlightenment can only be achieved when we open our minds, question, discuss and then get convinced.  Quest for knowledge can only be quenched by questioning. 

RAJGRIH to RAJGIR- CAPITAL OF MAGADH EMPIRE.

THE BUDDHA AT SWARNA BHANDAR

 India has been a land through which great rivers flowed. These rivers originated from the Himalayas and brought prosperity to the land through which they travelled. Great settlements came around these rivers, over time a system evolved,  and customs and traditions started getting formulated.

JIVIKA'S MONASTERY

In the 6th century BC, about 2700 years ago, there were some parts of India which were very prosperous. These were located on the foothills of the Himalayas, near the banks of the river Ganga and its tributaries. There were about 16 Janapadas at that time of which the great Magadh Empire had its capital at Rajgrih and was ruled then by Bimbisara, The Kosala Kingdom was at Shrawasti, and it was ruled by Prasenjit, The Shakyas ruled in Kapilvastu and its King was Shuddhodhan, the Licchavis ruled in Vaishali, the Mallas ruled in Kushinagar, Koliyas ruled in Ramagrama,. These were all small states where a ganarajya or janapada  existed, with a King who was advised by  eminent advisors.

The Magadh Empire was said to be a very powerful Empire and  during a much earlier era, this place is said to have been ruled by Jarasandha, who was the father- in- law of Kansa of Mathura.

Our hero, Prince Sidhhartha at the age of 29, left his palace at Kapilvastu( located in Nepal and also north UP-Piprahwa) and went towards the South seeking knowledge.

He arrived at Rajgrih and became the disciple of Alara Kalam and  Udaka Ramputta  and learnt yogic meditation from them. Bimbisar the King asked Siddharta to stay at Rajgrih, but the seeker of knowledge moved on further South and after six years attained enlightenment  at Gaya. He then proceeded to Sarnath and preached his first sermon to five disciples, after which he proceeded to Rajgrih to locate his first gurus, but  found that both Alara Kalam and Udaka Ramputta had since died.

Bimbisar  accepted the teachings of Buddha, became a Buddhist and requested Buddha  to stay at Rajgrih.

VENUVAN TODAY

The Venuvan or Bamboo Grove was given to the Buddha for his stay as well as for the stay of his followers. Buddha met two of his ardent followers Sariputta  and Moggalayan at Rajgrih, 

Buddha was a person with a mission, who wanted to spread his teachings far and wide and so he did not stay at one place for too long. During his lifetime he stayed in Rajgrih altogether for twelve years. In those days the Teacher would stay put in one place during the four months of the  rainy season, and that stay was called the "varshavaas".

Rajgrih is a beautiful place and like Rome, is surrounded by seven hills. There was peace, plenty and prosperity in this area. First came Buddha and then it is said,Mahavira too spent 14 years at Rajgrih.

SHANKH LIPI

As we entered Rajgrih in the 21st century, we found the familiar blue board of the Archeological Survey of India(ASI) on the Highway. 

ARE THESE CHARIOT WHEEL GROOVES?

There was a small enclosure, where we found grooves on the stone. which were like tyre tracks of a vehicle. We were told that these were the grooves caused by the speed of the rath of Krishna, when he came to wage war with Jarasandha during Mahabharata time. In fact Krishna fought with Jarasandha 17 times and in the 18th attack he left the war grounds, that in fact is the reason why Krishna  is also called Ranchhod. There was also some writing on the stone in a script which is called the Shankh lipi. This writing has not yet been deciphered, therefore we could not make out what had been written there.

BIMBISAR'S JAIL

Our journey then took us back to the 6th century BC, and we saw the walls of the jail of Bimbisar.  Ajatshatru the son of Bimbisar wanted to expand his kingdom, and so he imprisoned his father, wrested power from him  and went forth in his quest for expansion and relocated his capital to Pataliputra. From this jail  Bimbisar could look up and see Buddha climbing the hill and preaching to his disciples at Gridhrakoot hill. 

GRIDHRAKUTA HILL FROM WHERE BUDDHA PREACHED

There are steps which takes one up to this spot, where Buddha sat, meditated and preached. A little towards the West of this spot is the Shanti Stupa made by the Japanese.  

CHAIR LIFT & BAMBOO GROVES

There is a Chair lift ropeway which takes us up to the Stupa. The climb is steep, the view is beautiful and one is reminded of the movie "Johny Mera Naam" where Dev Anand and Hema Malini travel by the chair lift , and sing a song,"Oh mere raja, khafa na hona, der se aayi, majboori thi phir bhi maine wada to nibhaya!

THE JAPANESE SHANTI STUPA

The ride on the chair lift costs Rs. 60/- and is worth it, the stupa is grand and there is a temple of the Buddha at the top. 

An identical stupa in white with statues of Buddha on the four sides is at the  Millenium Indraprastha Park in East Delhi, and I have also seen an identical one in the Battersea Park at London.

SWARNA BHANDAR OF BIMBISAR

There is an interesting cave at Rajgrih. It is called the "Swarn Bhandar" of Bimbisara. 

THE DOOR TO SWARN BHANDAR

The outline of a door is carved on the rock and there is some writing in Shankh lipi, which is said to be the mantra to open the door. This cave is supposed to contain treasures of Bimbisar's empire.

CARVINGS OF THE BUDDHA'S STATUE

There are nice carvings of the Buddha on the walls, but they were defaced by the Khaljis when they attacked the University of Nalanda as well as Rajgrih, in the 13th CenturyAD. Our earliest international tourists, devotees and learners were Fa Hian and Hiuen Tsang who came from China in the 5th and 7th Century AD respectively. Both  of them have written extensively about Rajgrih in their books.

The First Buddhist Council(sangiti) was held in the Saptaparni cave, near the Swarn Bhandar  soon after the death of Buddha, under the leadership of Maha Kassapa, along with Upali & Anand. Rules and tenets of Buddhism(vinaya & dhamma) were formulated in this Council and written down for the first time. It is said that the famous physician Jivika also lived in Rajgrih. He had treated Buddha when Buddha was attacked by his cousin Devdutt. There was a Jivaka-mara-vana monastery here.

HILLS

Rajgrih which has a stupa made by Ajatshatru, and a few other places to see, beside the hot sulphur springs, is now a very small town. It is sad to see that the cradle of the great Magadh Empire has now become just a small tourist town, where tongas are the main mode of transport. 

A TONGA.

It is of course a very pleasant ride on the tonga from one site to another, as the hooves of the horse make a rhythmic trot, the tongawalla narrates his tale about Rajgrih, the majesty of the hills surrounding Rajgrih are visible, and the thought that Buddha spent so many varshavaas months here teaching, preaching and enlightening the people of this land, envelopes you. The feeling sinks in and one gets transported into a time which existed thousands of years ago. The hills, the bamboo groves, the ruins are mute spectators of time having taken its toll. Buddha looked at those hills and enjoyed the fresh air, as I do now!

SURROUNDED BY HILLS

The mornings are beautiful, the place is peaceful, the air is pure, bamboo groves are a plenty, Rajgrih has become Rajgir and much time has elapsed since Ajatshatru moved on to Pataliputra  to spread the Magadh empire and make it one of the most powerful empires of Indian History. Perhaps Rajgrih was too peaceful and calm, and could not contain the ambitions of a restless young King.  

Buddha who convinced people through reason and persuasion has said that there are 3 Universal Truths of which the first is "Aniccha" or impermanence, which means that the world is constantly changing, nothing is permanent, life itself is mortal.