Photo: Sumitsurai / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
📍 Nalanda, South Bihar, Bihar
One of the world's oldest residential universities, Nalanda flourished from the 5th to the 12th century CE and once hosted thousands of monks and scholars from across Asia. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, its vast red-brick ruins of monasteries, temples and the towering Sariputta Stupa evoke the golden age of Buddhist learning. Walking its neat rows of monk cells and lecture halls is a moving journey into India's intellectual past.
Nalanda Mahavihara was the greatest centre of learning in the ancient world, founded during the Gupta period and patronised by emperors including Harshavardhana and the Pala kings. Chinese travellers Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) and Yijing studied and wrote about it. It was destroyed around 1193 CE and lay buried until excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India began in the early 20th century.
Key things to see:
October to March, when the weather is cool and comfortable for walking the ruins.
Museums Set right beside the Nalanda ruins, this museum houses the finest antiquities excavated from the great ancient university. Its galleries display exquisite stone and bronze images of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, terracotta plaques, seals, coins and inscriptions spanning the Gupta and Pala periods. It is the perfect complement to a visit to the ruins, bringing the site's scholarly and artistic legacy to life.
Jain Sites Pawapuri is one of the holiest sites in Jainism, the place where Lord Mahavira attained Nirvana (moksha) and was cremated. The exquisite white marble Jal Mandir rises from the centre of a serene lotusfilled tank, reached by a long walkway across the water. The tank is believed to have formed where devotees took away soil after Mahavira's cremation, making it a deeply revered pilgrimage.
Buddhist Circuit Cradled by seven hills, Rajgir was the first capital of the mighty Magadha empire and a place sacred to Buddhists, Jains and Hindus alike. The Buddha spent many rainy seasons here preaching on Gridhakuta (Vulture's Peak), and Mahavira too taught in these hills. Today its hot springs, cyclopean walls, ropeway and glass bridge make it one of Bihar's most rewarding destinations.
Nature & Waterfalls A famous cluster of sacred hot springs at the foot of the Vaibhavgiri hills in Rajgir, fed by streams known as the Saptdhara. Brahmakund, the hottest at around 45 °C, is revered by Hindus who believe the waters can cure ailments. The springs have drawn pilgrims for over two thousand years, set amid a landscape sacred to Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism alike.
