Photo: Sumitsurai / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
📍 Nalanda, South Bihar, Bihar
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 lotus-filled 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.
Pawapuri (Apapapuri) marks the site of Lord Mahavira's final liberation in the 6th–5th century BCE. The main shrine, the Jal Mandir, is built of white marble in the middle of a large tank fringed with lotuses and connected to the shore by a stone causeway. It is one of the most photographed Jain temples in India.
Key things to see:
October to March. Mahavir Jayanti and Diwali (Mahavira's Nirvana day) draw large gatherings.
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.
Historical & Ruins 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 redbrick 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.
Buddhist Circuit Perched on Ratnagiri Hill, this gleaming white marble peace pagoda is one of Rajgir's most iconic sights, offering sweeping views over the surrounding hills. Built by the Japanese Buddhist NipponzanMyohoji order, its four golden Buddha statues face the cardinal directions in serene calm. Reaching it by the singleseat chairlift ropeway is a memorable experience in itself.
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.
