Among the five takhats (thrones of guru), one is situated in Patna which is known as Harmindar Shree Takht Sahib. It holds the second most importance for Sikhs after the Golden Temple. Whole place is submerged in white colour which represents purity. As soon as you enter inside the main building, your eyes will shine up from an engraved wall that is fully covered with gold.
It is situated near the Ganges that is approx one kilometre away from it. You can also visit there and sit on the shore and relax with your friends or family or have a wonderful company of peace of your mind. Let your worries flow with flow of the river.
Behold the modern day stupa in Patna which was built to commemorate the 2554th birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. It was inaugurated on 27th May, 2010 by the spiritual leader, Dalai Lama himself. With a large panel of glasses embedded in the stupa, it is not wrong to say that this place is a perfect blend of ancient and modern day designs.
Though it is situated near the crowded and clamorous Patna railway station, the environment of this park is far different from its neighbour. There are a lot of things to do inside the park. Out of all those things, one thing that is very necessary for people of today’s world is peace of mind.
The main dome which is known as Patliputra Karuna Stupa, holds inside the significant relic of the Buddha which is among the eight original relics that were excavated from Vaishali. The place is decorated with the paintings and idols of the lord Buddha. The yogic Buddha and the sleeping Buddha are also the key to attraction around here.
Ironically, the place where the stupa is situated now, there used to be a jail! The wall that you see in the above picture is part of the same wall. It has been preserved beautifully with plants and flowers all around it.
A bodhi tree (also known as Peepal tree), nurtured inside the park, is believed to the part of the same tree under which lord Buddha achieved enlightenment. Visit this place to feel the positivity around this tree.
Meditate in a Style :- .
Vipassana meditation centre inside the park provides 60 air-conditioned cell so that one can focus without being disturbed from the outside world. Give yourself a break from this hectic life and come here to meditate in a style that is the oldest of Buddhist meditation practices.
Bihar has many places which hold the significant events in the life of the Buddha. Kolhua in Vaishali is among such places. This place marks the spot where a local chief of monkeys had offered a bowl of honey to lord Buddha. This event is regarded as one of the eight most important events according to the Buddhist literature.
The stupa was built to celebrate the event of offering honey to Buddha, by the Mauryans which was further expanded in Gupta and late Gupta periods. The place has remains of kutagrashala, swastika shaped monastery, a tank, a number of stupas in addition to the main stupa and the Ashokan pillar which is 11 meters high monolithic polished sandstone surmounted by a seated lion. It is one of the earliest pillars of Ashoka which was carved out of a single rock!
The second picture is a spot that is believed to be the area where Buddha stayed in Vaishali during the rainy season. What archeologists found is that, it was built in three phases. Originally, it was a small pedestal, built during Sunga-Kushan period then subsequently enlarged to a lofty temple in the Gupta period and finally it was converted into a monastery during post Gupta period.
This place has many more stories to tell the visitors. This was only the place where Buddha allowed nuns for the first time to the sangha and also converted Apmrapali, a court dancer to a nun.
A water tank dug by monkeys!
Well, you’ve heard stories about the Rama setu which was created by monkeys for lord Rama. You can get to see another work of wonder by monkeys on the south-west of the Ashoka pillar. The fourth picture in the series is a water tank, known as ‘Markat Hrid’, was dug by the band of monkeys for the use of Buddha.
A hot water spring, surrounded by mountains, gives your eyes a magnificent view, after a ride of about 25 kms to 35 kms from the nearest railway station, Jamalpur. It is considered that this water spring has the capability to cure one’s stomach and skin diseases, if consumed.
After every three years people come here to celebrate ‘Malmas Mela’(pronounced as ‘mʌlmɑːs’). Mal-mas is a term in hindi which means an ‘extra month’ and mela means ‘fair’. It holds a significant spot in the Hindu religion where it is believed that religious activity carried out during this time is more beneficial than other months. According to the Hindu calendar this month falls between May and June.
Another reason which makes this place so popular among the visitors is the belief according to which King Dashrath, the father of Lord Rama, received him as his son after performing a Yajna here.