Rajgir-Bodhgaya-Nalanda-Pawapuri

About Me: Hi I am Subrata,a regular follower of Shilpi's "My Recent Trips". First of all I would like to thank Shilpi for his wonderful effort of sharing his personal travel experience with us. This blog helped me a lot in some of my trips and inspired me to share my personal experience as well. I hope you will enjoy reading this. In case of any query, please feel free to comment on the post or send mail in "dutshilpi@gmail.com" or "sarkar.subra@gmail.com".


About Rajgir: Rajgir is a city in Nalanda district of current Indian state Bihar. The city was in a valley surrounded by seven hills: Vaibhara, Ratna, Saila, Sona, Udaya, Chhatha, and Vipula. Mention of this place in many epics and historical scripts; add more to its historical values. This was the first capital of the kingdom Magadha, a state that would eventually evolve into the Mauryan Empire. Mahabharata has mentioned stories of Jarashanda, the King of this place and his fight with Pandavas. As per legends Bhim, the 3rd Pandav split Jarasandha in two halves and threw those facing opposite to each other so that they could not join. This place is also mentioned in many of the Buddhist and Jain scriptures. Rajgir is also famous for its association with Kings Bimbisara and Ajatashatru. Ajatashatru kept his father Bimbsara in captivity here and also credited with moving the capital to Pataliputra (modern Patna).

Duration of the Trip: It was a 2 days and 3 night’s trip from Howrah. We started on Friday night and return back to Howrah at Monday early morning.

Transportation: We board Danapur Express (12351) from Howrah station at 8:35 PM on Friday and reached Bakhtiyarpur at 04:52 AM next i.e. on Saturday. From there we booked a taxi for Rajgir.
For returning back, we used the same way i.e., first booked a taxi from Rajgir and came till Bakhtiyarpur and then board the same Danapur Express (12352), at 10:09 PM and reached Howrah at 06:35 AM next morning.
Ticket cost Rs. 229 for Sleeper classes, Rs. 585 for 3 tiers AC, Rs 790 for 2 tiers AC for each and for Rs 1329 for 1 AC.
There are many other trains for Bakhtiyarpur from Howrah like Udyanabha Toofan Ex., Amritsar Exp., Amritsar Mail, Vibhuti Exp, Lal Quila Exp, Janta Exp and many more.

Details of Trip:
Day 1: After getting down at Bakhtiyarpur Jn., we hired a taxi to reach Rajgir, cost us Rs 400/-. On the way to Rajgir, we stopped at a place. That place is famous for its Peda. I never had such delicious peda in my life before. We ate few peda and packed some more for future and again started for Rajgir. After reaching there at about 7:30 am, we headed to the
Hotel Triptee.
Near Nawlakha Mandir, Rajgir
Mob: 09304260974
They have their booking office at Kolkata as well, adress is:
306 B.B. Ganguli St,
Kolkata 12,
Ph 033-65699787, 09330481359, 09230615866
We were four people in the group. So booked a four bedded room in Rs. 500/-. The hotel was hygienic and good. It had a restaurant along with it and that was also good.
Hotel Triptee's
 We got freshen up and had our breakfast with Kachaori, Alu Sabji and Jalebi followed by Tea. The specialty of tea in Rajgir is, they put a brunt charcoal in the milk and prepare tea out of that. It tastes awesome.
The hotel owner helped us renting a car for Bodhgaya trip. The car charged us Rs. 1000/- on the agreement of taking to Bodhgaya trip, showing the important visiting places on the way and bring back to Rajgir. We started by 9:15. The places we visited were
Maniyar math, a cylindrical brick shrine, dedicated to the presiding deity of Rajagriha - Mani Nag.
Maniyar math

Bimbisara's Jail made by Ajatashatru to imprisone his father, Bimbisara. But Bimbisara could continue to see Gridhakuta and the Buddha through a window. But the jail is almost vanished by now. We can see the ruin of a circular structure with turrets at each corner.
On the way we saw the Holi site of Pind Daan. We didn’t go to the place it was just a sight from falgu river bank.
From Falgu River - Gaya

We reached Bodhgaya at about 12 noon. As per Legends, Prince Gautama Siddhartha sat in meditation under a bodhi tree in this place. After three days and three nights of meditation, Siddharta attained enlightenment and insight, and the answers that he had sought. There after he was known as Goutama Budhdha. The Bodhi tree is known as Maha Bodhi Briksha, still can be seen in the Bodhgaya campus.
Maha Bodhi Briksha
Maha Bodhi Temple
Lord Budhdha inside Maha Bodhi Temple

The main attractions of that place are Maha Bodhi Temple and Maha Bodhi Briksh. Other than those temple and tree, there are 10-12 temples made by different countries like Tibet, China, Thailand, Sri Lanka and many more. Another attraction of Bodh Gaya is Great Statue of Buddha. The statue is 80 ft in height.
Thai Temple - Bodh Gaya

Tibetan Temple - Bodh Gaya
Chinese Temple - Bodh Gaya
The Great Buddha Statue
One can fine the foot steps of Lord Budhda and some cute Little Budhdhas also in Bodh Gaya.
Foot Steps of Lord Budhda
Cute Little Budhdhas
Show on life of Gautam Budhdha is used to be conducted in Bodhgaya auditorium. Duration of the show was 45 mins to 1 hr. We went for the show which was just awesome. Entry ticket is of Rs 30/- for Indians and Rs 150/- for foreigners.
Other than this there is no entry fee in any of the temples in Bodhgaya. We had to buy ticket of Rs 20/- for camera to take it inside the Maha Bodhi Temple. Car Parking cost is also Rs 20/-
We started from Bodhgaya for Rajgir by 3:30 pm. On the way we had our lunch with roti, Paneer Masala and typical Bihari pickle. We reached to our hotel by 6 pm. After having some tea and evening snacks we went for Lakshmi Narayan Temple which was near to the Rajgir main bus stop and was 5-10 mins walking distance from our hotel and Naulakha Temple just beside of our Hotel.
Naulakha Temple

After visiting the temple we roamed around in the city for some more time. By 10’O clock we came back to our hotel and finished our delicious Bengali dinner with rice, dal, aalu posto, cauliflower curry, fish curry and chatney.
Day 2 : We had our Rajgir special breakfast with the same menu as the earlier day and decided to go for Rajgir local sightseeing. Instead of booking a car, we decided to take the ride of Tanga, the horse driven cart. After a long bargaining we were able to make the driver ready for Rs 150/-. Though there was RaniDhanno and no Basanti, still I was feeling that I am Viru of Sholey. I even took the pleasure of driving the cart in times as well. We visited almost all the historical places of Rajgir on this day. Those were
Our Tanga

Ajatashatru Fort, as the name implies, was built by King Ajatashatru of Magadha to strengthen the defenses of his capital Rajgir. Though the fort doesn’t exist anymore, the ruins of this fort, built on the Ganges in the sixth century BC, can be seen now days.
Saptaparni Cave is the place where the First Buddhist Council was held under the leadership of Maha Kassapa. Also Buddha sometimes stayed there, and it was used as an accommodation for visiting monks.
Brahmakund is a natural hot water spring. King Bimbisara used to take his bath there sometimes. This spring is believed to be very holy among Hindus. I too had a plan to take bath in that spring. But it was not at all clean. So I simply drop the plan.
Bramhakund

Venuvana is a bamboo grove given to Lord Buddha by Bimbisara, which was the first Buddhist monastery ever. It was given to Buddha so that he and his monks could take rest here, and give discourses to people.
Legend says site of Jarasandha ka Akhara has witnessed one of the most important battles in the Mahabharata war, between Bhim and Jarasandh. In this furious battle Jarasandha was subdued and killed by Bhim.
As per legend one wheel of Jarasandha’s chariot has been tapped in mud in this place. Still there are some marks which the local people used to treat as the mark of the wheel. Hence this place is named as Rath ka pahiya.
Marks of chariot wheel

We also visited one temple of Jarasandha in Rajgir.
Jivakarama is a monastery donated to Buddha by Jivaka, the greatest physician of Buddha's time.
Swarna bhandar is hollowed out of a single massive rock; these cave chambers have separate doorways, leading to the treasury of king Bimbisara, which is still undamaged. Inscriptions on the wall in the Sankhlipi or shell script give the clues to open the doorway.
Sone Bhandar

Sone Bhandar
Rope way in Rajgir is one of the unique ropeways. Unlike ropeways of other places, it is having only single chair and doesn’t stop anywhere. One has ride on and get down while it is on move only. It takes one to Biswa Santhi Stup situated in top of the hill and again takes back to the place from where it started. Ticket for per person is Rs 60/- for both way journey.
Rope way at Rajgir

Gridhakuta is the hill listed in Buddhist canonical texts as one of the places stayed in by the Buddha when at Rajgir; and several notable events, including an attempt on his life by his evil cousin Devadatta occurred there. It is a major destination for pilgrims in both ancient and modern times. It is now crowned by the Japanese-built Shanti Stupa and has a chairlift to the top.
Biswa Santhi Stup is designed to provide a focus for people of all races and creeds, and to help unite them in their search for world peace. Most (though not all) have been built under the guidance of Nichidatsu Fujii (1885–1985), a Buddhist monk from Japan. There are 80 such Biswa Santhi Stups around the world. Rajgir is having one of them.
Gate of Biswa Santhi Stup

Biswa Santhi Stup

We reached back to our hotel at 2 pm and had our lunch in the hotel’s restaurant. After finishing lunch, we took a car and started for Bakhtiyarpur by 3 pm to catch our train. On the way decided to visited Nalanda and Pawapuri. Car fare was Rs 500/-
Nalanda is famous for being a Buddhist center of learning from the fifth or sixth century. History records this as one of first great university of that time. Many students from China, Sri Lanka and many other countries used to come to learn Buddhism at Nalanda University. There was nothing more to see in Nalanda than the ruin. But still it gave an elegant felling. Entry ticket for Indians is Rs 20/-. We spend 4 pm to 5:30 pm for visiting Nalanda and then started for Pawapuri.
Ruins of Nalanda University
Ruins of Nalanda University
Ruins of Nalanda University
Ruins of Nalanda University

There is a Jain temple in Pawapuri which is located in between a lake. This place is famous as Mahabeer Jain has gained his Moksha from this place. The temple is a symbol of excellence of architecture. No camera is allowed inside the temple.
Way to enter Pawapuri

Pawapuri Temple

With that we finished visiting of places and headed to the station. On the way, we took a small break at Silaw, as the place is very famous for “Khaja”. We ate some sweets and packed more.
We reached station at 8:30 pm. Our train was at 10:10 pm. We had authentic Bihari Litti-Chokha as dinner and got into train.

Disclaimer: I have tried to provide as much as details is possible for the trip. For any further clarification please feel free to contact me.

Shilpi Dutta Mukherjee : As per the contributor of this post, this trip had been made in Jan’2011. There are chances that price and timings has got changed. Please check with Indian Railways, hotels and the local authorities about current timings and rates.

Srirangapatna - Mysore - KRS Dam

About Mysore and Srirangapatna: Mysore is the second largest city in the state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Mysore district and the Mysore division and lies about 146 km southwest of Bangalore. The name Mysore is an anglicized version of Mahishūru, which came from Mahishasura, a demon from Hindu mythology and ruler of the area. Mysore also lends its name to the Mysore mallige, the Mysore style of painting, the sweet dish Mysore Pak, the Mysore Peta (a traditional silk turban) and the garment called the Mysore Silk Saree.
Srirangapatna, a town in Karnataka, is place of great religious, cultural and historic importance. Although situated a mere 19 km from Mysore city, Srirangapatna lies in the neighbouring district of Mandya. The entire town is enclosed by the river Kaveri to form an island. While the main river flows on the eastern side of the island, the Paschima Vaahini segment of the same river flows to its west.

Duration of the Trip: It was a 1 day trip from Bangalore. We started at 6’o clock at morning and return back to Bangalore by 1 at night.

Transportation: We had booked a Indica from City Taxi by calling 08041488888. They had some package for Bangalore - Srirangapatna – Mysore –Bangalore which cost us Rs 3000/-. Other than this, there are options to book any package from the local travel agencies which cost Rs. 700/- to 800/- per person in bus and Rs 1000/- to Rs 1500/- per person by car.

Details of The Trip: We started from Bangalore at 6 am in a Saturday morning. We had our breakfast in a restaurant called Kamath on Mysore road, which is a good place for having authentic South Indian breakfast. Then again our journey started.

The first place what we visited was Sangama, the place where three holy rivers Kaveri, Kabini and Hemavati have amalgamated. One special attraction of that place is typical coracle boat used in rural areas. People can go to the main Sangam point of the three rivers using those boats.
Temple in Sangama
Coracle boat at Sangama | pic courtesy : Google Image
 Then we headed to The Mausoleum of Tipu Sultan, the place where Tipu Sultan lies buried with his relatives and also close army personnel. It was quiet, serene and peaceful place. The graves beneath the trees on the magnificent lawns added to the peace. The main hall is having three tombs, one is of Sultan Tipu and rests two are of his parents.
The Mausoleum of Tipu Sultan
Tomb of Tipu and his Parents | pic courtesy : google image
 Sri Ranganath Swamy Temple is one of the most important Vaishnavite shrines in South India. It was built in 9th century, later improved by the Hoysala and Vijayanagar kings. The temple is a tribute to Lord Ranganatha (Vishnu).
Sri Ranganath Swamy Temple

Main attraction of Srirangapatna is the Dariya Daulat Palace, the summer palace of Sultan Tipu that is set amidst beautiful gardens called Daria Daulat Bagh. Tipu Sultan built this palace in 1784 and ruled Mysore from here for a short time.The palace is built in the Indo-Sarcenic style in mostly made of teak-wood. The palace has a rectangular plan and is built on a raised platform. Now the place is a museum of Tipu’s belongings.
Dariya Daulat Palace

Dariya Daulat Palace

Before heading to our next spot, Mysore Palace we had our lunch in a restaurant on the way. I can’t recall the name. Food was good over there.

The Palace of Mysore is the official residence of the Wodeyars - the erstwhile royal family of Mysore. The Wodeyar kings first built a palace in Mysore in the 14th century; it was demolished and constructed multiple times. The current palace construction was commissioned in 1897, and it was completed in 1912 and expanded later around 1940. This palace is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in India after Taj Mahal. The architectural style of the palace is commonly described as Indo-Saracenic, and blends together Hindu, Muslim, Rajput, and Gothic styles of architecture. It is a three-storied stone structure, with marble domes and a 145 ft. five-storied tower. The palace is surrounded by a large garden.
Although tourists are allowed to visit the palace, they are not allowed to take photographs inside the palace. The palace is separated in two parts. One section is used as the residence and the other part is the main durbar. The Palace houses several rooms of importance. These include:
Audience Chamber: This was Hall of Private Audience, where the king would confer with his ministers. It was also the chamber in which he gave audience to people deserving special attention.
Public Durbar: The Diwan-e-aam was a public hall where the general population could meet the king at prescribed times with petitions.
Royal wedding hall: A hall where all the marriages of royal family used to held.
Armoury: The palace houses an armoury, which contains a collection of different types of arms used by the members of the royal family. These include weapons that were used in the 14th century (lances, cutlasses, etc.), as well as weapons that were used in the early twentieth century (pistols, etc.).
For me the special attraction of the palace was the huge collection of the paintings of that time. One will literally feel himself a part of those times while seeing the paintings.
Price of entry for Indian tourists to the main palace is Rs. 40/- and in the residence palace is Rs. 35/- . All visitors must remove their footwear to enter the palace. The visitors can higher guide for the better knowledge of in and out of the palace. In both the palaces there is an option to rent an audio device for Rs 200/- in the main palace and Rs 170/- in the residence palace.

Main Gate of Mysore Palace

Front View of the Palace

Side view of the Palace

Bronze Leopard in front of Palace

Another Gate of Palace


There is a temple inside the palace campus. One will find lots of elephants, camels also in the campus which carries the royal feel with them till days. Every Sunday the palace is decorated with lights, which is an awesome view on its own. We missed the same as we went in a Saturday.
Temple inside the Palace Campus

Elephant in the Palace Campus

Camel in the Palace Campus
Palace with Lights | pic courtesy : google image





Chamundi Hills
is a place in Mysore with lots of mythological values. According to legend, the demon Mahishasura, king of the area that is currently Mysore, was killed by the Goddess Chamundeswari after a fierce battle. The hills are named after the goddess, and a temple, Chamundeswari Temple honors her in the hills. The temple has a beautiful idol of the goddess. The temple has always been patronised by the rulers of Mysore. A panoramic view of the city is seen from the top of the hills.
Chamundeswari Temple

View from Chamundi Hills

View from Chamundi Hills


There is a long stairway leading to the top of the hill. There are 1,180 steps in all, and climbing the first 600 steps takes some effort. Regular buses are available to the Chamundi hills from the central bus stand and personal vehicles are also allowed to go till the top now days. On the way to the top, we passed the large monolithic Statue of Nandi, the bull and stops at the Mahishasura Statue.

Mahishasura Statue




Statue of Nandi | pic courtesy : google image

Mysore Zoo or Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens is a 245-acre zoo. It was established under royal patronage in 1892, making it one of the oldest zoos in the world. Of late the zoo is thriving on the adoption scheme introduced a few years ago. I was too excited to know that Anil Kumble has adopted a giraffe calf and an Asiatic lion and Srinath has adopted a jaguar while Zaheer Khan has paid Rs. 1 lakh for a tiger (Cricket is everywhere after all  ). The zoo is having a huge range of animals, birds, snakes and reptiles which includes Giraffe, Royal Bengal Tiger, White Tiger, Lion, Zebras, Chimp, Baboon, Indian Rhino, Black buck, Spoted Deer, Swamp Deer, Bison, Nilgai, Lepords, Sambar herd, Mithun, Wallaby, Tapir, Lemur, Kingcobra, Russell’s Viper, Python, Turtle, Crocodile, Painted Stork, Pelican, Night Heron, Ibirs, Mute Swan, Emu, Ratel and many more.





After a long day spent in between history and mythology, KRS Dam and Brindavan Garden brings us back to current days. KRS or Krishna Raja Sagara, is the name of both, a lake and the dam that causes it. The dam was built across river Kaveri in 1924. Apart from being the main source of water for irrigation in the most fertile Mysore and Mandya, the reservoir is the main source of drinking water for almost the whole of Bangalore city. The Brindavan Gardens is a show garden that has a botanical park, with fountains, as well as boat rides beneath the dam. Diwans of Mysore planned and built the gardens in connection with the construction of the dam. KRS Dam was the first to install automated Crest gates during 1920 and Brindavan Garden was the first in India to display a musical fountain. The show for musical fountains starts at 7 pm. every evening and continues for an hour. Depending on the sunset, timings may vary for the musical show.

KRS Dam

Fountain in Brindavan Garden

Musical fountain in Brindavan Garden




Ticket for each person is Rs. 50/-
With this our pleasure trip came to an end and we headed back to Bangalore.

Disclaimer: We went for this trip in July’2009. There are chances that price and timings has got changed. Please check with cabs service providers or travel agents about current timings and rates.
I have tried to provide as much as details is possible for the trip. For any further clarification please feel free to contact me @ dutshilpi@gmail.com.