INDIA PERSPECTIVES APRIL 2002 5

INDIA PERSPECTIVES APRIL 2002 6

One of those dexterous superlativesthat light up a whole spectrum ofancient history and stimulates theimagination...

It is exciting and thrilling tostand at a place wherethousands of years ago other people

lived and whose spiritual insightsinformed the tradition of which we arenow a part. One such spot is Rajagriha ormodern day Rajgir. Imagine LordBuddha on his first alms beggingmission while staying in a cave on theRajagriha hills. Bypass your imaginationto the hill of vultures - Gridhrakuta, thesite where Lord Buddha returned afterhis enlightenment to deliver his sermonsand converted the powerful MagadhanKing, Bimbisara, into the Buddhistorder.

Empathize with Fahein, the Chinesescholar who ventured to this site 900years later and wept bitterly that he hadnot been fortunate enough to listen tothe sermons of Lord Buddha deliveredhere. Conjure an intoxicated elephant letloose by Devadutta to kill Lord Buddha,the next sequence on these hills of Rajgirmay be the big boulder rolled downfrom the cliff to crush him. Theelephant, no doubt, was subdued andthe boulder broke into splinters. Andfinally it was from Rajgir that LordBuddha set out on his last journey. Letyour imagination attend the firstBuddhist Council held in the Saptaparnicave, the oldest in Rajgir, wherein theteachings of Buddha hitherto unwrittenwere penned down after his death.

RAJGIRCONFLUENCE OFBUDDHISM &JAINISMText & Phogographs:SHAHID AKHTER MAKHFI

Ruins of Jivaka�s mango grove.

INDIA PERSPECTIVES APRIL 2002 7

The story of Rajgir is not just Buddha�slove for Rajgir and the events of his lifethat took place here; the place is equallyrevered by the Jains. Out of the 32 yearsof his missionary life, Mahavira spent 14rain retreats in these surroundings. Itwas here on the Vipulachala hill thatMahavira delivered his first sermon. The72-feet high Samvasran templecommemorates this sacred event. Of theeleven ganadharas or chief disciples ofMahavira, everyone is said to have diedon the top of one or the other of theRajagriha hills. Asoka (474-37 B.C.) toois believed to have died on one of thesehills and his stupa can be seen here.A still earlier stupa has been identified asthat of Ajatasatru(497-459 B.C.)

A good deal of history finds shelter inthe lush green forests and hills ofRajagriha - the capital of the mighty

Magadhan empire in the fourth centuryB.C. (also construed as the first recordedcapital in Indian history). Prior to theadvent of Buddhism, Rajagriha wasknown as Girivaraja and Kusagarapurawhich implies an abundance of tallscented grass. Ramayan and Mahabharatfrequently refer to this place and depict itas full of wealth and water. It has beendepicted as a beautiful capital with treesstanding everywhere on the hill andpeaks which make it impregnable. Thecheerful inhabitants are given toperennial festivities.

The pride, power and prowess of pre-historic kings of Magadha likeBrahadratha, Dirga, Jarasandha,Meghasandhi, etc was an established fact.In those days issues were settled by thewrestling duels between kings andwarriors. Meghasandhi is believed tohave attacked Arjuna while a duel on the

Above: Ajatsatru Stupa.Facing page: Maniyar Math.

INDIA PERSPECTIVES APRIL 2002 8

advice of Krishna was fought betweenBhim and Jarasandha. Krishna isbelieved to have left for Dwarka whenMathura was repeatedly raided byJarasandha.In the words of Harivamsa, �The highlypowerful, effulgent and persevering LordParamount Jarasandha came to Mathuraencircled by four-fold ocean like forces,consisting of war chariots, containingbeautiful seats and drawn by powerfulsteeds, whose course is never obstructedanywhere, cloud like elephantsembellished with bells and golden seats,ridden by car warriors well read in thescience of war and driven by clevercharioteers, horses going by leaps andbounds, driven by horsemen andresembling clouds and numberless footsoldiers armed with swords and coats ofmail, who could bound up in the sky likeserpents.�

The reigns of Bimbisara and his sonAjatsatru saw Rajagriha attain the zenithof its prosperity. The main interest ofthis period lies in the close association ofboth kings with the lives of GautamBuddha and Vardhamana Mahavira.Within the ruins of the cyclopean wallsof Rajgriha there are visible landmarks oftumultuous times, when empiresflourished and disappeared. Until thediscovery of Mohenjodaro and Harappa,this wall was deemed to be the oldestarchitectural remains of India. The 12 feethigh and 18 feet thick wall consists ofundressed stones that are so well piledup that they still hold together at variousplaces.

The name Rajagriha (royal city) stemsfrom the town where king Bimbisarabanished himself as punishment for theoutbreak of fire in the palace. In order toprevent the occurrences of fire in the city

the king had passed a law to punish theguilty person. Unfortunately the kinghimself was the first victim, so he left thekingdom under the care of his son.Finding the king alone, the neighbouringenemies thought of vanquishing him.However, people surrounded the kingand gradually the city of Rajagriha sprangup which was possibly a burial groundearlier for the people of the old town.The new city sprang up with all housesresembling the royal palace and itprospered until the last days of Buddhawhen the capital was shifted toPatliputra.

A visitor to Rajgir first encounters thelong stretch of dry stone wall that criss-crosses the road at various points.Originally the 40 km stretch of thecyclopean wall encircling Rajgir had 32large gates and 64 posterns. However,

INDIA PERSPECTIVES APRIL 2002 9

only one such gateway in the North hassurvived the ravages of time. At regularintervals, the defensive wall wasstrengthened with bastions and watchtowers while rivers and canals took careof the entire surroundings. Once the citygates were closed in the evening, no one,not even the king could gain entry intothe city. High stone walled area in the

west was possibly the king�s palace whilethe dwelling of common people centeredin the eastern fringe, as is evident fromthe mud walls.

The Jain and Buddhist literature describeRajgir as a populous and prosperous citywhich was abundantly beautiful.Ananda, a disciple of Buddha, considers

Walls that protected the Rajgir city.

INDIA PERSPECTIVES APRIL 2002 10

this place good enough for his master toattain mahaparinirvana here. Theseliteratures are replete with references tonumerous sites associated with the livesof these two great men. The concept ofmonastic institutions was laid at Rajgirwhich later developed into magnificentacademic and religious centres, producinglearned and well disciplined monks.

Amongst the various spots aroundRajagriha, the most sacred are theVenuvana and the Gridhrakuta as devoutBuddhists can be seen prostrating atthese places in particular. Venuvana or theforest of bamboos was the royal parkgifted to Buddha in order to make iteasier for his devotees to visit him. Itstarted with king Bimbisara, who wasfirst attracted by the dignified and highborn demeanor of Buddha, much beforehis enlightenment when he waswandering through Rajgir in search of anideal teacher. The king lured thewandering prince with wealth andterritory but when the future Buddharefused, he was requested to visit theking after his enlightenment. Bimbisarawas impressed by the Buddhist doctrineand accepted the Buddhist faith. He wasequally enlightened by the Jain schooland it is not surprising to hear aboutMahavira�s claim about the conversion ofBimbisara to Jainism. Mahavira is furtherbelieved to have brought 23 sons and 13queens of Bimbisara into the Jaina fold.Today the new Venuvana Vihar isidentified by the site of a stupa built byAjatsatru to enshrine the relics ofBuddha.

A little further up the Vaibhara hill is thePipali cave, well known in the Paliliterature. It is named because of thesacred pipal tree at the entrance of thecave that was occasionally used byBuddha for meditation after his middaymeal. If one manages to climb the hill,one is rewarded with a view ofmulticolour crops and variegated patchesof cornfield. Buddha never missedpassing through such scenic beautieswithout comments, and is believed tohave called his companion Ananda toenjoy this particular panorama from theVaibhara hill top, an area now crowdedwith Jain temples.

Following the foot track on this hill onereaches the Jarasandha ki Baithak.Historians consider it to be a militaryoutpost with cells that served as living

quarters for the picket. Anotherinteresting spot associated withJarasandha is the Ranbhumi or Jarasandhaka Akhada. It marks the legendarywrestling arena that witnessed themonth-long duel between Jarasandhaand Bhima, who had entered Rajgiralong with Lord Krishna and Arjun isdisguise. The soil of the Ranbhumi wasonce soft and white. It has nowexhausted as wrestling enthusiasts carryaway a good quantity of it. Two parallelcuts on the rock stretching for about 30feet are believed to be the prints leftbehind by the chariot of Krishna.

Other points of interest include theManiyar Math, a cylindrical brick shrinededicated to the worship of the presidingdeity of Rajagriha - Mani Naga. Naga(snake) worship was a distinctive featureof non-Vedic religion and Rajgir was agreat centre of pilgrimage. People ofMagadha regarded Nagas as generousdeities who, they believed, could bringrains if properly appeased by worship.Excavations have brought to light largegroups of multi spouted jars, the spoutsof which having the form of serpenthood. Possibly these were used foroffering milk to the snakes.

Amravana or Jivaka�s mango gardenmarks the site of the dispensary of theroyal physician, Jivaka, who happened todress the wounds of Buddha here whenhe was injured by his unfriendly cousin,Devdutta. Jivaka converted this site intoa Vihara and gifted it to the Buddhistorder. It was amidst this thicket ofAmravana that Buddha dwelt for sometime and King Ajatsatru came to himseeking spiritual guidance. Swarna Bhandaris an interesting cave where the guide willconvince you that it still contains thewealth hidden by Bimbisara. He pointsto the marks left behind by the Britishcanons when they tried to explode thecave to retrieve the gold. Thesurrounding shell script can�t bedeciphered and hence the treasureremains inside. Only the recitation of the

INDIA PERSPECTIVES APRIL 2002 11

mantra can open the cave leading to thefabulous Magadhan treasury!

Topada in the epic Mahabharata refers tothe hot water springs of Rajagriha.Legend ascribes it to the tapah(austerities) of Brahma.In Buddhist literature the main river ofRajagriha is called Tapoda, the waters ofwhich were diverted to form a lake forthe king. Today Rajgir is noted for itsnumeroushot water springs at the base of VibharaHill, attracting not only the pilgrims andtourists but the sick and the infirm aswell. There are separate bathing cells formen and women. The hottest of thesprings is the Brahmakundi where thewater gushes at 45 degrees centigrade.Guru Nanak is believed to have bathedin one of these springs during hissojourn at this place.

Buddha spent much of his life in thecaves of his favourite Gridhrakuta hill.Here he gave audience to one and all. Itwas from this site that he delivered hismessage of peace to the world andexpounded the famous SaddharmaPundarika Sutra, which refers to the everpresence of Buddha on the hills ofGridhrakuta. Buddhist pilgrims spend

their days and nights in religious vigilsburning lamps in these caves. Theoriginal road leading to the cave was builtby King Bimbisara to facilitate thepilgrims� visit. Two small stupas oncestood on the roadside which marked thespots wherefrom the king began to walkon foot and the other stupa demarcatesthe point where the king dismissed hisretinue in order to be alone with theLord. King Bimbisara was unfortunateto be imprisoned by his impatient sonAjatsatru but his request for a celloffering a view of Buddha on theGridhrakuta hill was granted. Much laterMahendra (Asoka�s brother) built hishermitage on this hill. The remnants ofthis prison can be identified by the ironrings on the floor that were discoveredduring the initial excavation.

Adjacent to Gridhakuta hill is theRatnagiri hill humming with touristsplying on the aerial ropeway leading tothe 160 feet high Vishva Shanti Stupabuilt by the Buddha Sangha of Japan. A2200 feet aerial ropeway carries thetourists to the hill top where the stupa isall alive with the chantings of na-mu-myo-h-nga-kyo amidst the beating of bigdrums.u

Above: Swetambra Jain Temple at Rajgir.Right: Tonga � the popular local transport.

INDIA PERSPECTIVES APRIL 2002 12

Around RajgirNalanda, 15 kms, should be the firstchoice for the visitor to see theancient monastery.

Gaya, 68 kms, is the famous pilgrimcentre for the Hindus where theyoffer oblations for the salvation oftheir dead ancestors. Twelve kmsfurther south is Bodh Gaya, therallying point for the Buddhistsfrom all over the world.

Pawapuri, 38 kms is a sinless town,sacred to the Jains. Lord Mahaviraattained nirvana here. The site iscommemorated with a beautifulmarble temple, Jalmandir, setamidst a lotus pond which was theoutcome of the sacred ash and laterthe mud being carried away in greatquantity by the pilgrims.

Bihar Sherif, 25 kms is venerated bythe Muslims on account of thetombs of sufi saints. Prominentamong them is Makhdum ShahSharfuddin dating back to the 14thcentury. It was once the capital ofthe Muslim governors of Biharbetween 13 -16 centuries when thecity was an active cultural centre andseat of Muslim thought andlearning. The earliest among thegraves is that of Malik Ibrahim Bayuperched on the hill-top ofPir Pahar. He was the first localgovernor of the Delhi sultanate whodied in 1353. The dome is curiouslyelongated and stands as one of theearliest examples of Muslim domesin this part of the country.

The author is a noted travel writer.

The Shanti Stupa (above) and the image ofLord Buddha on its outer wall (right).