Bihar, the land of rivers -
With about 2000 rivers water sources flowing through the state it is rightly placed at a scenario to acclaim the river-state of India but with a difference. This special status of the state comes not only due to the number of streams flowing through the state which includes international as well as national rivers such as Ganga, Kosi, Gandak and Sone but due to the factual position that none of these rivers have there origin in the state.These are the rivers which saw the birth and decline of thousands of Empires and the rivers are now filled with the heavy silt-load of such stories.The state has become the playground of about 4000 rivers which slip down from the snow-capped Himalayas and its highest peaks like Mt. Everest. Nearly 220 billions cubic meteres of water run through Nepal throughout the Year. There are three major rivers in Nepal - Karnali, the longest one, Gandak and Kosi.We attempt here to enlist the historical as well as mythological sites of places on the bank of these rivers so that a river circuit can be developed along the river stream for the tourists.
River Gandak or Gandaki or Narayani-
........is the eastern -most river of Bihar taking the place of origin into account.Today Gandaki enters Bihar at the place called Bhainsalotan or Valmiki Nagar which is its new name and meets Ganga at Sonpur in the District of Chhapra opposite of Patna, the capital city of Bihar.In course of this enlistment I've deliberately left the entire stretch of its course falling in Nepal.There still would be left out a large no. of sites of equal importance due to the consideration of space and limitation of my little knowledge............
........is the eastern -most river of Bihar taking the place of origin into account.Today Gandaki enters Bihar at the place called Bhainsalotan or Valmiki Nagar which is its new name and meets Ganga at Sonpur in the District of Chhapra opposite of Patna, the capital city of Bihar.In course of this enlistment I've deliberately left the entire stretch of its course falling in Nepal.There still would be left out a large no. of sites of equal importance due to the consideration of space and limitation of my little knowledge............
1. Bhainsalotan -
Situated on the North-Eastern corner of Paschim Champaran District of Bihar was named such due to the availability of junglee Buffaloes but now renamed Valmiki Nagar.Here a Barrage has been made to tame the river and irrigate the barren lands by digging out irrigation canals.
2. Daru-Aabari -
Five kilometres south of Bhainsalotan the name of the place is identified with the synonyms Darbar Dwar or Door of the Fortified Courtyard and it is believed that there were 52 Garhs and 53 Markets in the ancient time and thus was also known as Bawangadhi(52 Forts ).The place has a lot to speak if archaeology supports in the area.
3. Bagaha -
On the bank of this river there exists three renouned historical places -Bagaha, Dombalia and Ratanmala where archaeological remains are still visible and needs to be excavated.Mr Chandrashekhardhar Sharma, a renouned specialist in treatment of diseases through GULAR and also wrote a book - Gular-Gun-Vikash on this method belonged to the village of Ratanmala.
4. Yogapatti - Mangalpur - Patjirwa --
Situated on the eastern Gandak Patjirwa has an old temple which was built by a popular Zamindar of this village named Durvijay Singh who died in a battle
Five kilometres south of Bhainsalotan the name of the place is identified with the synonyms Darbar Dwar or Door of the Fortified Courtyard and it is believed that there were 52 Garhs and 53 Markets in the ancient time and thus was also known as Bawangadhi(52 Forts ).The place has a lot to speak if archaeology supports in the area.
3. Bagaha -
On the bank of this river there exists three renouned historical places -Bagaha, Dombalia and Ratanmala where archaeological remains are still visible and needs to be excavated.Mr Chandrashekhardhar Sharma, a renouned specialist in treatment of diseases through GULAR and also wrote a book - Gular-Gun-Vikash on this method belonged to the village of Ratanmala.
4. Yogapatti - Mangalpur - Patjirwa --
Situated on the eastern Gandak Patjirwa has an old temple which was built by a popular Zamindar of this village named Durvijay Singh who died in a battle
and his wife committed Sati and the people of the village were so shocked that they vowed not to sleep on cot and live in house in his memory. But now such things are not followed.
5. Lauriya - Areraj -
A 36 1/2 foot Ashokan pillar stands as a testimony to the strong Buddhist presence along with a Shiva temple.
6. Sangrampur -
Situated on the east side of river Gandak and possesses a war - memorial of olden times and it is believed by the locals that Lav and Kush, the famous sons of Rama had a fight with their father Lord Rama at this place.
7. Dhekaha -
Situated on the east side of river Gandak. There is a Tilha of old kingdom in this village which may suggest that this may have been the political centre of Dhekaha Rajputs.
8. Kesaria -
Hsuen Tsang had visited this place situated along the Gandak River.Mahatma Buddha claimed to have taken birth here as Chakravarti King in memory of which Samrat Ashoka built a stupa. But a mythology persist in the minds of the local people that this place was associated with King Vena and the high mound on which stupa is situated was king's fort in the olden times and the place was known as Devara meaning Dev + Griha or Dev + Ghara.There is another high mound behind this which is said to be associated with the Queen's palace called Ranivas.It is also said that the latter mound was so high that one could watch the city of Patliputra.Even today the peak of this mound is 62 feet high.
9. Rajpur -
Two miles north-east to Kesaria where a famous battle was fought between the kings of Mithila and Jaunpur in which Jaunpur Army Commander Mr. Aslan was defeated and had to make forced retreat.
10. Rewa Ghat -
Situated on the bank of Gandak in the Revadih village of Saran District. The place falls in the major ancient route between South Bihar and Vaishali after crossing river Ganga. Vishwamitra along with Ram and Lakshman may have crossed the river Ganga at Dighwara and followed this route while going to Vaishali and further to Mithila without crossing Gandak as River Gandak flowed through the streams of Mahi river and met Ganga before Dighwara in those days.According to Valmiki's Ramayan the path followed by them from Vashali to Janakpur was Padmaul, Silaut, Vinda, Sarfuddinpur, Hasna, Katra, Gautamashram at Ahiyari, Bishul(3 kms from Kalyaneshwarstan and about 8 kms from Girjasthan,Fulhar) and finally to Janakpur (Hawaldar Tripathi Sahriday ).
11.Vaishali -
Its oldest name was Basadh and was situated on the bank of river Bishalya. It was the capital of Vajji Confederation which is supposed to be the oldest Republican state.In the close east of it at Kund Gram village the 24th Tirthanker of Jain, Mahavira is said to have taken birth. Bimbisar, the mighty Magadhan king married with the daughter of King Chetak of Vaishali from whom king Ajatshatru is said to have born. Later Chandragupta of Magadh Empire married Kumara Devi of Lichhavi King's daughter from whom the mighty king Samudragupta was born. Ambapali of Buddhist fame belonged to this town only.
12. Lalganj -
The place is associated with Sarai-Sindhia which is associated with Buddhist's 'Gishringa Salwan'. The place is also famous for the Hindi Hitaishi pustakalya (library )which is the biggest one in any rural area and was due to the effort of famous social leader Mr. Jaggan Nath Prasad Sahu who belonged to this village.
13.Bakunthpur-Dighwa-Dubauli - The place is situated in the District of Saran. In the village Dighwa Dubauli the Tmrapatra or copper plates of King Bhojdev's son and King of Benaras Raja Mahendra Pala was found which belongs to Vikram Samvat 1055.
14. Hajipur -
From Kotigram to Ashwapur and later to Hajipur the town has a long history and a rich geography.It is the town associated with Ananda, the closest disciple of Lord Buddha and said to have disappeared into the ball of flames in the middle of River Ganga to avoid disappointment and conflict between Ajatshatru from the south bank and people of Vaishali on the north bank.The town has architectural marvels in form of NEPALI MANDIR ,a shaivite temple of 18th century and a Jami Masjid of 15th century.There is a temple built over the mound which houses the ashes of Ananda called Ramchaura Mandir.
15. Sonpur -
On the west side of river Gandak the place is famous for the world famous Hariharashetra Mela (Fair ) and the one of the largest plateforms.
A 36 1/2 foot Ashokan pillar stands as a testimony to the strong Buddhist presence along with a Shiva temple.
6. Sangrampur -
Situated on the east side of river Gandak and possesses a war - memorial of olden times and it is believed by the locals that Lav and Kush, the famous sons of Rama had a fight with their father Lord Rama at this place.
7. Dhekaha -
Situated on the east side of river Gandak. There is a Tilha of old kingdom in this village which may suggest that this may have been the political centre of Dhekaha Rajputs.
8. Kesaria -
Hsuen Tsang had visited this place situated along the Gandak River.Mahatma Buddha claimed to have taken birth here as Chakravarti King in memory of which Samrat Ashoka built a stupa. But a mythology persist in the minds of the local people that this place was associated with King Vena and the high mound on which stupa is situated was king's fort in the olden times and the place was known as Devara meaning Dev + Griha or Dev + Ghara.There is another high mound behind this which is said to be associated with the Queen's palace called Ranivas.It is also said that the latter mound was so high that one could watch the city of Patliputra.Even today the peak of this mound is 62 feet high.
9. Rajpur -
Two miles north-east to Kesaria where a famous battle was fought between the kings of Mithila and Jaunpur in which Jaunpur Army Commander Mr. Aslan was defeated and had to make forced retreat.
10. Rewa Ghat -
Situated on the bank of Gandak in the Revadih village of Saran District. The place falls in the major ancient route between South Bihar and Vaishali after crossing river Ganga. Vishwamitra along with Ram and Lakshman may have crossed the river Ganga at Dighwara and followed this route while going to Vaishali and further to Mithila without crossing Gandak as River Gandak flowed through the streams of Mahi river and met Ganga before Dighwara in those days.According to Valmiki's Ramayan the path followed by them from Vashali to Janakpur was Padmaul, Silaut, Vinda, Sarfuddinpur, Hasna, Katra, Gautamashram at Ahiyari, Bishul(3 kms from Kalyaneshwarstan and about 8 kms from Girjasthan,Fulhar) and finally to Janakpur (Hawaldar Tripathi Sahriday ).
11.Vaishali -
Its oldest name was Basadh and was situated on the bank of river Bishalya. It was the capital of Vajji Confederation which is supposed to be the oldest Republican state.In the close east of it at Kund Gram village the 24th Tirthanker of Jain, Mahavira is said to have taken birth. Bimbisar, the mighty Magadhan king married with the daughter of King Chetak of Vaishali from whom king Ajatshatru is said to have born. Later Chandragupta of Magadh Empire married Kumara Devi of Lichhavi King's daughter from whom the mighty king Samudragupta was born. Ambapali of Buddhist fame belonged to this town only.
12. Lalganj -
The place is associated with Sarai-Sindhia which is associated with Buddhist's 'Gishringa Salwan'. The place is also famous for the Hindi Hitaishi pustakalya (library )which is the biggest one in any rural area and was due to the effort of famous social leader Mr. Jaggan Nath Prasad Sahu who belonged to this village.
13.Bakunthpur-Dighwa-Dubauli - The place is situated in the District of Saran. In the village Dighwa Dubauli the Tmrapatra or copper plates of King Bhojdev's son and King of Benaras Raja Mahendra Pala was found which belongs to Vikram Samvat 1055.
14. Hajipur -
From Kotigram to Ashwapur and later to Hajipur the town has a long history and a rich geography.It is the town associated with Ananda, the closest disciple of Lord Buddha and said to have disappeared into the ball of flames in the middle of River Ganga to avoid disappointment and conflict between Ajatshatru from the south bank and people of Vaishali on the north bank.The town has architectural marvels in form of NEPALI MANDIR ,a shaivite temple of 18th century and a Jami Masjid of 15th century.There is a temple built over the mound which houses the ashes of Ananda called Ramchaura Mandir.
15. Sonpur -
On the west side of river Gandak the place is famous for the world famous Hariharashetra Mela (Fair ) and the one of the largest plateforms.
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