Buddhist Remains of Bihar

Buddhism became the first world religion by proving its ability to cross ethnic boundaries and speak importantly to multiple civilizations. It tells us that our destiny and final cause is a condition, nirvana that exceeds all telling but is completely fulfilling. Even though Ancient Bihar is not the birthplace of Buddha, it is closely associated with the rise and development of Buddhism. It was the training ground of Gautama Buddha after he became a wondering ascetic, and it was here in Bodh Gaya that he attained supreme spiritual knowledge. His missionary activity was largely carried in Bihar. Rajgriha and Vaisali were his favourite places of residence or monsoon resorts. It was in Bihar again that first three great council of Buddhist were held at Rajgriha, Vaishali and Patliputra respectively which fixed the Buddhist canon and gave a definite shape to that religion. The present book takes into account only the Buddhist Shrines. These shrines have been together with the basic information about their respective highlights as the monuments of Buddhism. Besides text, a number of photographs, plans and maps have been added to make the work as illustrative as possible.