India Guide
Bihar and Jharkhand
BIHAR occupies the flat eastern Ganges basin, south of Nepal, between Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. To its south, JHARKHAND, occupying the hilly Chotanagpur plateau north of Orissa, was hewn out of Bihar in 2000, following agitation by its tribal majority. This attempt by the government to arrest the spread of what the author William Dalrymple has called the "Bihar disease" continues to flounder, however, as both states remain seriously troubled by poverty, a lack of infrastructure, inter-caste violence, corruption and general lawlessness.
The region's plight is all the more tragic considering its proud history. It was at Bodhgaya in the sixth century that Prince Gautama settled under a bodhi tree and attained enlightenment, following a quest for truth that saw him wandering the kingdoms of the Ganges, including Vaishali and Rajgir. Today, the region's Buddhist sites draw pilgrims from across the world. As well as being the first centre of Buddhism in north India, Bihar was also its last bastion; NalandaUniversity is a poignant reminder of the extent of the faith. During the sixth century BC, this was the heartland of the Magadhas, whose king Bimbisara was converted by the Buddha at his capital of Rajagriha (now Rajgir). Around 321 BC, shortly after the Magadhas shifted their capital to Patna, they were overthrown by the dynamic Chandragupta Maurya. The advent of the next major dynasty, the Guptas, around the fourth century AD, marked the return of Hinduism. Even after the Muslim Sultanate swept the region at the end of the twelfth century, and the Mughals came to rule northern India from Delhi three hundred years later, the Buddhist centre of Bodhgaya continued to thrive.
Although the ordinary visitor is usually unaffected by Bihar's frequent kidnappings, murders and acts of banditry, Buddhist pilgrims and tourists have on occasion been robbed and few travellers spend much time here. This is a great shame, because the region is refreshingly off the tourist trail and has a fascinating mix of religious history. Check the safety situation with your foreign office and the local press ( 
www.patnadaily.com and www.bihartimes.com ) before travel.
Highlights
1 The Mahabodhi Temple A cutting from the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment is the focal point of Bodhgaya's renowned temple.