Famous Hindu Temples in Bihar
Bihar or ancient Magadha, has been the cradle of Indian civilization and the centre of Indian culture and education. It was the land of “Ashoka The Great” and where the origins of “Buddhism took place”. Mahavira, the last Jain Tirthankara was born in the ancient kingdom of Vaishali and attained Moksha or Nirvana at Pawapuri (also known as the sinless city), 90 kilometers from Patna, the capital of Bihar. Bihar is a landlocked state that has borders with Nepal in the north, Uttar Pradesh on the west, Jharkhand on the south and West Bengal on the east. Although it’s the part of the Hindi speaking heartland of India, it nevertheless has several Hindi dialects such as Bhojpuri, Magadhi (Magahi), Angika, Maithili and Sarnami Hindustani. Interestingly it was this Magahi that was spoken during the reign of Ashoka.
Bihar is a great state and an attractive tourist destination. The state has given many leading religions to the world such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and, to a certain extent, Sikhism.
Besides, the world famous books Arthshashtra and Kamasutra were written here which till date remain the best books in their categories. Many renowned writers and poets such as Ramdhari Singh ‘Dinkar’, Phanishwar Nath Renu, Baba Nagarjun and Vidyapati are from Bihar. Among the modern writers of world fame, Upamanyu Chatterjee is from Bihar. Bihar is also the place where the biggest cattle fair of the world (Sonepur Fair) is held annually.
Below mentioned are the famous hindu temples to visit in Bihar.
Mandar Hill Temple
Prapitaamaheshwara Temple
Thawe Durga Temple
Vaidhyanath Temple
Vishnupaada Temple
Radhe Shyam Temple
Ratktakali Temples
Shri Ram Temple
Sun Temple at Nalanda
Brahmeshwarnath Temple
Bushanath Temple
Parapar Hill Temple
Bhutan Temple
Biharji Temple
Chaturbhuj Sthan Temple
Badi Patan Devi Temple
Bawan Pokhar Temple
Ajgaibinath Temple
Ananyadevi Temple
Jagdish Temple
Mandar Hill Temple:
Mandar Hill Temple in Bihar is situated about 30 miles south in Bhagalpur town. It is believed that Lord Vishnu had defeated a demon when the battle lasted for more than a thousand years. Mandar Hill Temple is a holy place related to the salvation of 12th Teerthankar Vasupoojya Swami.
Prapitaamaheshwara Temple:
Prapitaamaheshwara temple in Bihar is located in Gaya District enshrines lord Shiva. Prapitaamaheshwara temple belongs to 11th century and is famous for offerings to dead relatives. The Prapitaamaheshwara temple is adjacent to Bhramayoni and Vasmakuta the two sacred hills in Bihar. The Prapitaamaheshwara temple is built with black basalt facing to the east.
Vishnupaada Temple:
The Vishnupaada Temple in Bihar enshrines Lord Vishnu. It is believed that the foot print on rock called as Dharmasila is lord Vishnu’s. This Vishnupaada Temple was built by queen of Indore Rani in 1783. The construction of Vishnupaada Temple constitutes large gray granite blocks jointed with iron clamps.
Durga Mandir:
Bihar state has very famous Durga Mandir located at Bettiah, in West Champaran District. The Durga Mandir is dedicated to Goddess Durga. In this Durga temple Durga Puja is held in remembrance of the victory of goddess over demon Mahishasura and is celebrated with great happiness.
Shri Ram Temple:
Shri Ram temple in Bihar is the most famous religious place in India located at Sahu Pokhar in Muzaffarpur. This Shri Ram temple has the status as one of Navratna temples in Bihar. As the name depicts Shri Ram temple enshrines Lord Rama an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. This temple is taken care by Sahu family even for today.
Bawan Pokhar Temple:
Bihar temple constitutes Bawan Pokhar Temple located on the northern banks of Bawan Pokhar Tank in Vaishali. The Bawan Pokhar Temple enshrines with several deities with an array of basalt black images. This Bawan Pokhar Temple was built during Pallava period. There is a four headed Shivling made of black basalt was excavated from here.
Jalmandir or Water fall Temple:
Water fall temple also called as Jalmandir in Bihar built with a beautiful white marble situated in the middle of a tank with lotuses in Pawapuri at Patna District. Jalmandir enshrines lord Mahavir who was the last 24th Tirthankar of the Jain religion. Water fall temple has 40 ft long bridge inside the tank to reach this temple.
Hariharnath Temple:
Hariharnath temple in Bihar is situated at Sonepur in Saran district.In this Hariharnath temple day of the Kartik Purnima is celebrated very well with millions of devotees who attend this place to worship accompanied with meals to devotees which run for a month or even more.
Harikatora Temple:
The Harikatora Temple is situated in Vaishali in Bihar state built during Gupta period. The Harikatora Temple enshrines lord Kartikeya in a sitting posture on his vahana bird peacock.
Vishnupad Temple
Vishnupad Temple is located on the banks of Falgu river. It is believed that the temple has been built on the footprints of Lord Vishnu and that is why it has been named Vishnupad. A 40 cm long foot print of Lord Vishnu can be seen inside the temple imprinted on rock surrounded by silver plated basin. The temple was constructed by Queen Ahilya Bai in 1787 and is a must visit for those travelling Gaya.
Bodh Gaya
Bodh Gaya is one of the four most important Buddhist places in the world (perhaps the most important) and a leading pilgrimage centre. Much famous for the 2500 years old Mahabodhi Temple–a UNESCO World Heritage Site–Bodh Gaya also has the famous Bodhi Tree under which Lord Buddha is believed to have got enlightenment that eventually shaped the destiny of the country, and, to a certain extent, the world. Bodh Gaya also has several beautiful Buddhist temples built by some foreign nations such as Sri Lanka, Japan, and Thailand which much attract the religiously inclined visitors.
Nalanda
Nalanda–yet another renowned tourist place of Bihar with a great past–was a world famous centre of Buddhist learning in the distant past. Presently, it has impressive ruins of the 5th century B.C. Nalanda University which in the distant past had attracted students from all over the world.
Rajgir
Rajgir, another key tourist spot of Bihar, was the ancient capital of the Magadha Empire. One of the famous pilgrimage centres of the state, Rajgir is equally revered by the Buddhists and the Jains as both Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavira had given the place much importance during their life time. In fact, Lord Mahavira died near Rajgir, at a place called Pawapuri.
Vaishali
Vaishali–yet another prominent tourist spot of Bihar–has the distinction of being one of the earliest republics in the world. It is also the place where the founder of Jainism, Lord Mahavira, was born. The place is much revered by the Buddhists also as Lord Buddha–the founder of Buddhism–had delivered his last sermon here.