I forgot to mention a slight scare that we had on day-1. On our return journey, the horse pulling our tonga went crazy, slided down from the main road to the side-land and had it not been for my friends, I would have been badly injured (they balanced the tonga at the right moment and shouted me to jump down (I was still sitting alone on the tonga, quite stupidly). We wanted to see Son Bhandar on Day-1 but our tonga-puller told us that the place is beyond the reach of visitors at present and jawans guarding it would shoot if someone disobeys the rule and goes near it. However, on day-2, we hired a different tonga in the morning and embarked on our journey to Venuvan. However, while chatting, we told this tonga-puller sadly that we regret not seeing Son Bhandar (also called Swarna Bhandar). To our surprise, he told that he could take us there and that there were no restrictions on people going there. We decided at that instant that it would be Son Bhandar first and then Venuvan, if time permits. (We had to return within an hour as we were supposed to leave for Nalanda).

The road to Son Bhandar had sudden crests and troughs and we felt lucky not to have come here the previous day (who knows, our crazy horse may have caused a few broken bones, if it decided to slip again). According to legend, King Jarashandh used the place to store his gold. There is a script written on a stone inside the cave (which has an entrance and a window) that is believed to be the password to open the door. This door would lead one to the stored gold (the script has not been deciphered yet). The outlines of the door are clearly visible and a black canon mark atop it is said to have been caused by the British who used canons to break it open but failed.

After seeing this place, we happily proceeded to Venuvan. It was originally a park having clusters of bamboo. King Bimbisara gave it to Lord Buddha for his stay. The park at present has a pond with plenty of fishes, a temple with a statue of Buddha and enclosures where deer and rabbits are kept. As we were getting late, we hurried back, thereby giving up on the idea of getting a closer look of Ajatashatru’s stupa enroute.

Once we returned, we checked our packed luggage once more (to make sure we weren't leaving anything behind) and then left Rajgir. Our next destination was one of the greatest seats of learning in ancient India, Nalanda, about 12 kms away. Almost 2,000 teachers and 10,000 students lived at Nalanda when the place was at its glorious best. Our guide told us that the royals of the ancient era took the entire responsibility of these people so that they could give their full concentration to studies, without bothering about petty things like accommodation and food. Such was the importance of vidya (studies) during that period. We spent about 3 hrs visiting the ruins of the university, monastery and student quarters. We also visited the Nalanda Archaeological Museum that's located just opposite the entrance to the ruins of Nalanda University. However, I feel that a few hours are not enough to see the vast stretch of the place and it's better to keep a full day for Nalanda, if not more. After our visit to Nalanda was over, we proceeded to Bodhgaya, checked into the hotel, had dinner and went to sleep.

(Please read part-2 before this, some blunder by me caused it to be published ahead of part-2)

Bodhgaya is famous for its Mahabodhi Temple which is at a walking distance from the central part of the city. However, as our hotel was a bit away from the center of the city, we decided to have a look at the temples and monasteries nearby before going to Mahabodhi Temple. There are numerous temples in Bodhgaya, mostly built in Pagoda style. We visited the Wat Thai Temple, Royal Bhutan Mandir, Indosan Nipponji Japanese Temple and several others (whose name I don't remember). We also visited the Great Buddha Statue, 80 feet in height. This Buddha Statue (Daibutsu in Japanese) was dedicated to Lord Buddha by Daijokyo. This huge statue took four years to be built and was completed on November 18, 1989.  The statistics are as follows:

The height of Lord Buddha: 64 feet

The height of the base: 10 feet

The height of the lotus: 6 feet

After all these, we finally arrived at the Mahabodhi Temple. As our visit collided with the Kajyu Monlam festival, the temple was beautifully decorated. We also saw many monks in bright red attire (including some very young boys who were probably new to the ranks of the monks), from various parts of India and abroad, staying at the place. We stayed there for almost 1.5 hours soaking the sight and the divine aura of the atmosphere. Finally, after having our lunch, we started for Gaya (from where we would board the train at night). However, we reached Gaya quite late in the evening due to some unforeseen circumstances and had to cancel our sightseeing at that place. So, our short tour was at its final stages and we bid adieu to the place (with a promise to myself that I would return once again, to cover what remained unseen and to revisit Nalanda a second time).

After an overnight journey via train (it took about 9hrs), we reached Bakhtiyarpur (on Delhi-Howrah main line) at 6.30 am on 22nd Dec. After some bargaining, two cars were hired to take us to Rajgir, 54 kilometers away. We checked in @ Triptee's Hotel that offers good rooms at budget rates. However, it's better to have your meals at the restaurants located nearby as this hotel's service is quite sloppy. Two Jain temples located at a walking distance from the hotel can be seen at your own convenience. One, a Jain Swetambar temple, has even a residential unit for the followers of the sect. The other one has a statue of Buddha in black marble and several ancient statuettes unearthed from excavations and fixed on the walls of a gallery (though the security is practically non-existent and I think adequate care should be taken to save these from being plundered).

After our check-in, we got fresh and then tongas were booked to take us to sightseeing. Our first stop was Maniyar Math. This place has a cylindrical shrine in whose interiors lies a statue of Goddess Manasa. A dark passage leads one to the edges, after which a deep hollow space is there, the deity lying on the other side of the wall (devotees offer their prayers and throw coins in on the earth beneath). Our guide told us that after making your wishes to the Goddess, while coming out, you have to step backwards facing the deity and you should not turn your back to her. There are three round-shaped wells of immense depth in the compound of Maniyar Math. Legend has it that whenever the kingdom was under threat, King Bimbisara performed yagna asking Goddess Manasa for her blessings. These three wells were filled with ghee, milk and incense to please the goddess. Once the goddess was pleased, she appeared and blessed the king, thereby giving him divine strength to defend his kingdom.

Our next stop was Viswa Shanti Stupa on Mount Ratnagiri (timings: 9 am-1 pm, 3-5 pm). The Japanese Nipponza Myohoji sect built this stupa. A chair car lift would take you to the top of the hill. However, while taking your seat on this chair car, you need to be alert as you have to sit in motion (the car doesn't stop). The same applies when you get down. Though attendants are there to help you, you may injure yourself if you are not careful. The Viswa Shanti Stupa is a massive structure in white marble that has four gold statues of Buddha in four different postures ' reminiscent of the birth, enlightenment, teachings and death of Buddha. The pagoda styled temple at this place is also worth a visit. We spent about 2 hours atop the hill, clicking merrily the scenic views, enjoying the natural beauty and wondering how this place would have looked ages ago.

After our descent, we had our lunch at the restaurant located at the entrance. On our way back, we stopped at the ruins of Bimbisar jail where king Ajatsastru kept his father, Bimbisara, under imprisonment. However, nothing more than a mere boundary of stones, about 2/2.5 feet high, exists at present at this site. Our next stop was the famous hot springs. It is believed that the “Saptarni Caves" are the source behind these hot springs. Though separate bathing places exist for men and women, the place is very ill maintained and dirty. It resembles more like a community bathing place where all and sundry come to bath and wash their clothes. I took the stairs down to the main kund called the Brahmakund where the temperature of water is around 45 degree centigrade. However, I just dipped a foot of mine and hurried back as the area was packed with men dressed in their bathing gears (I could only see the heads of these men on the surface of water but scarcely water itself!!!). Thus our first day excursion at Rajgir ended.

Photo: Maniyar Math (courtesy: Phalguni)