Rajgir (Ancient Rajagriha)
Rajgir, Bihar, India
The first Magadhan capital in a bowl of five hills — cyclopean walls, the Buddha's Griddhakuta peak, hot springs, Jain temples and Jarasandha's akhara of legend.
Why visit: A whole ancient world in one hill-ringed valley.
History: Capital before Pataliputra; a great centre of Buddhism and Jainism, ringed by the oldest fort walls in India.
- ›Griddhakuta peak
- ›Cyclopean walls
- ›Brahmakund hot springs
- ›Bimbisara's jail
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Best time
Oct–Mar
Entry fee
Site fees vary
Est. budget
₹500–1,500
Duration
1–2 days
Nearby attractions
Rajgir Hot Springs (Brahmakund)
Rajgir, Bihar
Sacred sulphur springs bubbling from Vaibhava hill into a warren of kunds and temples — a bathing pilgrimage since the Buddha's day.
Son Bhandar Caves, Rajgir
Rajgir, Bihar
Rock-cut Jain caves at Vaibhava hill's foot — the legendary 'treasury of gold' behind an undeciphered inscription, with polished chambers and a Shankha script.

Cyclopean Wall & Bimbisara's Jail, Rajgir
Rajgir, Bihar
The 40-km ring of undressed stone that walled ancient Rajagriha, and the stone-walled enclosure where King Ajatashatru is said to have imprisoned his father Bimbisara.

Rajgir Nature Safari & Glass Bridge
Rajgir, Bihar
A hillside zoo-safari and eco-park with Bihar's first glass skywalk over a ravine — zip-lines, suspension bridges and Nalanda-hills adventure.

Vishwa Shanti Stupa & Ropeway, Rajgir
Rajgir, Bihar
A gleaming white Japanese-built Peace Pagoda on Ratnagiri hill — four golden Buddhas and hill-and-valley panoramas, reached by Bihar's first chairlift ropeway.
Ghora Katora Lake, Rajgir
Rajgir, Bihar
A hill-ringed lake in the Rajgir valley with a giant 70-ft Buddha rising from the water — reached by eco-friendly horse-cart or pedal boat, no motors allowed.

Jethian–Rajgir Buddha Walk
Rajgir, Bihar
A pilgrim trek through the Jethian valley on the ancient path the Buddha walked from Rajgir to Nalanda — forested hills, villages and an annual Dharma Walk.

Nava Nalanda Mahavihara & Silao (Khaja)
Nalanda, Bihar
The modern Pali-Buddhist deemed university reviving Nalanda's learning, and nearby Silao — famed across Bihar for its flaky, layered khaja sweet.
Nalanda Multimedia Museum & Glory of Nalanda
Nalanda, Bihar
A 3-D animation museum bringing the rise and fall of the great university to life, beside the Hiuen Tsang memorial and Nalanda's lotus gardens.
Nalanda University Ruins
Nalanda, Bihar
The red-brick bones of the ancient world's greatest university — monasteries, stupas and lecture halls where 10,000 monks from across Asia once studied logic, medicine and the stars, until the libraries burned in 1193. A UNESCO site radiating quiet grandeur.

Nalanda Archaeological Museum & Xuanzang Memorial
Nalanda, Bihar
The museum of Nalanda's finds — bronze and stucco Buddhas, seals and manuscripts — beside the memorial hall to the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang who studied here.
Nalanda Sarai Mound & Surajpur Baragaon
Nalanda, Bihar
The Surya temple and great tank of Baragaon beside the Nalanda ruins — a living Chhath-and-Surya pilgrimage on an ancient mound.