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District - Jehanabad
Commissionery - Magadh
Headquarter - Jehanabad
Sub-Division - Jehanabad
Population - 9,24,777 (10 Lacs)
Area - 1,569 Sq. Km
Sea Level - 113 Meter
Temperature -
Summer: 46°C - 18°C
Winter: 20°C– 4°C
Rainfall - 186 cm.
Best Season - November – Febraury
Road Route - 61 km. from Patna
Rail Route - Nearest Railway Station –
Jehanabad/ Bela Staton (On the route of Patna-Gaya Line).
Air Route - Main Airport – Patna.
Nearest Airport – Gaya.
Main Spots of tourist Interest
- Satgharva
- Barabar Caves
- Nagaragunja Caves
- Natural Spring & Pond, Patalganga
- The Another Image of Lord Buddha, Banvaria,
Near Barabar
- Lat Pillars & Mounds, at Lat village
Histrocial Importance
Jahanabad district lies in the West Bihar
as a place of ancient historical importance located very near
to capital patna. Caves are found on the hills of Mirabigha
& Nagarjuna hills of the Maurya dynasty period from 3BC-2BC
Era, View of this caves look as new as earlier in maurya times.
Facts shows that this beautiful caves are from Ashoka dynasty
period. Caves on hills of Mirabigha & Nagarjuna are only
caves found in quantity so far . If this place is developed
& explored can attract tourist nationally & Internationally.
Places of Tourist Interests
1. The Satgharva (A Group of Seven
Caves), Barabar
Satgharva the Rock-cut Caves are the glory of Barabar. Four
of these caves are in the Barabar Hills and rest three in
the adjacent Nagarjun hills. The caves in Barabar Hills are
also popularly known as 'Satgharva'. The ancient caves, cut
in a single granite rock, about 500ft. long finds mention
in the 'Mahabharata' as 'Gorathagiri'. The caves belong to
the Mauryan Period and are an indication of the architectural
superiority of that age.
(a) Barabar Caves
Situated about 38 k.m. to south of the city Jehanabad, 45
k.m. to north of the city Gaya and connected by motorable
road, there are a group of hills with distinct peaks. The
most conspicuous are the peak known as murli, Sandhayagiri,
Suryankgiri, Kauva dol, Nagarjun etc.
The history of the Mauryas would not be complete without a
reference to Barabar and Nagarjun Hill, where we find imprints
of their benevolent activities. Barabar caves is an important
archaeological site. The caves carved out from solid rocks
bear details of the life of Buddha.
(i) The Karan Chupar
Cave, Barabar
Location: 32 km. from Jehanabad
district headquarter, 61km. from Patna. Karan Chaupar Cave
- In four caves at Barabar, one facing north is known as Karan
Chaupar.
Importance: It consist of a
single chamber 33.6 feet x 14 feet with a vaulted roof 6.12
feet high at sides and 10 feet high in centre. Inside the
chamber at the western end is a low platform which may have
served as a pedestal for a statue or the preach.
A damaged inscription of 5 lines of the 19th regnal year of
Ashoka (i.e. 245 BC.) referring to the name of the cave as
Supiya Cave and the Hills as Khalatika.
(ii) Sudama Cave
Location: 32 kms from Jehanabad
district headquarter, at Barabar, On the other side of Barabar
caves, in the
south. In four caves in Barabar Hills.
Importance: King Ashoka had
built ‘Sudama cave’ in 252 BC, in the 12th year
of his reign. Ashoka gave this worship place to Ajivikas,
Buddhist saints. Sudama cave is the oldest one in Barabar
Mountain, It consisting of two chambers. Outer champer in
square-shaped, unpolished, flat-roof & 32.3 feet long
and 19.7 feet wide. Inner chamber in circular, polished &
19.8 feet long & 19.4 feet wide. In the outer chamber,
on the sight side inner wall - there is a structure of doorway.
There is a faith that this the door of 3rd chamber.
This cave is similar as "Lomas Rishi Cave". At the
doorday there is an Ashokan inscription in ancient pali language.
An inscription on the eastern wall of the entrance recess
refers to excavation of the cave in the 12th regnal year of
Ashoka (i.e. 252 B.C.) for the Ajivikas mentioning the name
of the cave as Nigoha-Kubha or "Banayan tree Cave".
(iii) The Lomas Rishi
Cave, Barabar
Location: 32 km. from Jehanabad
district headquarter, 61km. from Patna. Karan Chaupar Cave
- In four caves at Barabar Hills.
Importance: Lomas Rishi Cave
in Barabar Hills (Gorathagiri of Maabharatam). An unfinished
cave, consisting of two chambers. The date is controversial,
due to epigraph in Gupta characters. But, the polish on straight
walls, of the semi-circular chamber at the back is possibly
conclusive, that it was excavated in Late Mauryan, if not
in, Mauryan times. The doorway is similar to ‘Sudama
cave’ imitating an ornate arched entrance of wooden
building.
In the semi-circular space above the door are two inscriptions
of Later Gupta period (7th - 8th centuries A.D.) both referring
to kings Sarddulvarman and his son Anantvarman of the Maukhari
dynasty.
(iv) The Visva Zopri
Cave, Barabar
Location: 32 km. from Jehanabad
district headquarter, 61km. from Patna. Karan Chaupar Cave
- In four caves at Barabar Hills.
Importance: Visva Zopari Cave
is excavated on a large boulder of granite. It faces south
and consist of an outer apartment 14 feet x 8.4 feet bearing
high polish on its walls and flat roof. Inner circular room
11 feet in diameter without the polish and perhaps left unfinished.
An inscription recording it's excavation in 12th regnal year
of Ashoka (i.e. 252 B.C.) for the Ajivkas and refering to
the name of the Hill as Khalatika.
There is inscription in Pali languages on the doorway of cave.
(b) The Nagarjun
Caves, Barabar
There are three rock-cut caves in Nagarjun Hills i.e. gopi
cave, Vapi or Vahiyaka cave and Vadathika or Vedathika cave
popularly known as Nagarjun Caves which is on the name of
Acharya Nagarjun, the great Buddhist monk of Mahayan.
Many Inscriptions are found in these caves. The earliest of
them mentions the cave as Gopika-Kubha. While in the later
7th century inscription it is called as "the cave of
Vindhya-mountain" (Vindhya-bhudhara guha). Ruins of Buddhist
monastery is also found here.
(i) Gopi Cave
Location: 32 km. from Jehanabad
district headquarter, 61km. from Patna. In three caves in
Nagarjun Hills.
Importance: Gopi cave is the
longest cave in Barabar & Nagarjun Hills. This cave is
44.5 feet long, 19.2 feet wide & 50 feet high. Main Doorway
is cirular & with an inscription in Pali language. There
an inscription in Pali language on the doorway of cave.
On a suken panel over the doorway of Gopi Cave it is in four
lines and records its excavation by the king Dasarath, grandson
of King Ashoka, on his accession to the throne (i.e. in 214
B.C.) for Agivikas, Buddhist ascentics etc.
(ii) Bahayak Cave
 Location:
32 km. from Jehanabad district headquarter, 61km. from Patna.
In three caves in Nagarjun Hills.
Importance : The grandson of King Ashoka, 'Dashrath' had built
this cave also. Bahayak cave is smaller cave also known as
'Bappi Cave'. This cave is 16.10 feet long, 11.2 feet wide
& 7.5 feet high. There an inscription in Pali language
on the doorway of cave.
(iii) Vaidantik Cave
Location: 32 km. from Jehanabad
district headquarter, 61km. from Patna. In three caves in
Nagarjun Hills.
Importance: The grandson of
King Ashoka ‘Dashrath’ has built this cave also.
According to 'canningham' - Bahayak cave & vaidantic cave
are ancient Buddha Vihar.Vaidantic cave is 16.9 feet long,
11.2 feet wide & 7.8 feet high. There is also incription
on the doorway.
2. Natural Spring-Patalganga,
Barabar
Location: At the southern foot
the hills, near the stone cut path way to the caves.
Importance: The holy tank ‘Patal Ganga’ which
has recently been renovated. According to cunninghum. "This
would be the same spring mentioned by Hieun Tsang as situated
towards north of Gaya.
3. The Another
Image of Lord Buddha, Banvaria (Near Barabar)
Location:
The another colossal image of Lord Buddha is recently found
near village Banwariya, about 3 k.m north-east to Nagarjuni
Hills on the other bank of river Falgu.
Importance: The another image
of Lord Buddha Laying still in an open field. The image is
comperetively larger than the image of Lord Buddha at Kauva
Dol Hills.
4. Lat Pillar
and Mounds, Lat Village
Location: A village on the north-east
direction about 12 km. (diagonaly) far from Barabar Hills
named Lat. On the other bank of Falgu River.
Importance: In the village named
lat there is an extraordinary monolith lies in open fields.
In consists of a granite column, measuring 53.1 feet long.
The capital and pedestal are quadrangular, the former is 86
inches long and 36 inches in diamerter; the base is 70 inches
long and 40 in diameter. The shaft has 16 plain sides and
38.5 inches above, the pedestal contracts its diameter suddenly
by about 3 inches. The sides are quite straight and well-cut,
but are not polished.
The pillar is lying horizontally, about half of its thickness
sunk into the earth and is placed in the midst of cultivated
plain without the smallest trace of old buildings or tanks
near it. In the pedestal and capital are two cavities like
those of a mortar used for beating rice, which are shown as
the marks made by the heads of two anonymus gods who brought
the pillar from Nepal. Local tradition asserts that it was
intended to be placed in the chandokhar tank at Dharawat 5
k.m. east of Barabar Hills. It entirely resembles the granite
of Barabar hills has probably been cut there and has been
carried so far on it way to Kundilpur. The existence of the
pillar at the site is undoubtedly a mystery. Still to be unfolded.
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