This is an 18th-century Jain temple situated close to Gulzarbagh railway station in Patna, a little further east of Agam Kuan / Shitala Devi temple. There is, however, another temple, much later in construction, situated close to it. This place has traditionally been associated with the birth of the renowned Jain teacher, Sthulabhadra. The high mound of the brick ruins that this temple overlies might suggest some greater antiquity of the site than this late medieval temple.

The temple contains a valuable inscription giving details of its construction. It was built in 1729 A.D. (Vikram Samvat 1848) by the congregation of the faithful of the Jain Order of Patliputra, and the temple was dedicated to Shri Sthulabhadra, the great Jain sage of yore. Significantly, this is the only historical inscription that confirms the identity of Patliputra with Patna.

Golghar is one of the most outstanding architectural members of British India. It, in a way, symbolizes the identity of Patna. It is built close to the Ganga in the Bankipur locality of Patna. Captain John Garstin, an engineer employed by the East India Company, has the credit of its conception and construction. It was built in the year 1786.

The purpose of this huge circular structure with an imposing dome was to store grains in huge quantity. The impetus of its construction was the famine of 1770. But perhaps it was never put to this noble purpose.

Though it was one of the important buildings built by a British engineer in British India, it has nothing Greco-Roman about it. On the contrary, it was inspired by the native Stupa architecture of the ancient Indian tradition. Raised on a 2' high plinth, the enormous dome, over a circular plan, rises well up to 96'. It creates a wonderful echo effect from inside. The walls, all brick-masoned, with a width of 12'-4", are no less impressive. Two spiralling stairways, rising from the opposing sides, reach the top, which has a small hole at the centre (2'-7"). The doors at the bottom of the dome are placed on all the four cardinal directions, which opened originally from within. Two inscriptions, one in English and the other in Persian rendering, are affixed adjacent to each other giving information about its construction.

About 4 miles west of Hajipur, on the confluence of the Ganga and the Gandak, is situated this unique Shaivite shrine. Made in the late medieval period (18th century) by one of the army commanders of Nepal, the temple brings in a fresh pagoda-style architecture of the Himalayan Kingdom to the plains of the Ganga. This temple is built largely of wood. Another distinctive feature of this temple is its fine wooden carving, which includes, among others, generous erotic scenes. Both in style and finish, largely drawn from the Himalayan world of architecture, Nepali Temple at Hajipur remains quite singular and inimitable.

Hajipur is situated at a distance of about 11 miles north of Patna, the capital of Bihar, on the eastern bank of the river Gandak. The town is known by the name of Hajipur as it was founded by a King of Bengal named Haji Ilyas Shah who ruled between 1345 to 1358 A.D. Inside the fort built by this king in Hajipur there is a mosque called Jami Masjid, a plain building measuring 84.5 ft. long and 33.5 ft. broad. The mosque is crowned by three domes, the central one being larger than the others. An inscription over its stone gateway records its erection in the year 1587 A.D. during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar by Makhsus Shah who, according to the Akbarnamah, was the brother of Said Khan, the governor of Bihar Sharif. The Jami Masjid of Hajipur is one of the most remarkable monuments belonging to the Mughal period.

Chirand is situated 10 km south-east of Chapra, the district headquarters of Saran district, and the same distance south off the Sonepur–Chapra road. The village with an extensive mound is situated on the northern bank of the Ganga, and the confluence of the Ganga and the Ghagra is just some distance away in the west near Revelganj. The Ganga also meets the Sone a few kilometres away from the site. 2½ km north of the site there is a dried-up bed, possibly a loop of the Gandaki. So, four rivers converge on or near the site. This must have provided it a very fertile soil for the development of pre-historic and historical cultures. It is very likely that in ancient times the confluence was actually at Chirand.

Carlyle in 1879–80 says that it was situated just at the junction of an old river channel (old bed of the Ghogra river) with the Ganges. The mound has been being cut by the Ganga since long, but the face of the mound overlooking the river shows jutting bricks of ancient times and potsherds. There is a mosque on the top of the mound, which was erected by Sultan Abul Muzaffar Hussain Shah of Bengal in A.D. 1503. The mosque contains remains of Hindu pilasters and shows parts of an earlier Hindu temple; its materials were used in the construction of the mosque.

Chirand has given a continuous cultural sequence beginning from the Neolithic to the Pala period. The discovery of the Neolithic culture in 1970 in the Ganga valley was very significant as till then no Neolithic strata was exposed in the course of archaeological excavations in northern India.

A luxuriant Chalcolithic culture with distinctive black-and-red ware was discovered. The cultural period has two phases: ‘A’ without iron but with copper, and ‘B’ with iron in the upper strata but without N.B.P. The total Chalcolithic deposit is 5.50 m thick. The earliest C14 date for Chalcolithic Chirand is 1600 B.C.

Period III starts with the emergence of the Northern Black Polished Ware (N.B.P.). Iron implements include sickles, axes, ploughshares, daggers, lances and knife-blades. A rare find is a terracotta mask (length 35 cm, breadth 32.5 cm) of a human figure on both faces — a female and a male — assigned to the Mauryan period.

Period IV (c. 100 B.C. to 30 A.D.) revealed structural remains of well-burnt bricks of both monastic and secular character. A Buddhist monastery built in blocks, each containing three cells with a verandah, was exposed. Five building stages are represented.

Kandaha is a small, obscure village situated about 8 miles west of Saharsa. Over a relatively moderate mound is situated this famous Sun temple. It was built in 1435 (Shaka Era 1357) by a devotee named Vamshadhara under the reign of the renowned ruler of Mithila, Narasimhadeva of the Karnata dynasty. A Sanskrit inscription installed on the door-frame of the temple records these facts. The image installed in the sanctum is huge but considerably defaced and fragmented. The door-jambs/frames, however, are uniquely well preserved. With rich, tasteful decoration of both floral creepers and divine beings, this frame represents the best of art and architecture that Mithila under the Karnata reign nurtured.

The ruined fort of Jalalgarh is situated 20 km north of Purnea and stands in what was once an island in the old channel of the river Koshi. According to one tradition the fort was built by Saiyid Muhammad Jalaluddin of the Khagra family, on whom Jehangir conferred the title of Raja; while another tradition says that Saif Khan, the Nawab of Purnea, built it in 1722. The former tradition would appear to be more authentic. The fort is a large quadrangular structure with lofty walls and was erected primarily to serve as a frontier post to protect the border against invasion from Nepal.

Kataragarh represents one of the finest relics of the fortified cities that came into being during the early historic period in Bihar. Extended over an area of about 70 bighas, Kataragarh falls in Muzaffarpur district and is situated about 18 miles east-north of the district headquarters. To its west flows the river Lakhandei which would have provided water to the agricultural needs of the hinterland and an outlet to the city’s inland water transport. The legend is that the city was built by some Raja Chand whom we cannot identify with any historical personality.

The site was excavated over five seasons from 1975–76 to 1979–80 under the supervision of Dr. Sita Ram Roy. The city was fortified during the Shunga period (c. 2nd–1st century B.C.), although habitation at the site preceded it by at least two to three centuries. The construction of the fortification wall involved three phases: a baked-brick wall, a huge earthwork with a moat, and brick reinforcement over the earthen core. The site revealed four cultural periods ranging from the Mauryan (4th–2nd cent. B.C.) to the Pala period (9th–10th cent. A.D.).

The Vishnupada Temple is considered to be one of the most sacred of all the Vaishnava temples in India. The spot on which it stands is associated with the famous mythological event of God Vishnu killing the demon Gayasura and leaving marks of his footprint on the rock which is the main object of worship in the temple. Little is known of the ancient or original temple over the sacred spot. The present Vishnupada Temple on the bank of the river Phalgu was built at the end of the eighteenth century by the Maharani of Indore, Ahilya Bai Holkar, who brought about 1,200 sculptors from Jaipur (Rajasthan). They quarried the grey granite stone from Patherkatti and took about twelve years to complete the construction of the temple.

The temple consists of a sanctum having an octagonal tower about a hundred feet high with a lofty pyramidal roof, besides an open pillared hall or mandapa in front, surrounded by an open courtyard. Annexed to the temple is a large baradari of sixteen granite pillars called Solah Vedi where ‘Pindas’ are offered. In front of the baradari is a huge bell presented by Ranjit Pande, a minister of Nepal.

In the courtyard there are numerous small shrines including the Nrisimha Temple with a beautifully carved doorframe and a temple of Vishnu. On the eastern side is a small temple dedicated to Siva in the form of Phalgwisvara. A number of inscriptions of great epigraphical significance have been found in and around the premises.

Situated to the south of Gaya, the Brahmayoni Hill, the highest hill in Gaya, is named after a natural fissure on its top which is believed to represent the female energy or yoni of the God Brahma. In a small temple on the hill a five-headed female image is worshipped as the female energy of Brahma (Brahmayoni). This temple was built by a Maratha chief named Balaji Pandit. An inscription on the hill records the construction of a flight of steps from the foot of the hill to the top by Rao Bhau Saheb in the reign of Jayaji Rao Scindia of Gwalior in about 1843 A.D. The Brahmayoni Hill is a sacred place for the Hindus and pindas are offered here during the Pitripaksha mela in large numbers.

The Pretshila Hill, situated to the north-west of Gaya, is a sacred place for the Hindus where ‘pindas’ are offered by devotees in large numbers to their ancestors. On the summit of the hill is a temple of the Pretaraja or God Yama of Hindu mythology. To pacify the preta (ghost) who is said to have once haunted the hill, this temple was originally built on this spot by Rani Ahilyabai of Indore and was renovated thereafter several times. An inscription dated 1744 A.D. recorded the construction of the flight of steps at the expense of Sri Manmohan Datt of Calcutta. Earlier several images of Surya, Vishnu, Mahismarddini Durga and some Buddhist divinities were found in and around the hill. At the foot of the hill is a tank called Ramkund in which it is believed that Lord Ram himself bathed before offering ‘pinda’ to his ancestors.

The Ramshila Hill situated on the south-east fringe of Gaya is one of the most sacred hills in Gaya and appears to have had considerable antiquity. A number of stone sculptures belonging to the ancient period can still be noticed on and around the hill. The temple on the top of the hill, called Ramesvara or Patalesvara temple, was originally built in 1014 A.D. but has gone through many restorations. In front of the temple is a pavilion built by Sri Krishna Basu of Calcutta in 1811 A.D. where ‘pindas’ are offered during Pitripaksha. The name of the hill is associated with Lord Rama and images of Rama, Sita and Hanuman are also installed. The flight of steps was further repaired in 1886 by the then Raja of Tekari. The Ramshila Hill is considered most sacred as it is believed that Lord Ram had offered ‘pinda’ on the hill.

Mirabigha village (Dist. Jehanabad) is situated about 4 km south-east of Tehta Railway Station. This archaeological site is characterised by a cluster of temples, mostly Shaivite, numbering about a dozen. Most of them are brick-worked with some stone appendage. There are ruins of an ancient tank which may be associated with the site. The site also yielded a host of Brahmanical deities who once would have resided in these temples. Both the temples and sculptures belong to the Pala period of the 9th–10th cent. A.D.

Arrah House in Arrah, the district headquarters of Bhojpur district, is presently located within the premises of the Maharaja College. It is a small double-storeyed structure on a raised plinth built by Vicars Boyle, an Engineer of the Eastern Railway, before 1857 during British rule in India. It was intended as a billiard room. The Arrah House covering a total plinth area of 51' square consists of a billiard room with a smaller room, a bathroom attached on one side and a verandah in front with semi-circular arched colonnade. The Arrah House became famous in 1857 when insurrection broke out and a number of British officers took refuge within this structure and put up a gallant defence till they were rescued by British soldiers.

Jagdishpur is situated about 35 km south-west of Arrah. It is famous because of “the son of the soil” Babu Kunwar Singh, who was the first and foremost freedom fighter of Bihar during the Freedom Movement in 1857. Jagdishpur for many generations was under the control of the Ujjainia Rajputs, to which family Babu Kunwar Singh belonged. The Jagdishpur Fort where Babu Kunwar Singh resided was the epicentre of the first freedom struggle and therefore has great historical importance.

At present, besides the main double-storeyed massive building, there are two big tanks on either side and a Kachehri in front of the building. In front of the main building is a big statue of Babu Kunwar Singh riding on his horse. At the back is a big well and another small brick structure. On one side of the compound is a ‘mazar’ of Shahid Baba, a Muslim saint.

Chausa or Chausagarh is situated about 11 km east of Buxar. It is well known as the place where in 1539 A.D. Sher Shah defeated the Mughal emperor Humayun. It is also a place of great antiquity. The most significant find is a hoard of 18 Jain bronze images dating from the Sunga period up to the Gupta period, presently preserved in the Patna Museum. A hoard of electrum coins and other ancient coins, fragments of terracotta panels and a number of stone sculptures have also been found and are preserved in the Patna Museum and the Sitaram Upadhyaya Buxar Museum.

Chausa is situated on the confluence of the rivers Karmanasa and the Ganga which separates it from Uttar Pradesh, and therefore it has been a place of great strategic importance since very early times.

The tomb of Alawal Khan is situated to the south of Sasaram. Alawal Khan (Alauddin Khan) was the superintendent of buildings under the Pathan rulers Sher Shah and Salim Shah and also an important general in command of 5,000 horsemen. While in charge of the construction of Sher Shah’s tomb he pilfered better materials for his own tomb and was therefore put to disgrace by Sher Shah. The tomb consists of a courtyard surrounded by a high stone wall of fine masonry with three entrances (only the eastern one remains). The eastern and western walls are surmounted by cupolas and the principal door has fine carvings. There are three open graves inside — one of Alawal Khan and two of his relatives. On the grave of Alawal Khan is a short epitaph containing the usual Kalimas.

Situated about three km from Bhagwanpur in Kaimur district, Masahi is a village by the side of the river Suvara where a mound, locally called ‘garh’, has been declared a Protected site by the Government of Bihar. The mound covering about five acres is supposed to have been the site of an ancient temple complex. Stone sculptures of standing and sitting Buddha and other Buddhist deities, besides architectural remains like pillars, pilasters, beams, lintels, doorjambs and amalakas, have been found in large numbers. Large-sized bricks are still scattered on and around the mound. Masahi is about two km from the well-known Mundeswari Temple of the later Gupta period.

Kheri Hill, Shahkund is situated about ten km from Sultanganj. Shahkund owes its name to a big tank measuring 1300 ft × 600 ft near the grave of a Muslim saint named Shah Saheb. Remnants of old buildings and temples have been found on the Kheri Hill. A large number of ancient relics consisting of broken sculptures and architectural pieces were found in a well of the village. During the rule of Shashanka (7th century A.D.) Shahkund appears to have been included within his kingdom. A number of religious sculptures in black stone — Nrisingha, Lakshmi, Vishnu, Ganesh, Durga, Buddha and Tara — were found here. Shahkund is particularly famous for the large number of Shivalingas, one of which has a number of miniature Shivalingas (Sahasralinga) around its body.

Kahalgaon (Colgong) is situated about 30 km east of Bhagalpur. Mahmud Shah was the last independent King of Bengal who died at Kahalgaon in 1539 A.D. After his defeat at the hands of Sher Shah he took refuge with the Mughal Emperor Humayun at Chunar. In his absence his capital was stormed and his two sons were murdered by the Afghans. After joining hands with Humayun he advanced as far as Kahalgaon to attack Sher Shah, but on hearing the news of the death of his sons and the plunder of his capital he was so shocked that he died after a few days’ illness. His tomb was built later and is of great historical significance.

The most important monument at Munger is the fort, built on a rocky eminence projecting into the river Ganges which protects it from the west and partly from the north. The other sides are defended by a deep moat 175' wide. The fort encloses about 222 acres and has a circuit of 2½ miles. The rampart is 30' thick. Of the gates only the northern gate (Lal Darwaza) is somewhat preserved.

Inside the fort are two hillocks — Karnachaura (associated with Raja Karna) and an artificial rectangular mound that once formed the citadel.

Within the fort there are several important structures:

• Tomb of Pir Shah Nufa — Said to have come from Persia. He died in A.D. 1177. The building stands on a small mound about 25' high inside the southern gate.
• Palace of Shah Suja — Now converted into a Jail. It consists of a Khas Mahal, Diwan-i-Am and Top-Khana.
• Tomb of Mulla Muhammed Said — Situated on the south-west bastion. The Mulla was a Persian poet who served under Aurangzeb and later Azim Shah. He died in 1704 A.D.
• Kashtaharini Ghat — The river becomes Uttara-Vahini here, making the spot specially sacred to the Hindus.
• Chandisthana — A hole in a rock sacred to Chandi, the Gramadevata of the place.

This fort is situated on the eastern bank of the Sone River and was founded by Daud Khan, a Governor of Bihar under Aurangzeb in the 17th century, after the conquest of the Palamu fort from the Cheros. While returning from this conquest he camped here and founded the town known after him. The sarai built by Daud Khan was well fortified with a battlemented wall, two large gates and a moat. Ahmad Khan, grandson of Daud Khan, fortified the town which was then named Ghausipur. The town also contains an old mosque and another sarai built by Ahmad Khan. In the outlying part called Ahmadganj is the tomb of Ahmad Khan.

Hazarimal Dharamshala (built in 1892) in Bettiah was used by Mahatma Gandhi to launch his first Satyagraha movement in India after coming from South Africa. A number of important personalities — Acharya J.B. Kripalani, Babu Rajendra Prasad, Sarojini Naidu and Braj Kishore Prasad — made this place a common ground of struggle for the Freedom Movement.

The archaeological site on the Parvati hill is located in the Kashichak block of Nawada district, about 39.5 km north-east of the district headquarters. According to one opinion this hill is identified with ‘Vedia mountain’ mentioned in the Buddhist literature ‘Sumangal Vilasini’. Evidence of three stupas is found on this hill — the main stupa at the highest point in the western part, one in front of it and another to the south. From the middle of these two one can reach the cave on the hill. The bricks used measure 38 × 26 × 4 cm. It appears that it was built around the later Gupta or Gupta period.

The ancient temple of Dwalakh is situated in the Madhepura block of Madhubani district, in the drift range of the Kosi River. This ancient Shiva temple is unique in terms of architecture. The sanctum sanctorum and entrance gate face east. There are also entrances on the south and west. Three Shivalingas are established in the sanctum, of which the middle one is larger. In front of the Shivalinga is a finely carved Nandi of black basalt. The top of the temple is dome-shaped with elegant portraiture inside the dome. Lakhauri brick and surkhi-lime have been used in the construction. The verandah at the entrance is artistic. In the floor of the sanctuary stones are set.