Mauryan and Ashokan Bihar
The capital of an empire that reached Afghanistan, and the pillars it left behind
What it is
Pataliputra ran an empire from where Patna now stands. What survives is a pillared hall's foundations at Kumhrar, a well at Agam Kuan, four polished pillars still standing in the north, and the Barabar caves -- granite chambers polished to a mirror, cut for the Ajivikas in Ashoka's reign and the oldest rock-cut caves in India.
Why it matters
This is where Buddhism became a state religion and was sent abroad. The polish inside Barabar has never been satisfactorily explained, and the caves are what E. M. Forster put in A Passage to India.
You will understand
- What the Mauryan polish is, and why it is still argued about
- Who the Ajivikas were, and why Ashoka gave them caves
- How a pillar in a field connects to an empire
- Best season
- Oct - Feb
- Days for the whole yatra
- 4
The stops
- Barabar Caves: Granite polished to a mirror, cut in Ashoka's reign. The oldest rock-cut caves in India.
- Lomas Rishi Cave: The arched facade in the same hill, copied in stone from a wooden original.
- Nagarjuni Caves: The neighbouring hill, cut by Ashoka's grandson, and almost always empty.
- Agam Kuan: Patna. A well said to be Mauryan, still open, beside a Shitala temple.
- Lauria Nandangarh: A pillar with its lion still on top, standing where Ashoka raised it.
- Ashokan Pillar, Lauriya Areraj: A second pillar, edict still legible on the shaft.
- Rampurva Ashokan Pillars: Two pillars near the Nepal border, remote and rarely visited.
- Ashokan Pillar, Kolhua: Vaishali, a single-lion pillar beside a tank and a stupa.
- Kesariya Stupa: The largest stupa base in the world, on the road Ashoka's empire ran along.
- Nalanda Mahavihara: Founded later, but where the Mauryan record was studied and kept.
- Archaeological Museum, Nalanda: Where much of what was dug out of this route now sits.
- Chirand: A neolithic mound on the Ghaghra, older than everything else here by two thousand years.
Experiences on this yatra
- Sit in a cave: People have gone to these rooms to be alone for two thousand two hundred years
- Walk Nalanda with somebody who can read it: Ten metres of brick is a wall to most people and a lecture hall to a guide
Know before you go
- Barabar is a climb over bare granite. No shade, so go early.
- The northern pillars are a long day from Patna each
- Nalanda's museum holds much of what was found on this route
Questions pilgrims ask
How many days does the Mauryan and Ashokan Bihar take?
4 days is right for most families. It can be done in 1, or stretched to 7.
When is the best time for the Mauryan and Ashokan Bihar?
Oct - Feb.
Which places are on the Mauryan and Ashokan Bihar?
Barabar Caves, Lomas Rishi Cave, Nagarjuni Caves, Agam Kuan, Lauria Nandangarh, Ashokan Pillar, Rampurva Ashokan Pillars, Ashokan Pillar, Kesariya Stupa, Nalanda Mahavihara, Archaeological Museum, Chirand.
What should I know before the Mauryan and Ashokan Bihar?
Barabar is a climb over bare granite. No shade, so go early.. The northern pillars are a long day from Patna each. Nalanda's museum holds much of what was found on this route.
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