Black Buddha
Temple · Gautama Buddha in bhumisparsha mudra; worshipped locally as Bhairav · Bargaon / Nalanda, Nalanda, Bihar
Buddhists come for the ancient image itself; local Hindus have worshipped the same figure as Bhairav...
A modern shrine built over a large ancient black stone Buddha in bhumisparsha mudra, at Temple 14 near the Nalanda ruins. ASI's 1861-62 report records the place as "Baithak Bhairab", which shows unbroken local worship of the image through the centuries when the mahavihara was abandoned. Replicas of the statue have been installed in Thai temples.
Plan your visit
- Best season
- September to April" (Bihar Tourism)
- Area
- Nalanda
- Status
- Coming Soon
Experiences here
- 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
Tirtham can arrange here
Guide, car and stay around Nalanda
Also around Nalanda
- Sattu sharbat in summer: What Bihar drinks against the heat: roasted gram, water, lemon and salt, sold from carts on every corner.
- Magahi paan: The betel leaf of old Magadh, soft enough to melt in the mouth, grown under thatch in Nawada, Gaya, Aurangabad and Nalanda.
- Rajgir Mahotsav: Bihar's festival of classical dance and music, with a food fair, held in Rajgir each year.
- Silao khaja: A many-layered fried sweet made in Silao, on the road between Rajgir and Nalanda, GI-registered in 2018.
- Bawan Buti weaving of Nalanda: Fifty-two motifs woven into one cloth, many of them Buddhist, by a few families of Basawan Bigha; GI-registered in June 2026.
Nearby places
- Nalanda Mahavihara: The world's oldest residential university
- Archaeological Museum, Nalanda: Pilgrims and students come to see the Buddha and Bodhisattva images recovered from the mahavihara...
- Xuanzang Memorial Hall: Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Indian Buddhists come to venerate the relics of the pilgrim-scholar who...
- Shvetambara Jain temple, Nalanda: Nalanda is where Mahavira spent fourteen rains retreats and where Indrabhuti Gautama, his chief...
- Surya Mandir, Surajpur Bargaon: It is one of Bihar's largest Chhath sites outside the river ghats; devotees come to offer arghya to the...
- Statue of Buddha, Jagdishpur: It is a living local shrine where an ancient Buddha image continues to receive Hindu worship, and a...
- Telhara monastery: It is the third great Magadhan mahavihara after Nalanda and Vikramshila, named in the Chinese pilgrims'...
- Aashapuri Maharani Temple, Ghosrawan: Local and regional devotees come to the goddess; the village is also a stop for the Pala-period...
Questions pilgrims ask
Why is Black Buddha important?
A modern shrine built over a large ancient black stone Buddha in bhumisparsha mudra, at Temple 14 near the Nalanda ruins. ASI's 1861-62 report records the place as "Baithak Bhairab", which shows unbroken local worship of the image through the centuries when the mahavihara was abandoned. Replicas of the statue have been installed in Thai temples.
When is the best time to visit Black Buddha?
September to April" (Bihar Tourism).
Plan my Yatra. Rather talk to someone? Call or WhatsApp +91 87893 56605, or contact us.