Unexplored Bihar

Gandhi Sangrahalaya (Museum), Motihari, Champaran , Bihar : Motihari was the first laboratory of Gandhian experiment in Satyagraha. It was Champaran that turned Mohandas into the Mahatma. If Porbandar is his janmabhoomi (birthplace) , then Champaran is Gandhi’s karmabhoomi. The Gandhi Sangrahalaya situated in Motihari town has a wide collection of relics and photographs of the Champaran Satyagraha. The Gandhian Memorial Pillar in the ashram was designed by Nand Lal Bose, a famous artist of Shantiniketan. The foundation stone of the pillar was laid on 10th June 1972 by the then Governor, D. K. Barooch. It is a 48 ft tall stone pillar and is situated at the same site where Mahatma Gandhi was presented in court. Gandhi Sangrahalaya has two Conference Halls for its regular meeting, seminars, symposiums, and temporary exhibitions. It’s a unique museum of its kind, which is dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. The museum consists of a modest Guest House for its own purpose. It has

Orwell Museum , Birth Place of Gorge Orwell, Motihari:- Orwell, whose real name is Eric Arthur Blair, was born on June 25, 1903 in what is now known as the Gyanbabu Chowk locality in Motihari, Bengal Presidency (present-day East Champaran district, Bihar, India), in British India. His father, Richard Walmesley Blair, worked in the Opium Department of the Indian Civil Service. His mother, Ida Mabel Blair (née Limouzin), grew up in Moulmein, Burma, where her French father was involved in speculative ventures. Eric had two sisters: Marjorie, five years older, and Avril, five years younger. When Eric was one year old, his mother took him and his sister to England. He never visited his birthplace again. He died in 1950 aged 47. Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), who used the pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic. His work is marked by lucid prose, awareness of social injustice, opposition to totalitarianism, and ou

Mahabodhi Temple , Bodhgaya :- A.        The Temple  :-      In the 6 th  century B.C prince Siddhartha Gautam attained the supreme enlightenment at this holy place and became the Buddha . In commemoration there of emperor Ashoka set up the Vajrasana ( Diamond Thorne) of polished sandstone representing the seat of enlightenment in the 3 rd  century B.C. during the Sunga period (2 nd  century B.C.) . A sandstone railing was erected around it . The present Mahabodhi temple was constructed in the 6 th  century A.D. The temple underwent several restorations, renovations and repairs in subsequent periods in which the Burmese greatly contributed in 1883. A very thorough and scientific renovation of the temple was done under the supervision of the British Archaeologist Sir A Cunningham and J.D.M Beglar and the Indian Archaeologist  Dr Rajendra Lal Mitra . Again in 1956 on the occasion of 2500 th  Buddha Jayanti celebration, the government of India did some repair works and e

Agam Kuan , Ashoka’s Hell    Agam Kuan  which means ”unfanthomable well” is an ancient well and an archaeological site situated in Patna,Bihar,India. The Agam Kuan is set within an archaeological site identified by the Archaeological Survey of India which also contains the adjacent Shitala Devi temple where the folk deity Shitala Devi is venerated. It is said to date back to the period of Mauryan emperor, Ashoka (304–232 BCE). The well was known to be part of “Ashoka’s Hell “. It’s a legend that Ashoka threw 99 of his brothers in this well after killing them for the throne of Magadh. The well is believed to be 105 feet deep, Circular in shape, the well is lined with brick in the upper 13 metres (43 ft) and contains wooden rings in the remaining 19 metres (62 ft). The surface structure, which now covers the well and forms its most distinctive feature, has eight arched windows. A hand written plate stuck in the wall of the well reads "The well of Emperor Asoka" in Hindi

Shitala Mata Temple, Agamkuan Mandir,Patna Shitla Mata Temple is situated in Archaeological site of  Agam Kuan in Patna near Gulzarbagh adjacent to “Ashoka’s Well”. This temple is also known as Agamkuan Mandir .The temple houses the idol of Shitla Devi ,an incarnation of Goddess Durga, and pindas of the “saptamatrikas” representing the seven mother goddess, it is also known as shaktipeeth of Durga. “Shitala” literally means cool, so people worship Shitala Mata for mental peace and prosperity. It’s a belief that Shitla Devi has the power to cure smallpox and chicken pox and wish fulfilment. The temple is very old though exact date cannot be ascertained. Many marriages are held here during the auspicious months. It is one of the most visited temples in Patna.The water from the well is used to perform all the rituals at this temple. The well , called Agam Kuan, was  built by King Ashoka in 240 BC and as per the local belief, it has 9 smaller wells inside it and a hidden treasure