The state of Bihar has a large population considering the land area with lots of agriculture and, apparently, coal mining - and many very old Buddhist sites. We visited a few very old rock cut caves in a seemingly remote area.
It took awhile to get there. They were interesting for their age and a few very nice images on the outside but there was not much to see inside except to admire to tremendous amount of work it took to carve the caves out of hard rock! There were few other people there. It is clear that quite an effort was once made to make these caves accessible and to control large crowds but today the stairs and iron railings and gates are pretty well worn out.
We also visited a very nice Buddha sculpture pretty much in the middle of nowhere. It is clear that there was once a monastery here but today there are just some ruins visible amidst the farm land. We were told that the Buddha sculpture probably dates from around 1100 and is probably a template from which many others were copied. It is quite beautiful, though a bit hard to really appreciate in the dark little shrine. We were told that in that previous millennium Hinduism adopted Buddha as one of the incarnations of Vishnu and this sculpture is probably in such good condition today because it has been appreciated by Vishnu followers over the centuries.
We went on to Bodhgaya and visited the shrine that has the Bodhi tree under which the Buddha sat when he achieved enlightenment. There are apparently some records indicating that the big Bodhi tree here has been here for the 2500 years required for the story to be completely true. Some say that parts were taken to Sri Lanka a very long time ago and cuttings were brought back to this site when the original tree had died. In any case, the site is recognized by Buddhists around the world as a critical place for them to visit. The place is set up to handle HUGE numbers of visitors, but fortunately, this was not a particularly big occasion, so we did not have to be crushed by hoards of people as can sometimes happen during festivals or at big religious sites. One picture below is the Bodhi tree.
We were able to walk around somewhat comfortably. There were still very large numbers of Buddhists from all over the world visiting this site. There are hundreds of small stupas around with small Buddha sculptures- on the grounds and on the main structure- many with some gilding. Outside the main religious structures is a small museum that is quite nice with lots of archaeological finds from the site and nearby. Our MET guide contacted the national Indian Archeological Institute office and learned that it was now permissible to take photos inside their numerous museums across the country. This word had not reached the lower level people in these many museums, so more often than not there was a hoopla about how photos were not permitted, but, ultimately, a few phone calls later we got permission to take photos. A couple of the many museums actually did have signs stating that photos are now permitted.
From Bodhgaya we had a flight to Varanasi. Early the next morning a big bus took us from our hotel to near the Ganges. It was dark but there were lots of people out and going to the river. We walked along the built up area near the water for awhile and saw many people worshipping and many people selling trinkets- as someone said- it was an example of the best and worst of India. As the sun started to rise we all got in a wooden boat and went out further on the river. The boat cruised slowly up and down the river so we got to see all the built up shore line with lots of boats and people bathing. We also saw the two areas where bodies are cremated.
Wood fires are nearly always used as that is the tradition, but wood is somewhat scarce and expensive so this is a big expensive for a family. The local Indian guide pointed out a newer crematorium with electric furnaces that was built to save wood, but he said its is hardly ever used. We had a tabla player and flutist on the boat who played awhile as the sun rose higher. It was a pleasant addition. We returned to shore- it was probably only 8:30AM or so and the shore was very crowded then- with lots more people selling stuff. We returned to the hotel for breakfast and then around 7 or 8 of us wanted to visit a Benares silk weaver. Varanasi used to be called Benares and silk from here - when well made- is highly prized. We visited a weaving shop with 7 looms- 6 are
Jacquard looms which are newer and easy to set up to make the same patterns over and over again, but the 7th is an older style that uses knotted ropes to set the pattern to be made. It takes more skill.
The afternoon was spent visiting a couple of museums- the guides wisely decided not to try to go back to our hotel for lunch as the traffic was horrible! After lunch away from the hotel but near the university we visited a smaller new and somewhat private museum with a nice collection of textiles, paintings and sculptures collected by an industrialist. The place and lands are by the river and quite beautiful. That evening some people went back on the river while a few of us went to an old home that is now run as a small artists colony. This is near the river - with some pleasant views.
The next morning had us check out of our hotel and visit Sarnath outside Varanasi.
This was a very old Buddhist center with lots of stupa remains and monks quarters in ruins.
There are remnants of an Ashoka Pillar and a very large stupa- typical of the type built at major sites and with remains of the Buddha - like a piece of bone or a tooth- inside somewhere. There was also a nice museum, where, once again, we were told we could not take photos until after some consultations with higher ups. Sarnath is one place where the Buddha did much teaching of the path he followed.
We flew from Varanasi to Delhi, then to Bhopal and arrived at a very nice resort hotel in Bhopal early evening. The rooms were modern and very comfortable with A/C, an indoor shower, and outdoor shower and a semi-private patio outside. The possibility of getting Dengue Fever, Chikun Gunya or Malaria made the pleasure or sitting outside less enticing.
The Hotel has both indoor and outdoor seating for meals. Jim sat outside as many times as practical since that option was gone on Nov. 4 in New York!
We road awhile from Bhopal to Sanchi the next morning.
Sanchi is the site of an old Buddhist monastery with lots of smaller stupas and one very large one that is believed to hold a remain of the Buddha. It is said to be the best preserved such site left in India. The site is beautifully located on the top of a hill with great long distance views and lots of ruins of shines, stupas and monks quarters all around and it was not terribly crowded. On return to Bhopal we visited the Bhopal museum and found it to be very nice. the building was interesting and with good light in most areas.
They have a very large stone sculpture collection as well as textiles and painted art and some musical instruments and it was not crowded.
The next morning we road to Udaigiri caves. These were also early Buddhist caves for monks from the Gupta period- ca 400 CE but later hindu carvings abound in high quality including a Shiva temple with very nice lingum.
One of the cave has an inscription that apparently dates it to the Gupta period. The guides pointed out that some of the sculptures that look Egyptian or Ethiopian and they say it is possible that travelers came this route and spread information about other places. We made short visit to a small village on the way back toward Bhopal. There is supposed to be an old temple there with remain underground, but we did not see much except a nice stone column and a lot of curious villagers who probably wondered why we wre there!
We had an early evening flight from Bhopal to Mumbai where we stayed at the Taj Santa Cruz by the airport. This was a great place!
We rested here in the morning the next day and headed to the airport for an afternoon flight to Aurangabad. The new airport is very nice and there are many finely carved doors and panels to see in the area where we waited for our flight. Most people had a large suitcase plus a smaller carry-on bag with valuables and a change of clothes and the recommendation was to leave the big bag and just bring a couple changes of clothes and essentials to Aurangabad as we were coming back to the same hotel after 2 nights. Off to Ajanta and Ellora!
We also visited a very nice Buddha sculpture pretty much in the middle of nowhere. It is clear that there was once a monastery here but today there are just some ruins visible amidst the farm land. We were told that the Buddha sculpture probably dates from around 1100 and is probably a template from which many others were copied. It is quite beautiful, though a bit hard to really appreciate in the dark little shrine. We were told that in that previous millennium Hinduism adopted Buddha as one of the incarnations of Vishnu and this sculpture is probably in such good condition today because it has been appreciated by Vishnu followers over the centuries.We went on to Bodhgaya and visited the shrine that has the Bodhi tree under which the Buddha sat when he achieved enlightenment. There are apparently some records indicating that the big Bodhi tree here has been here for the 2500 years required for the story to be completely true. Some say that parts were taken to Sri Lanka a very long time ago and cuttings were brought back to this site when the original tree had died. In any case, the site is recognized by Buddhists around the world as a critical place for them to visit. The place is set up to handle HUGE numbers of visitors, but fortunately, this was not a particularly big occasion, so we did not have to be crushed by hoards of people as can sometimes happen during festivals or at big religious sites. One picture below is the Bodhi tree.
We were able to walk around somewhat comfortably. There were still very large numbers of Buddhists from all over the world visiting this site. There are hundreds of small stupas around with small Buddha sculptures- on the grounds and on the main structure- many with some gilding. Outside the main religious structures is a small museum that is quite nice with lots of archaeological finds from the site and nearby. Our MET guide contacted the national Indian Archeological Institute office and learned that it was now permissible to take photos inside their numerous museums across the country. This word had not reached the lower level people in these many museums, so more often than not there was a hoopla about how photos were not permitted, but, ultimately, a few phone calls later we got permission to take photos. A couple of the many museums actually did have signs stating that photos are now permitted.From Bodhgaya we had a flight to Varanasi. Early the next morning a big bus took us from our hotel to near the Ganges. It was dark but there were lots of people out and going to the river. We walked along the built up area near the water for awhile and saw many people worshipping and many people selling trinkets- as someone said- it was an example of the best and worst of India. As the sun started to rise we all got in a wooden boat and went out further on the river. The boat cruised slowly up and down the river so we got to see all the built up shore line with lots of boats and people bathing. We also saw the two areas where bodies are cremated.
The afternoon was spent visiting a couple of museums- the guides wisely decided not to try to go back to our hotel for lunch as the traffic was horrible! After lunch away from the hotel but near the university we visited a smaller new and somewhat private museum with a nice collection of textiles, paintings and sculptures collected by an industrialist. The place and lands are by the river and quite beautiful. That evening some people went back on the river while a few of us went to an old home that is now run as a small artists colony. This is near the river - with some pleasant views.
The next morning had us check out of our hotel and visit Sarnath outside Varanasi.
This was a very old Buddhist center with lots of stupa remains and monks quarters in ruins.
We flew from Varanasi to Delhi, then to Bhopal and arrived at a very nice resort hotel in Bhopal early evening. The rooms were modern and very comfortable with A/C, an indoor shower, and outdoor shower and a semi-private patio outside. The possibility of getting Dengue Fever, Chikun Gunya or Malaria made the pleasure or sitting outside less enticing.
The next morning we road to Udaigiri caves. These were also early Buddhist caves for monks from the Gupta period- ca 400 CE but later hindu carvings abound in high quality including a Shiva temple with very nice lingum.
We had an early evening flight from Bhopal to Mumbai where we stayed at the Taj Santa Cruz by the airport. This was a great place!
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