1. A Trip to Rajgir
(November 1994) by Jayant Doshi
When I booked my flight from
Delhi to Patna, the departure was given as 6.30
a.m., which would have given me half a day
spare to do some sightseeing in Rajgir. As I
was staying for only two days, all this extra
hours were important. However, on reaching
Delhi I was informed that the flight was at
10.30 - the new winter schedule. “This is
India!” I was told - something one gets used to
hearing every now and then when travelling in
India. I reached Patna at 1.00 p.m. and a car
had come to pick me up and drive me to Rajgir.
Though born in Africa, I am
Indian by origin - and in my heart. I love India,
and over a period of 30 years I have been to many parts of this vast country. I have visited the big
cities of Bombay, Delhi and Madras. I have been on the beaches of Goa and Trivandrum, and I
have seen the natural beauty of Kashmir,
Mahabaleshwar, Ooty and Kodaicanal. I have
travelled through the villages of Gujarat. I have
seen the historical monuments of India - Taj
Mahal, the Kutub Minar, the Red Fort, Golden
Temple of Amritsar and the magnificient palaces
of Mysore. I have seen the construction of Dayal
Bagh in Agra which one day expects to become
the next eighth wonder of the world. I have seen
the Vrandavan gardens of Bangalore and the
Kanya Kumari, the southern tip of the Indian
sub-continent. I have been on the Girnar and
Palitana. But I have never visited eastern parts
of India, and I have never been to a remote
mountainous region of the least developed and
the poorest part of India, which has an impressive historical past and a lot to interest a religious
pilgrim, but little to interest a casual tourist. With its historical and religious background, my visit to
Rajgir was a different experience for me and I was looking forwards to it. I spent just two and a
half days there, but I saw a lot and experienced a lot, and I would like to share my experiences
and thoughts with my readers.
Rajgir, or Rajagriha as it was
known originally, is situated in the State of
Bihar, and is 65 miles south-east of Patna, the
capital city of Bihar. Rajagriha, which literally
means the residence of the King, has been
associated from time immemorial with mighty
empires, which once held sway over the entire
length and breadth of India and beyond. It had
also the privilege of association with great and
mighty men, who though long dead, are even
today influencing the mind and spirit of a fairly
large portion of humanity, spread over the

2. entire civilised world. Amongst these are the
names of Lord Mahavira and Buddha, who are
associated with the two great religions of
Jainism and Buddhism respectively. Rajagriha
remained the capital of the great Magadha
Empire for centuries.
Mahabharata has the earliest
mention of Rajgir which had the powerful King
Jarasandha who married his two daughters to
King Kansa to form and alliance, and who took
sides with the Kauravas in the Mahabharata
war. While driving in his chariot to the war of
Mahabharata, his chariot wheel got stuck on
one of the hills of Rajgir, and it is said that the
marks made by the wheel can be seen today also. Magdha Kingdom extended all over India and
Afghanistan, and the capital Rajagriha became famous throughout India for its wealth and
magnificence. Its vastness is indicated by the boundary walls - it had 32 main gates and 64 minor
ones. The city was a large centre of trade and commerce, and many merchants went on sea
voyages and many foreign merchants visited Rajagriha. Rajagriha was also the chief centre for the
propagation of religious and philosophical
thought. Buddha passed many years of his
ministrations at this place, gave many sermons
and it was the scene of many important events
of his life. Lord Mahavira, the last of the Jain
Tirthankars passed fourteen rainy seasons in
Rajagriha, gave his very first and very last
sermon and achieved Nirvana nearby to this
city. Rajagriha was also regarded as the birth
place of Muni Suvrata, the twentieth Tirthankar.
All of the eleven Gandharas, the chief disciples
of Lord Mahavira, died on the hills of Rajgriha.
The modern religious importance of the place is
largely due to the Jains, who, with a
characteristic fondness for heights, have built
temples at the top of almost all the hills. Buddhists also have great reverence and importance to
this historical site. However, as Buddhism is now practised only in Japan, China and other Far
East and South Asian countries, this area is important place for pilgrimage by the followers of
Buddhism from those countries. Japanese Government has spent considerable amount of money to
develop facilities in this area, and have built some impressive Buddhist temples also.
With this historical background,
the place had lot of significance and I was
keen to see what it was like today. Ashok, the
employee of Veerayatan, had come to pick me
up from Patna airport. The drive to Veerayatan
was 3 hours, but the time passed quickly as
we both got talking about various subjects.
Ashok comes from a religious family
background and his knowledge of the subject
was impressive, while being a sceptic myself I
had some critical questions which livened the
discussion on the way, and the three hours
whisked away without being aware of the
long and tedious journey on rough roads.

3. We reached Veerayatan at 4.00
p.m. I was welcomed by Shubhamji, one of the
Sadhvis (Jain Nun) who run this place. I was
shown to my room. The place including my room,
were neat and clean. The living accommodation
was comfortable and cosy. A double bed with
mosquito netting, a chair and a table formed the
bedroom, and a large bathroom and a wash
area in the back room comprised the total
accommodation. In view of its location in a
remote area, I considered the facilities were
generally excellent. After freshening up, I went
to see Subhamji, who took me around the
Veerayatan to show me all the facilities and
services.
One has read and heard about Christian missionaries who have gone to faraway
places to preach and establish missions in uncivilised parts of the world. We have also read of
heard about these missionaries providing medical facilities and education, and converting them to
Christianity at the same time, to those uncivilised people in parts of Asia and Africa where such
things were unheard of. We are also aware of the wonderful work done by Mother Teresa in
Calcutta. But one has rarely heard of any Hindu or Jain sadhus or priests or nuns doing such
work. That some Jain Sadhvis are doing exactly
such humanitarian work in Veerayatan got me
interested, and which drew me to this place.
Veerayatan is developed on a plot
of 40 acres of land at the base of one of the
hills of Rajgir. There are rooms for visitors, a
kitchen and dining hall on one side of the area.
There is a prayer assembly hall, and
accommodation for Sadhvis and some staff
members occupying the central area. At the
other end is an eye hospital and quarters for
hospital doctors and other staff. The whole
place is nicely maintained with well laid out
gardens with flower beds. I was shown the
prayer hall and then taken to the museum that
has the story of Mahavir and other tirthankars depicted in exhibition form, depicting important
events by model creations. The exhibition now made in Leicester Jain Temple is based on the
same.
Then I was taken to the hospital.
The hospital was remarkably clean and neat, It
has 100 beds between two wards. People from
nearby and faraway places come here for
checking their eyes and for after treatment or
operation as necessary. Eye-sight problems and
eye diseases are a major ailment in all third
world countries including India, and there are
lots of charities all over India providing free
check-up and operations to thousands of such
people. Veerayatan is possibly one such
organisation in Bihar which not only provides
free check-up and operations, but also after-
care in the hospital. Another extension is being

4. built (almost completed) to allow for extra space
for the hospital, and create space for treatment
of polio and cancer, and for making artificial
limbs. During my stay no operations were
taking place and as such I was unable to see
the operations in person. After dinner I
attended evening prayer meeting where I met
lot of other visitors. Two girls in their early
teens sang the prayers in very beautiful voices,
and their singing was very impressive. As I
had not slept the previous night at all, I went to
bed early.
I woke up feeling fresh and lively.
The air outside was mountain fresh and cool. I
was invited for breakfast with a touring group from Poona. After that I went to see Acharya
Chandanaji. Acharyaji is the founder of Veerayatan, the soul and inspiration of the whole
organisation, and at the helm of the day to day working of the place. She took me round to see the
library which contained books on all different religions of India, and some of the books were rare
editions. Then I was shown museum containing some rare artefacts.
I rented a horse drawn cart to tour
Rajgir. As is normal in such places, the only
places of interest to visit are temple - and
normally they are in big numbers in relation to
the size of the town. I visited few of them -
including Hindu temples, and Jain temples
(representing the two main sects of Svetambers
and Digambers). But the highlight of this tour,
and the most impressive were two Buddhist
temples. Compared with the other temples, they
were all well built, spacious, well maintained
and impressive to visit and worship or meditate,
or walk around in the temple and surrounding
gardens. They were in complete contrast to the
other temples I visited. One Buddhist temple is on top of a hill, and it is connected by an aerial
ropeway, which is the chief attraction of present day Rajgir. The Buddha temple, called the Vishva
Shanti Stupa (World Peace Memorial) was constructed at a cost of over Rupees 22 Lakhs by Rev.
Fiji Guruji of Japan. After destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by atom bombs, Guruji , in his
anxiety to prevent a recurrence of such disaster, decided to propagate the Buddhist Philosophy of
world peace and he started constructing Vishwa Shanti Stupas in different countries, and the one
in Rajgir was 22nd in the series.
There is a modern Jain temple
constructed on the ruins of an ancient temple
which had been exposed and repaired. The
temple consists of a central chamber facing
east, surrounded by a court which is flanked
on all sides by rows of cells. The central
chamber as well as these cells are provided
with niches in the walls to contain images. Most
of these images are now missing. However,
statute of Mahavira with inscription from 5th
century A.D. is still in the temple.
I hardly came across any

5. historical or ancient temple. All the temples
seemed to have been built in the last thirty
years or so. While the Buddhists built two
temples, they have produced quality temples. It
is a pleasure to visit those temples, and one
feels like spending some time there and enjoy
the atmosphere. The Hindus and Jains have
built numerous temples, but the quality does
not exist. They are poorly maintained, and
badly managed. The aim of those who spent
the money on those temples was to have their
names imprinted on the temple walls. The
question of maintenance did not seem to occur
to anyone, and temples built only a few years
back seem more like ancient ruins. The priests pester the visitors, and the atmosphere in the temple
is not conducive to stay there longer then absolutely necessary.
After lunch, I tried to sleep but could not and decided to walk around Veerayatan,
and see the hospital. After a while I decided to
climb the hill right in front of the Veerayatan.
Accompanied by a local man, I went on top of
the hills. There were lots of small Jain temples
on the hill - mostly in pairs representing the two
sects. The hill has a few well carved out caves
which are used for meditation by the Sadhvis at
Veerayatan. Of course, it is believed that the
same caves were built and used by some of the
religious thinkers and leaders who were known
to have spent a lot of time in Rajgir.
From top of the hill one gets a
panaromic view of Rajgir and surrounding areas
- and being completely flat land, one could see
for miles and miles. But the view of Veerayatan
was impressive and gave a clear idea of how it had been developed over the 40 acre site. The cool
fresh air on top of the hill was invigorating. At the base of the hill is a large Hindu temple, and the
temple has hot springs. There is no indication as to the source of the hot water which keeps flowing
continously, and the water is regarded as very sacred and a gift of nature. The mineral water has
a high curative value, and tests have shown that the water is radio-active. Many people come there
to bath in these waters, and they seem to benefit people suffering from rheumatism and allied
troubles.
After dinner and the prayers, a
couple from London and a couple from USA
and I sat and talked till midnight. I went to
sleep, with the satisfaction that I had an
interesting day of the trip. As I seemed to be
interested in walking, and Ashok liked that
also, we arranged to go hill climbing next day
starting at 4.00 a.m.
I woke up at 4.00 a.m. Ashok and
I started our walk just before 4.30 a.m. We
were accompanied by another person who was
to be our guide. It was cool and pleasant, the
air was fresh and invigorating and it was dark

6. but the moon throwing some light in that pitch
darkness. Ashok carried a torch which lighted
our path through the rough terrain. A few
people were awake, and a few stray dogs were
wandering around. Otherwise, the early
morning silence was pleasing and magical. The
trees were still, and the moon light spread their
shadows across our path. That darkness
sometimes created frightful images. It was my
first time walking at such an early hour in a
mountainous area - and I was enjoying every
moment of it. When I planned the visit to Rajgir,
this was the last thing I expected.
Ashok, an asthma sufferer from
childhood, had tried all types of medical treatments for his ailment without any success. From
alopathy to homeopathy, and from ayurvedic to any other cures he was offered, he tried them all
but without any success. Then he met someone, who, while living like an ascetic, did not profess to
be a sadhu. He suggested to Ashok to change his diet - and since doing that he has been cured of
asthma. I soon realised how well he had been cured. While climbing those steps on those hills, I
was sweating and out of breath - huffing and puffing all the way - Ashok was climbing two steps
at a time and showed no signs of breathing problems.
We climbed the first two hills with
little effort, but the third hill was high and
steep. When we reached the top of the first hill,
the dawn had just broken and the sun had just
emerged from the horizon, shedding its rays
along the horizon at a distance, and making
the sky orange. The scene was fabulous, and
we sat there for a while enjoying this
marvellous natural beauty. We had no water or
food and having sweated a lot , I found it hard
going on the third hill. I kept pushing myself,
assuring myself that only a few steps
remained. Every time I came at the base of a
steep row of steps I thought that this must be
the last lot of steps. But when I reached the top, I saw another lot of steps. It was hard and tiring,
but I ultimately made to the top of this highest hill. The panaromic scene from the top of the hill was
worth my efforts. Fresh mountain air very soon removed the thought of those tiring steps I had
already climbed, or the walk to go down.
Nowadays, these hills are hardly frequented by anyone. Actually, the local populace
were advising us not to go on these hills. Ashok
told me that I must be the first pilgrim he knows
of who has walked on all the five hills of Rajgir.
These hills, at one time in history, were covered
with thick forest, but the only signs of that forest
which remain are a few isolated trees. When one
sees wood cutters and people carrying cut wood
on their heads, one immediately realises how
these forests have disappeared over time. But
because of their religious past, all the hills had
scores of temples on them - mostly Jain temples
built in the last 10 to 30 years. While all those
temples have been built to good modern

7. standard (marble and ceramic tiles), they are all
completely neglected. Besides the name of
donors written boldly on the walls, the only
other thing one could notice is a stray cow or
broken doors, and temples with no statutes
(very likely stolen). Every spot had the temples
in pairs - representing the two factions - as if
they were competing with each other. Next to a
Svetamber temple there always was a
Digamber temple and vice versa. While I had
expected to do see some ancient and historical
temples and building, only thing I noticed that
each one those temples was built in the last 10
to 30 years - no historical buildings were to be
seen.
We arrived back at Veerayatan at about 11.00 a.m. After a shower, and lunch, I
rented a taxi to visit the historical sites nearby. I was accompanied by a couple from U.S.A. and a
young man, called Lalan, from Patna. Lalan came from a rich , non-Jain family, who had just
completed his graduation and was desirous of doing something on his own efforts rather than rely
on his father’s business or wealth. He also enjoyed working in places like Veerayatan and help out
in any way he could. Though not a Jain, he was well impressed by the story of Lord Mahavira
when he was a child, and he came to Veerayatan every now and then and spent a few weeks at a
time helping out in any way he could. The couple from U.S.A. represented the normal enigma of an
Indian family - a very devout wife and a cynical husband.