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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.