Empires rose and fell in these fields
The Mauryans, Guptas, Palas, Surs and Mughals all ruled from or through Bihar, and they left the largest stupa on earth, the oldest rock-cut caves in India, two medieval universities, a mountaintop fort of 45 km and the finest tomb between Delhi and Agra.
01 · Rohtas · Half a day; 2 days with Rohtasgarh and Mundeshwari
Sher Shah Suri's mausoleum — a 37-metre sandstone octagon rising from the middle of an artificial lake — is one of the finest buildings in India and almost nobody outside Bihar has seen it.
Discover02 · Rohtas
Rohtasgarh Fort03 · Nalanda
Nalanda04 · Bhagalpur
Vikramshila05 · East Champaran
Kesaria Stupa06 · Jehanabad
Barabar Caves
07 · Munger
Mir Qasim's fort on a bend of the Ganga
08 · Darbhanga
Palaces of the Mithila Raj, in the land of Madhubani
09 · Patna
Pataliputra, still alive
10 · West Champaran
Ashoka's pillar, still standing, still polished
11 · Rohtas
Sher Shah's hidden hill fort
12 · Kaimur
A perfect Sur-dynasty tomb in a village square
3 days / 2 nights · Steady
Sher Shah's tomb in its lake, the mountaintop fort of Rohtasgarh, two monsoon waterfalls and a 1,400-year-old temple — the best short trip in Bihar and almost unknown.
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7 days / 6 nights · Gentle
The classic loop — Patna, Vaishali, Rajgir, Nalanda and Bodh Gaya — done at a pace that leaves time for a sunrise at the Mahabodhi and an afternoon on the hot-spring steps.
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10 days / 9 nights · Steady
The Kaimur forts, the Buddhist heartland, the capital, the Ganga towns and Mithila — the complete arc of Bihar's history and landscape, with a slack day built in for the place you fall in love with.
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Field note · 4 min
Field note · 4 min
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