Did you know?
Bihar derives its name from
the Sanskrit word ‘Vihara’ which means abode and this itself explains the
relation of Bihar with Vihara. The term ‘Vihara’ also refers to a Buddhist monastery, or "a secluded place in which to walk", and
referred to "dwellings" or "refuges" used by wandering monks. It
was in Bodhgaya that the young prince Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment
to become the Buddha. Subsequently, Buddha preached his sermons in different
places in Bihar like Vaishali, Rajgir and Kesariya. Even after his
Mahaprinirvana, his disciples carried on the doctrine of Buddhism in the region
of Magadha or present day Bihar by setting up several monasteries and universities
at Nalanda and later Vikramshila. Indian Emperor Ashoka patronised Buddhism as
his state religion and spread its doctrine, Dhamma in different parts of India
and abroad.
Patna a.k.a. Pataliputra
Patna – the capital city of
Bihar – situated at the southern bank of Ganga, is the ancient city of
Pataliputra, the epicenter of the powerful Magadha Empire that encompassed most
of the Indian subcontinent. Pataliputra was the chosen capital of Magadha for
about thousand years (around 600 BCE-600 CE) by the great dynasties like Maurya,
Gupta, Sunga and Pala, who excelled not only in might but also in spirituality,
scientific, educational and cultural endeavour. Patna received its current name
during the reign of Sher Shah Suri, whose tomb is at Sasaram.
What does
‘Patna’ means?
The word Patna is
etymologically derived from Patan, the name of the Hindu goddess, Patan Devi.
Did you know how
old Aryabhatta was when he penned Aryabhatiya?
Aryabhatta wrote
Aryabhatiya, which dealt with mainly mathematics and astronomy, when he was
just 23 years old.
No comments:
Post a Comment