MONASTERIES OF BIHAR The MONASTERIES were the later concept . LORD BUDDHA is said to have made rule that BHIKHUS should stay in the MONASTERIES only during the rainy season . Otherwise they had to live in open places like—under trees , in caves of mountains and certainly not under roof in any circumstances at all . But when , after his enlightenment LORD BUDDHA , reached at YESTHIVANA ( JETHIAN*) , he was received by BIMBISARA , the then ruling King of MAGADHA with all royal paraphernalia . YESTHIVANA is about ten miles south from RAJGRIHA** , the then capital the MAGADHA EMPIRE . The first MONASTERY constructed at VENUVANA ( LITERARY MEANS BAMBOO GROVE ) of RAJGRIHA by BIMBISARA ( 544- 442 BC ) was dedicated to LORD BUDDHA on his arrival in RAJGRIHA and LORD BUDDHA couldn’t refuse the gift of this MONASTERY and the first time the BHIKHUS were ordained to stay in it . This was the beginning of the construction of numerous BUDDHIST MONASTERIES in BIHAR and even other parts of INDIA .
JIVAKARAM MONASTERY JIVAK was a great ancient INDIAN physician, contemporary to LORD BUDDHA, and one of the jewels of the court of King BIMBISARA and King AJATSHATRU , built JIVAKARAM MONASTERY in the JIVAKARAM VANA , a big garden adjacent to his house in RAJGRIHA , for he was a great devotee of LORD BUDDHA and consecrated it to the LORD who could not refuse the gift and now he began to preach from there . When JIVAK saw LORD BUDDHA coming so far from the GRIDDHAKUT mountain to the VENUVANA daily to deliver his sermons and then going back to miles away GRIDDHAKUTA mountain where LORD BUDDHA was staying , he constructed that MONASTERY in JIVAKARAM VANA which LORD BUDDHA willingly accepted . Now , he started giving sermons from JIVAKARAM MONASTERY .
KASSAPARAM AND OTHER MONASTERIES KASSAPARAM MONASTERY was a big MONASTERY where preceptor MAHA KASHYAP used to live with his 500 disciples. According to G.P. MALALA SEKTA , a BUDDHIST scholar , this MONASTERY was built by KASHYAP , a rich person of RAJGRIHA , and was dedicated to a BUDDHIST MONK called MAHA KASHYAP . It was situated near VENUVANA . UDAMBRIKARAM was a MONASTERY located a few miles away from GRIDDHAKUT mountain near VENUVANA , near RAJGRIHA . It said that the BUDDHIST PRECEPTOR NYAGRODHA used to live in this MONASTERY with 3000 of his disciples .
A few MONASTERIES were also built for the BUDDHIST Travellers . The most of them were around RAJGRIHA . PARIVRAJKARAM was one of them . It was located near GIRIAK , a township , a few miles away from RAJGRIHA . It was situated on the bank of river SARPINI ( NOW PANCHANE RIVER ) . It was built for the sojourn of wandering BUDDHIST MONKS as such . Second in this line was NYAGRODHARAM MONASTERY located near the city of RAJGRIHA . And the third in this line was a MONASTERY called TAPODARAM located on the north-east of BAIBHAR HILL near a hot spring of RAJGRIHA .
HILL TOP MONASTERY OF LAKHISARAI The first HILL TOP MONASTERY of BIHAR was found on the LAL PAHARI of LAKHISARAI district . As per an Archeologist like ANIL KUMAR of VISVA BHARTI UNIVERSITY , SANTINIKETAN , it appeared to be a MAHAYANA BUDDHIST MONASTERY , located quite aloof from the hustle and bustle of the city as such . This area was know as KRIMILA in the ancient time . The two burnt clay seals found from this place during excavation of the site by joint team of the BIHAR HERITAGE DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY and the VISVA BHARTI UNIVERSITY , SHANTINIKETAN, reveal that its name was SRIMADDARMAVIHARIKA ARYABHIKSUSANGHASYA which could be translated as ” this is the sealing of the council of Monks of Srimaddharma vihar “. The Chinese traveller like HIUEN-TSANG in his Accounts has also discussed in detail about many MONASTERIES located in this areas where excavation is still awaited . Numerous BOUDH VIHARS have come into existence in BODH GAYA , NALANDA , RAJGRIHA and other places later on and a few in the recent years .
* JETHIAN—IT IS A VILLAGE NEAR MY ( BLOGGER’S ) NATIVE VILLAGE CALLED “NAILY”, LOCATED IN THE DISTRICT OF GAYA ( BIHAR ) ABOUT THIRTY K.M. FAR FROM WHERE LORD BUDDHA GOT EMANCIPATION. ** RAJGRIHA— NOW A TOWNSHIP IN NALANDA DISTRICT OF BIHAR , AGAIN ABOUT TEN K.M. FAR FROM MY ( BLOGGER’S ) NATIVE VILLAGE CALLED “NAILY”.
THIS IS AN END OF A SERIES OF MY BLOG ON ” HISTORY , MYSTERY AND MONASTERIES OF BIHAR “. MY NEXT BLOG WILL BE COMING SOON ON SOME OTHER HISTORICAL TOPIC , PREPARATION ABOUT WHICH IS ON .
ARBIND KUMAR BLOG 