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Buddhism
The
modern districts of Gaya,
Nawada, Aurangabad, Nalanda and Patna may be described as the holy land
of Buddhism.
These districts contain a fairly large number of places associated with
the life and teachings of Buddha,
the great founder of Buddhism. It was at Gaya that
Gautama spent long years of penance and meditation before he finally
attained Nirvana. It was to Gaya that he turned at an early stage in his
search of truth. The tree under which he attained enlightenment thus became
most sacred to Buddhists and worship has consequently centred it from
the earliest period of Buddhism. Bihar became the last refuge of
Buddhism in northern India up to the time of the Mohammedan conquest.
The Biharis still revere the Buddha today just as deeply as they honour
Krishna, Rama, Shankara, Ramanuja, Kabir (poet) and Nanak (Sikh guru).
They honour him as an avatar.
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