| Introduction |
| Introduction | Places of Interest | How to Reach |
| This district has derived its name after Vaishali or modern Basarh, a village in the northwest corner of the district, situated 32-kms northwest of Hajipur and 54 kms from Patna. Vaishali was a center of religious renaissance in ancient times. Puranas as well as the Ramayana, both of these refer to Vaishali as a separate kingdom. Raja Vishal - son of King Ikshvaku is considered to be the founder of the Vaishali kingdom. Apart from its association with the Hindu mythology, Vaishali also figures prominently both in the Jain and Buddhist literatures. According to Jain literatures Vardhmana Mahavir, the 24th Tirthankar of the Jains, was born here in Kundapura or Kundgram, a suburb of Vaishali. Vaishali was also seat of the 'Vajji Republic', the world's first republic with a duly elected assembly of representatives and efficient administration. Lord Buddha, in his lifetime had visited Vaishali at least three times. According to Buddhist traditions, in one of these visits several monkeys supposedly dug a tank for him and offered him a bowl of honey-one of the great eight incidents in the legends of Buddha. It was Vaishali itself where Lord Buddha had announced his approaching Nirvana and also preached his last sermon. Amrapali, a famous courtesan presented a mango-groove to the Buddha and later became a Buddhist nun. Another great event in Vaishali was the second Buddhist Council that was held 100 years after Nirvana of the Buddha. Apart from its historical importance, Vaishali is a sacred place for Buddhists, Jains and Hindus, as well. |
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