Bihar, one of the few states in India where lack of infrastructure and
facilities have restricted tourism to a very restricted number. Bihar
otherwise has a wide variety of sights. The earliest known habitation in the
entire Ganga basin is in this state. The world's most ancient highway, the
nuclei of the first empire and second civilization of the Indian
subcontinent, the earliest of the cave temples and the world's largest fair
are some of the highlights which Bihar offers the tourist.
However, early this century for ore and minerals, have been tamed for
industry. The availability of local resources led the Tata Group to
establish one of India's largest iron and steel factories at Jamshedpur,
named after Jamshed ji Tata, founder of the industrial house of Tata. Energy
for the factories is provided by a series of dams built on the Damodar River
that flows through the Plateau.
Bihar is also very important state for the Buddhist pilgrims who
throng this state to visit sites associated with Lord Buddha. Bodhgaya,
where Buddha attained enlightenment under a Bodhi Tree, Rajgir where he
spent many years meditating, Nalanda - one of the most ancient Universities
where most distinguished people, religious leaders, astronomers visited or
taught. Patna, earlier known as Patliputra, the capital of Magadh Kingdom
and the birth place of the tenth Sikh Guru, Govind Singh is another
important city.
