Bhagalpur

The History of Bhagalpur starts to unfold from the times of the Sanskrit kingdom of Anga. It is believed that Karna of Mahabharata once ruled Bhagalpur, and later included in the Magadha Kingdom. Bhagalpur has Historical evidence from the period of Ashoka’s Empire with some Caves found in Sultangunj, 20 km from the city of Bhagalpur towards the west. These caves date back to some time between 274 BC and 232 BC. A temple which still exists in Bhagalpur city dates back to the period of the Gupta Dynasty. Bhagalpur was mentioned to be one of the largest trading centres by the Chinese Travellers Faxian and Xuanzang. The Champanala which was formerly known as Champanagar during that era had a Harbour. Boats and coins belonging to the Middle East and the Far East were discovered on the region in an excavation of the 1970s. The Vikramshila Mahavihara was a royal university ranked second only to Nalanda, existed at a distance of 44 km from Bhagalpur city.

The Ancient Ruins of the University that have survived owe the existence to Dharmapala. The region of Bhagalpur served as a centre for Buddhism to flourish during the Medieval ages. Bhagalpur in its course of time was by Akbar and made it a part of the Delhi Empire, and it was later passed to the East India Company by Shah Alam II. Bhagalpur turned out to be a pivotal Trade Centre in the Bengal Province. One of the Darkest memories of the History of Bhagalpur is the 1989 Bhagalpur Violence between the Hindu and the Muslim communities, which was a result of a bombing amidst a Hindu Religious Procession. The clashes of 1989 took lives of more than 1000 people out of which most lives were of the Muslims. Over the following weeks, the region saw burning villages and Mass killings that caused huge loss of lives.

The best time to visit Bhagalpur would be from the early winters in November to mid of March. The temperature stays below 24ºC during this time and deems comfortable for travellers compared to the hot summer. The highest temperatures are reached during June and can reach up to 44ºC. The nights during winter can also be harsh sometimes with temperatures reaching as low as 6ºC.

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