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1. Dr. Virag Sontakke
Assistant Professor
A.I.H.C. & Archaeology
Banaras Hindu University
Rajgriha

3. Location
•100 km from Patna, in Nalanda district of Bihar
•Nalanda Mahavihar is only 12 km
•Pavapuri (the place of the great demise of
Mahavira) is 22 km away
•Important Buddhist center
•Significant Jain place: 12th Tirthankar Muni
Suvarta was born in Rajgriha
•Mentions in Mahabaharata

4. Location of Rajgir

5. Historical significance
• Rajgir, means “house of the king/ Adobe of the King”
• First capital of Magadha 600 -500 BCE
• Known as Girivraj
• Earliest city in Northern India
• Witnessed the gradual growth of ancient India
• The site observed the developmental journey of Magadha
• The city was loved by Buddha and Mahavira
• Core place of Ancient Indian political history
• Place of first Buddhist council

6. Origin and names of the Rajgriha
• Probably emerged during Janapada
• Extended during Mahajanpada
• Geographically located within the hills (Vibhara, Pandava, Vepulla,
Gijhakuta and Isigili)
• Give natural protections
• Situated in two important trade route
1. Bimbisara (543-491 BCE) of Haryak dynasty
2. Mahabharata: Bruhadrathapura (Brihadratha the father of Jarasandha)
3. Girivraja
4. Kusagrapura (possibly after Kusagra, son of Brihadratha)

7. Sources Literary
references:
Buddhist Texts
Jain Texts
Jataka tales
Mahabharata:
Episode of
killing of
Jarasandha
Archaeological
References:
1.Excavated
remains
1.Material
remains
Coins

8. Reference of City Life
• Pali texts mentions……….
• Urban town
• Densely populated
• Reference of numerous Grihapatis (Businessmen)
• People were rich and had cattle
• Plenty of water
• Buddhaghosha : Rajagriha divided into two parts:
a) Antonagara (inner city) and
b) Bahirnagara (outer city)
• Xuanzang: The site has been divided into Old and New Rajgir

9. Bimbisara with his royal cortege issuing
from the city of Rajagriha to visit the
Buddha

10. • Period I:
600 BCE
• Period II:
500– 200 BCE
• Period III:
100 BCE
• Period IV:
100 CE

11. Architecture and Historical structure at Rajgir
1. Fortifications
2. Maniyar Math
3. Ajatshatru Stupa
4. Saptaparni Cave
5. Sonbhandar Cave
6. Bimbisar Jail
7. Jivakarama Vihara
8. Pippala Stone House
9. Karanda-Kamivara Tank
10.Griddhakuta

12. Settlement
Old
• Surrounded by five hills
• Two layers of walls
• Made of heavy mud and
gravel
• Known as: Cyclopean wall
• Surrounded the city
• Period: 600 BCE (earlier?)
New
• Inner mud gravel wall
• Eight km long
• Known for Ajatshatru ka kila
or
• Bimbisara Jail

13. The
Cyclopean wall

14. Cyclopean Wall
• Irregular Pentagon shape
• Runs all around the old Rajgriha
• Build by massive bocks
• Number of Bastions
• Without mortar
• Similar to the ancient Greek and Persian walls
• Core consisting of smaller blocks chips and earth
• Possibly Pre-Mahajanpada
• Later on, Joints were pointed with lime mortar

16. Cyclopean Wall
• Sumangalavilasini: 32 mahadvaras (large gates) and 64 kshudra dvaras (small
gates).
• Hiuen Tsang: mentioned 150 li (40 km)
• Buddhist Text: fortification of Rajagriha where even the king was not allowed
to enter the city after a certain time.
• Length: 48 km
• Size of Stone Blocks: 1 to 1.5 m
• Max. height: 3.65 m
• Ave. Height: 2.10 to 2.50 m.
• Thickness of wall: 4.57 to 5.50 m
• Sixteen semi-circular bastions at regular intervals
• Size of bastions: 14 to 18 m. long; 9 to 12 m width
• Mud ramps (9) for access to the top of wall

19. Maniyar Matha
• One of the interesting religious monuments
• Situated in the centre of inner fortification of the Old
Rajagriha
• The name Maniyar Matha: continuity of the name of the
shrine of Mani Naga.
• In 1861-62, Cunningham took up some small excavation at
the shrine and found sculptures belonging to the Brahmana,
Buddhist and Jain cults.
• It is a brick structure of cylindrical shape
• Outside niches consist of stucco sculptures including Nagas
belonging to the Gupta period.

20. Maniyar Math

21. Maniyar Math

22. Maniyar Math

24. Ajatasatru stupa
• To the west of new Rajagriha city
• Situated on the of stream Saraswati
• A large mound of stupa is identified by
• Fa-Hian: Ajatasatru
• Hiuen-Tsang : Asoka
• Hiuen-Tsang : 31 ft. high at the east but lesser in other sides
• Excavations by T. Bloch (1905-06): structural remains belonging to
a stupa to the Mauryan period
• Hiuen-Tsang: a pillar of 15.24 m height surmounted by an elephant
• Stupa is now in the form of mound.
• In the middle of the mound remains of three late stupas found.
• Several miniature (60 cm height) clay stupas also founds

25. Photo Courtesy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ajatashatru_stupa_at_Rajgir.jpg

26. Photo Courtesy:
https://www.worldhistory.org/image/5671/
remains-of-ajatashatrus-stupa/

27. • Important Buddhist place
• First Buddhist Council was
held here
• It was headed under the
presidency of Mahakassapa.
• Total six caves
• John Marshall:
Saptaparni is represented by a
hall and not caves
SONBHANDAR CAVES
• Carved caves
• Two caves
• Hewn out of rock in the
southern scarp of the
Vaibhara hill.
• These caves (one fallen off)
have sculptures and
inscriptions
• Evidence of Jaina and
Brahmanical religions.
SAPTAPARNI CAVE

28. Photo Courtesy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:
Sattapanni.jpg source and rights]
The Sattapanni or
Sattaparni Cave.
It was where the First
Buddhist Council took
place, in the year after
Buddha's passing away

30. Son
Bhandar

32. Inside view of
Son
Bhandar

34. KARANDA-KANIVAPA
• This is an ancient tank
• It is a hot springs tank
• Mentions by Chinese pilgrims
• Also loved by Buddha
PIPPALA STONE HOUSE
• On the eastern slope of
Vaibhara hill
• Stone structure locally known
as Jarasandha-ki- baithak
• This structure identified as
residence of Pippala
• Pali texts describe as the
residence of Mahakassapa.
• Size: 85ft. X 81 ft. at base

36. BIMBISARA JAIL
• To the south of Maniyar
Matha
• It is an area of about 60 m.
square
• Bimbisar was jailed by his son
Ajatshatru
• Enclosed by a stone wall with
circular bastions at four
corners.
• Stone cells with iron ring
• Structure is identified with
the jail
GRIDDHAKUTA
• Sacred place for Buddhists
• Buddha spend his most of the
stay here

38. BIMBISARA JAIL

39. BIMBISARA
JAIL

41. GRIDDHAKUTA

42. GRIDDHAKUTA

43. GRIDDHAKUTA

44. GRIDDHAKUTA

47. Rajgir Hot Springs

48. Jivakarama Vihara
• Situated below the Gijjikuta hill
• It was created by donation of Jivaka
• It has two long parallel and oblong halls
• It is without any private cells.
• No Stupa within
• vihara, probably circa 530-400 BCE.

51. Venuvan Area
• Large mound excavated by Rh. Bloch in 1905-06
• Nine brick stupas surrounded by floor 6 ft.
• Foundations of the room
• All stupas were open
• Found only pots filled with earth
• East slope mound revealed clay tablet 900 CE

52. Discussion
• City loved by the Enlightened one
• In Digha Nikaya, Buddha Himself said
Delightful is Rajriha,
Delightful is Gridharkuta
Delightful is Saptaparni Cave
Delightful is Kaladaka lake in Venuvan……
Delightful is the mango grove of Jivaka.
• Holy place of Jainism
• Mahavir (24th Tirthankar) delivered his first sermon on the Vipul hill
• Mahavir spent 14 monsoons here
• 29th Tirthankar Munisuvrata is born here
• Rajgir is connected with Hindu mythology