Vaishali

Located in the interiors of Bihar, Vaishali is a small district which is also a revered Hindu, Buddhist and Jain worshipping site. It is the city where Lord Mahavir was born. Considered as the first republic of the world, Vaishali is believed to have been named after King Vishal, from the time of Mahabharat.It is also the city where Buddha delivered his last sermon. Surrounded by groves of mango and banana and extensive rice field, it is now a part of Trihut division of Bihar. The village is an important religious and historical attraction site and is flocked by tourists year in and year out. Lord Buddha has spent a significant time of his life here and he used to visit Vaishali every now and then. Also, his last sermon was held here in Vaishali, which marks the town as an extremely significant center for Buddhism. To mark this event King Ashoka, who embraced Buddhism after the massacre of Kalinga, he decided to erect one of his remarkable pillars here. Apart from Buddhists, Vaishali is revered as a holy place by Jains because it also happens to be Lord Mahavira's birth place.Lord Ram's footprints in Ramchaura temple also builds a strong connection for Hindus as well. Vaishali today is a small village surrounded by banana and mango groves as well as rice fields. However, excavations in the area have brought to light an important historical past. The epic Ramayana tells the story of the heroic King Vishal who ruled here. Historians maintain that one of the world's first democratic republics with an elected assembly of representatives flourished here in the 6th century B.C. in the time of the Vajjis and the Lichchavis. And while Pataliputra, capital of the Mauryas and the Guptas, held political sway over the Gangetic plain, Vaishali was the center for trade and industry. Lord Buddha visited Vaishali frequently and at Kolhua, close by, preached his last sermon.