The Buddha Valley

The picturesque Jeṭhian valley in the heart of Magadha is an ensemble of places with valued cultural heritage relating to the sublime wanderings of the Buddha. The beauty and calmness of this valley enticed Buddha. Chinese monk-scholar Xuanzang (7th CE) who stayed in this valley and studied under monk Jayaṣena for two years has mentioned about many sacred traces of the Buddha’s stay in this valley. The remains of this association of the Buddha with the valley can be found all over the valley. 

The valley is 20 km, running east to west and on an average 4 km wide. Presently, there are more than 50 villages settled in this serene valley and the valley still retains its pristine character with verdant landscape.

Nava Nalanda Mahavihara (Deemed University) under its ‘Engaged Buddhism’ initiative is facilitating awareness generation among the people of this sacred valley towards the rich heritage the place is bestowed with.  People living in many villages of this Buddha valley are proud of the legacy that they are a part of. This valley is very sacred and holds a special meaning to Buddhists all over the World who are slowing trickling in. Efforts are now being made to facilitate creation of an ambiance suitable for pilgrims and Buddhist meditation practitioners.

The Buddha Valley                                                                                                                                 @Yves Guichard

Discovery of Buddhavana

Buddhavana a very significant pilgrimage place associated with the Buddhacārikā (sublime wandering of the Buddha) as mentioned by the 7th century monk-scholar from China Ven. Xuanzang has finally been located. Venerable Xuanzang in his travelogue Ta-Tʻang-His-Yü-Chi (Records of the Western Lands of the Great Tʻang Period) described a place called “Buddhavana” which he visited while going from Kukkuṭapāda Mountain (also Gurupada present day Gurpa) to Yaṣṭhivana (present day Jeṭhian) (fig-1). The Cave as described by Vnerable Xuanzang was on the steep side of precipitous hill where the Buddha stayed for one night. In subsequent centuries the Cave became a sacred place for the followers of the teachings of the Buddha. Some effort to locate Buddhavana was made by Grierson in the late 19th century and later by Sir Auriel Stein in 1899, but their efforts did not yield results. Over the last couple of years we have worked to discover Buddhavana and in the process we have explored many villages. In the month of June of this year, we began a fresh exploration along the strech of hills west of Jeṭhian (Fig-2). 

Incorrect identification of Buddhavana done by A. Cunningham in 1871.