Lord Buddha had become so popular during his lifetime that many rulers of his time were greatly influenced by his teachings and knowledge. One such ruler was Bimbisar, the king of Magadha. Jethian is the evidence of the meeting of two great souls for the purpose of spreading the eternal knowledge of Lord Buddha to the masses.
Today Jethian is a small village located near Rajgir in Bihar. In early stage of its existence, Jethian was known as Lativana or Palm Grove and was quite active place in all spheres of life. Historical evidence shows that the famous Chinese traveler and Buddhist scholar Hiuen Tsang visited this place and stayed here for some two years and studied the nuances of Indian philosophy and mysticism.
A huge statue of Lord Buddha at Jethian is a major tourist attraction. Other than this statue of Lord Buddha, there are ruins of an old stupa which according to historians existed in early centuries. The stupa is said to be buries under the mound that needs excavation to unearth the design and shape of the old stupa. Near the same stupa is another statue of Lord Buddha in Padmapanj posture. Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang has written in detail about the geographical location of the stupa at Jethian and his writing is of great help to write the history of the place.
Near Jethian is the Chandu hill, which houses a large cave. The cave at Chandu Hill is popularly called Rajpind and its name has been mentioned even in Buddhist literature, particularly in Tripitaka. For religious relevance Buddhist literature asks Buddhists to visit this place once in their lifetime. Jayasen a Buddhist scholar during seventh century AD stayed here and he taught Hiuen Tsang during latter’s visit to Jethian.
The famous cave at Chandu Hill, popularly called Rajpind is dark and deep and hence is the safe shelter for thousands of pigeons. According to a popular belief, Sariputta a Buddhist scholar and saint stayed here for some time of his life during his visits at Jethian. Jethian is easily accessible through modern modes of transportation.
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