Located quiet close to the capital city Patna, Hajipur, in ancient times was known as Ukkacala. It was the first village one reached after crossing the holy Ganges from Patna. The Buddha himself delivered only one discourse here, the Cula Goplalaka Sutta of the Middle length Discourse. Still, for the Buddhist community, this place is of immense significance. This is because, the Buddha’s personal attendant for 20 years, Ananda’s ashes are enshrined here in this town. It is said that when Ananda realised that his time was coming to an end, he left Rajgir and proceeded towards north. King Ajatsatru came to know of this and along with his men followed Ananda so as to request him to stay back. The people of Vaishali also heard of Ananda’s arrival to their territory and assembled on the bank of the Ganges to welcome him.

When Ajatsatru spotted Ananda, he was in his boat in the middle of the river. Crowd had gathered on the both banks and all were requesting Ananda to come to their side. Ananda did not wish to let anyone down so he rose into air and vanished into a ball of flames. One part of his ashes fell on one side of the bank while other part on the other side. Stupas came up in due course of time on both the banks where the ashes had fallen.

The stupa that was raised on the south bank was destroyed long back but the one on the northern side still exists. It is located on the western outskirts of the Hajipur town and is a grassy mound with a Hindu temple, Ramchaura Mandir, on its top.


Quick Getaways

• Patna : The capital city of Bihar, Patna has had a long and impressive history. To the Buddha, it was known as Patiligama and on a number of occasion, He crossed this land in course of His journey. Later, during the reign of King Ashoka, Patna became the venue for the third Buddhist Council. Buddhist attractions in the city can be seen in the Patna Museum. Apart from this, other attractions of the town include the Modern Planitarium, Golghar, Khuda Baksh Library, Harmandir Takht, Sadaqat Ashram and Sanjay Gandhi biological Park. Patna is also a pretty good place to shop around.
  
  
• Vaishali : Lord Buddha visited Vaishali quiet often to deliver His sermons. The place also became the venue for the second Buddhist Council a century after the Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana. Buddhist attractions of the place include the Ashokan Pillar, the Buddha Stupa I & II and the Shanti Stupa. Other attractions include Raja Vishal ka Garh, the Coronation Tank, Kundalpur, Bawan Pokhar Temple, Choumukhi Mahadeva, World Peach Pagoda and Vaishali Museum.
  
  
• Sonepur : A small sleepy town close to Hazipur, Sonepur comes alive every year on Kartik Purnima when one of the largest cattle fairs of Asia is organised. A whole lot of people turn up to be a part of this fair from both India and abroad. The Bihar state Tourism Development Corportaions make accommodation arrangements in traditional huts for visitors coming to this fair.
  
  
• Muzaffarpur : Muzaffarpur is located 35 km from Vaishali and is also known as the lychee kingdom. In ancient times, it is believed, Muzaffarpur, along with the modern district of Champaran and Darbhanga, formed the Lichchavi kingdom. Today, the city is one of the most important one in north Bihar and has plenty of historical sites in closeby areas to roam around.