With the sound of birds chirping and the wind blowing, rich in flora and fauna, Banka is situated in the far south-east of Bihar. The name of the town Banka means brave and the city attracts many people to its famous religious spot and annual fest that is held in the month of January.
The town has hot summers and pleasant winters, making the winter months the best time to visit and enjoy the local culture and enthusiasm in the town.
With its lush greenery, rich flora and distinct variety of fauna, the town is known for Sal, Abuns, Asan, Kendu and Mahua trees, animals like the hanuman monkeys, jackals, deer, lions, bears, leopards, elephants and birds like wild geese, quail, peacocks, parrots, hawks and doves. This promises a great trip to any nature lover or photographer.
A religious destination in this town is the 700-feet-tall Mandar Hills, which have great value in the lives of both Jains and Hindus. The hills are the main tourist spot at Banka, as it has the famous temple, pond and the festival for which Banka is best known. At the top of the hill is a Jain temple and at the base is a Hindu temple.
The Jain temple here, called Digambar Jain Temple, is built in the memory of 12th Jain Tirthankara Vasupujya who received nirvana here. The pond, which has significance in Hindu religion as well, is called the Paapharani. Paapharani is a sacred pond where it is believed that a person can be relieved of all his sins. At the center of the pond is a Vishnu temple built in the structure of a lotus. The Bounsi Mela, which is known for its sweets, and stone and wood decoration items, takes place at the Mandar Hills in January and goes on for an entire month. It is believed that Lord Vishnu cut off the head of an Asura and piled up the body under the weight of the Mandar Hills giving everyone a chance to celebrate his victory.
Auto-rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws are the most commonly used modes of communication in this city. Apart from that, buses to reach Mandar Hills are also available.
On a daily basis there are approximately 8 flights that operate at Biratnagar Airport.خطوط ياتي الجوية is the popular airline brand that fly frequently to this airport.
Besides flying you can also reach Banka through train.Bankais one of the most popular train stations in Banka.
By road Banka is surrounded by Godda, Bhagalpur, Deoghar which are 19.44 km, 24.75 km, 30.87 km away respectively. These places are ideal spots for people to plan their short weekend break.