It’s not just the rock-cut caves and myriad ancient temples that give away the age of Jehanabad. The people’s language and culture are also testaments to how far back this city goes. Located in Bihar, Jehanabad was first mentioned in the Mahabharat as the Anga kingdom that was ruled by King Karna. Later, mentions of this city in Akbar’s Ain-i-Akbari, the Mughal Emperor’s court reports, suggest that it was an important town during their mighty reign as well.
Jehanabad is situated at the confluence of two lesser-known rivers called Dardha and Yamunaiya, and today is slowly but surely developing an indigenous service industry. Jehanabad is, however, best-known for the rock-cut Barabara Caves and the numerous Hindu temples dotting the cityscape.
A city in the heart of India, Jehanabad would be an interesting experience for the discerning traveler.
The first thing you should do when visiting Jehanabad is head to the Barabara Caves, 25 km from the city center. These are basically seven caves, also known as Satgarva, built by Mauryan King Ashoka I. The caves were built for the Buddhist monks living in his kingdom, and today, continue to be a popular Buddhist shrine. Located in a hilly area of Jehanabad, the views from here are beautiful, and the caves themselves are inspiring, to say the least. They were built using monolithic, hard granite, with the interiors polished to perfection. The design and architecture of these caves are an example of the exquisite skills and fine craftsmanship of the workers of the time. A visit to these seven caves would be quite an eye-opening experience.
Much like the many other cities in India, Jehanabad’s cityscape is also dotted with temples. The most famous one, perhaps, is the Baba Siddheswar Nath Temple dedicated to the mighty Lord Shiva. It is believed that this temple was built in the 7th century during the Gupta dynasty’s reign.
Other temples worth visiting include the various Sun Temples, the Kali Ma Temple and the numerous Lord Vishnu Temples scattered across town.
Auto-rickshaws and local buses are available to travel within Jehanabad. Fix the fare with the auto-rickshaw driver before starting your journey to avoid getting fleeced. You can also hire a private taxi from a local rental to go sightseeing at your own convenience.
On a daily basis there are approximately 38 flights that operate at Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport.IndiGo and Air India are the most popular airline brands that fly frequently to this airport.
Besides flying you can also reach Jehanabad through train.Jehanabadis one of the most popular train stations in Jehanabad.On an average about 24 trains pass through Jehanabad on a daily basis.Gaya to Jehanabad, Ranchi to Jehanabad, Guraru to Jehanabadare some of the most popular routes to Jehanabad with 38, 24, 21 trains weekly respectively.
By road Jehanabad is surrounded by Masaurhi, Khagaul, Gaya which are 10.97 km, 26.12 km, 28.52 km away respectively. These places are ideal spots for people to plan their short weekend break.