MANDAR HILL

Meditating ground of Basupuj, 1500ft high Mandar Hill, situated about 30 miles south of the town of Bhagalpur is another Jain pilgrim centre. A Digambar Jain temple has been built on Mandar Hill top. Footprints of Basupuj have been retained at the temple. Chand Sadagar of Manasa Mangal used to live at Nathnagar. Though the wedding room made of iron is under the earth, yet Manasa Temple where Chand Sadagar had worshipped the Devi is still visible.

There are 20 ft Buddha, 5 ft Vishnu, Shakamvari Devi and many other images of Jain Tirthankars.

HISTORY

At that time (606647 A. D.) the area was under the rule of the Khetauri kings of Mal origin and they were very antagonistic to the Buddhist monks. But Buddhism had another spurt in Anga during the Pala kings.Under Dharma- pala (c. 770810 A.D.), the son of Gopala, the frontier of the Anga empire touched the west of the Sone River. Dharmapala was a great Buddhist and a patron of education and culture.
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TOURIST PLACES

Baunsi is a growing township and has a more salubrious climate than Bhagalpur and aspires to be a health resort. Baunsi is about five miles from Mandar Hill towards Bhagalpur.

HOW TO GET THERE

There is a branch railway line ofthe Eastern Railway connecting Bhagal- pur with Mandar Hill and Mandar Hill station is the terminus of the branch line. Mandar Hill station is about three miles from Mandar Hill. There is also a good all- weather road connecting Bhagalpur to Dumka, the headquarters of Santal Parganas district, and Mandar Hill is about a mile from the road at a certain point.

A large number of passenger buses connect Bhagalpur with Dumka either way and Mandar Hill is easily approachable by the buses as well. Mandar Hill is within the Banka sub-division of Bhagalpur district and ekkas--light vehicles drawn by single horses-are available at Banka and Baunsi as well.