Hidden Gem In Jharkhand - Bachpan Ka Pitara

We all lived in a place which is close to our heart, especially where we have spent most of our childhood. I have stayed at many different places & did my schooling from various cities, but there is one place where I started growing up, ”Hazaribagh” – Yes this is the place where I grew up and most of the people must have not heard about this. This is not a famous or touristic destination neither well promoted as a tourist site but however, there are plenty of things that can be explored in & around.

Hazaribagh is a city in Jharkhand and is considered a health resort and also popular for Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary. The drive to this destination is thrilling due to green hills and it is raining most of the time, Naxalite issues & picturesque location starting from the only Railway station Koderma.

Do you remember a dialogue from a movie called ‘Mr. India’ – “Ghar, Ghar ke age Balcony, Balcony ke age Garden aur Garden ke aage samundar” that's almost similar to where we used to live in a home – “Ghar, Ghar ke aage balcony, Balcony ke aage Jungle aur Jungle ke aage Lake”. Doesn’t it sound like a dream place? So, at this age, we don't have an understanding of what experiences, nature, and the beauty of a place means to us, but I have been a true explorer since then. As I used to explore the jungle with my friends, though it was not safe due to the presence of wild boars, leopards, and other wild animals, nothing could stop us from doing something wild than wild animals in the jungle. We explored many other things such as there are leaves which one can eat (taste sweet and sour), guava & mango trees and other species which we tasted even though we didn't have the idea that we could get ill post eating it. In short, we were “Bachhon ka Bear Gill from Man Vs Wild”.

I played cricket on the road, in front of our house as hardly any vehicle used to pass from there and lost so many balls in the jungle. So one day suddenly, we decided to find some of our lost cricket balls in the jungle and trust me it was really difficult as the jungle was huge and covered with the leaves of SHAL Tree throughout the year. So, in eagerness to find our cricket balls, I lit the jungle and after some time realized that the fire was not stopping and spreading all over. It made me scared and I ran back home (my intention was never to harm nature or animals). After reaching home I heard my mother and other neighbor talking about how somebody lit the jungle and how dangerous it was. I was so scared that I didn't have my dinner and went to sleep. The next morning, I gathered some courage and went back to the jungle and was surprised to see that nothing bad happened and the fire made the clear way for the sighting of the lake view. I decided to go inside the jungle and found our semi burnt cricket balls. This made me forget all that happened last evening. I called my friends back again to play. Now we can easily find anything in the jungle. Wasn't this a crazy thing?

There are many stories of this place (Meru Camp) BSF training centre where every day for me, was like a new treasure which I use the search on my mom’s cycle. During our stay, I heard many stories such as the lake is haunted or there is a mysterious place, this made me more fascinated about finding the truth behind it.

I remember while I use to come back home from school, we always use to avoid putting our feet on logged water, as it had the reflection of the sky and seemed like we could fall and fall into the sky. The campus in itself was a huge city. In fact, our school uses to plan picnic inside the campus every time at different places where we can see the river flowing, horses running, and march past exercise or training of soldiers... And truly speaking, that it has always been so mesmerizing. How can somebody forget this place? I have so many small to big memories associated with this very place that I can keep on writing and telling stories about this place the whole day and night.

Today I feel so special and thankful to my destiny that it gave me so many opportunities to explore different places since childhood, because of which I became a true explorer and a traveler.

The literal meaning of Hazaribagh is a place that is adorned by thousands gardens.The panoramic natural beauty of the destination located amidst the lush green dense forest and enriched with exotic flora and fauna will amaze you.

I am sharing some information with pictures of Weekend Getaways near Hazaribagh & you will realize that you know these places and would love to visit once for sure. Here you go...!!

Bodhgaya - As the name suggests, the history and significance of this place revolves around the Bodhi tree which is actually a peepal tree. This is the tree under which Gautama Buddha had attained enlightenment and became Buddha- The Enlightened one.

Rajgir - is an ancient city in the northeast Indian state of Bihar. Surrounded by hills, it's known for its holy sites. The shield-shaped Japanese Temple contains a huge Buddha statue. Nearby there are hot springs believed to have medicinal properties.

You can also visit Nalanda University - is an international and research-intensive university located in the historical city of Rajgir. It was established by an Act of Parliament to emulate the famous ancient university of Nalanda, which functioned between the 5th and 13th centuries.

It is believed that the library of Nalanda was so huge that it burned for months after the university was ransacked by Bakhtiyar Khilji and the library was set on fire. Nalanda was attacked three times by the invaders – the Huns, the Gaudas, and finally Bhaktiyar Khilji who brought about its complete destruction.

Rajrappa Temple - It is located around 28km away from Ramgarh, is one of India’s oldest and most revered temples, the Rajrappa Mandir, or the Chinnamasta Temple. It is said to be over 6000 years old and still attracts thousands of visitors every day. A site of both religious and historical importance, this temple attracts pilgrims and devotees from all over India and abroad.

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