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Agartala was once part of a Hindu kingdom, until the state was taken over by the Mughals in 1733. The British took over the reigns of governance in 1808 and Tripura was a princely state until 1956, when it became a Union Territory. When Tripura gained statehood in 1972, Agartala became the state capital.

It was in the year 1641 that the first Chogyal or monarch of Sikkim was blessed by three renowned lamas in Yuksom, the oldest capital of this princely state. Yuksom literally means the meeting place (Som) of the three (Yuk) and is named so because it was here that the great lamas met to consecrate the king. Located at an altitude of 2150 meters (7,053 feet), Pelling is 125 kilometers (77.67 miles) from the present capital Gangtok and about 44 kilometers (27.34 miles) from Yuksom. The predominant language here is Sikkimese, followed by other prevalent languages like Nepali, Hindi, and English, while Buddhism is the majorly practiced religion.

Sikkim was originally inhabited by a mix of tribes namely the Naong, Chang and Mon, all of whom soon came to be known as ‘Lepchas’. They were very peace loving people, deeply religious and worshipped nature. When migrants (the present day Bhutias) from Tibet started filtering in, the process of conversion to Buddhism successfully started among the locals. In order to establish their presence the immigrants sealed the new order by appointing Phuntsok Namgyal as the temporal and spiritual leader of Sikkim.

By the 18th century Nepal started making inroads into Sikkim under the leadership of Raja Prithvi Narayan Shah who fermented the rebellious elements in Sikkim. There were serious differences between the Nepalese settlers and the earlier inhabitants (Bhutias and Lepchas) of Sikkim and this led to British intervention.

The British became interested in Darjeeling (then part of Sikkim) also, both as a hill resort and an outpost from where Tibet and Sikkim would be easily accessible. Following a lot of pressure from the British, Sikkim finally gifted Darjeeling to British India with the understanding that a certain amount would be paid as an annual subsidy to Sikkim. The British turned back from their word and did not pay the compensation. The relations suffered to an extent that when Dr. Campbell, the Superintendent of Darjeeling and Dr. Hooker visited Sikkim in connection with the latter's botanical research; they were captured and imprisoned in 1849. The British issued an ultimatum and the two captives were released after a month of detention.

Frequent clashes resulted in a stern action when a strong force was sent in 1861 that resulted in the capture of the capital Tumlong and the signing of a Treaty between the British and Sikkim. The Britishers appointed Claude White as the first political officer in Sikkim in 1889 and Chogyal Thutob Namgyal was virtually under his supervision.

In 1947 when India became independent, the head of Sikkim managed a deal with India that granted it the special status of ‘protectorate’. By the beginning of 1970 there were political upheavals. It soon became the 22nd state of the Indian Union on 16th may 1975.

Notwithstanding the current neglected condition, the remains are an exquisite depiction of the glory of Bihar in medieval times. This University, which excelled in the field of education and science, studies in Tantra & teachings in Buddhism., was established by King Dharampal of Bengal (783 to 820 AD) during the fag end of the eighth century. At the time, the charm of the Nalanda University, another ancient Buddhist educational institution, was waning. Vikaramshila University's highest adminstrative post was that of the President and one such President Dipankar Acharya Ateesh, was famous the world over for his knowledge in the field of Buddhist Philosophy. In order to be admitted, the students had to satisfactorily answer all queries of the teacher present at all the six main gates. These teachers were called Dwar-Pandits.

Till 39 years back, historians were kept guessing about the old University, lying beneath the soil. While Cunningham thought that it could be found anywhere around Silao near Patna, Dr. S. C. Vidyabhushan imagined its existance somewhere near Sultanganj - about 22 km west from Bhagalpur city. Francis Buchanan, in the accounts of his tour of Bhagalpur around 1810 and 1811, had referred to the presence of a few small mounds around Pather-Ghatta which he assumed were the remains of a few fortresses. C.F.A.W. Oldham, while editing Buchanan's diary, for the first time suggested that these mounds might belong to the Vikaramshila University. Excavation started at the site in 1961 which continued till 1980, under the supervision of Union Govt. and the History Department of the Patna University. The digging took place over 125 acres and in 1972 the work was handed over to the Archeological Survey of India (ASI). In 1981, the excavation was given up due to financial crunch.

After flourishing for years, it was plundered by invaders around 1200 AD.

Rajgir, "House of the King", is an important religious place for Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. This ancient town has reference in Mahabharata, Buddhist and Jain texts.

Rajgir was the ancient capital city of the Magadha kings until the 5th century BC. Jarasanadh who hailed from this place had defeated Krishna 18 times. Mahabharata reco unts a wrestling match between Bhima and Jarasandh, the then king of Rajgir. Jarasandh was invincible as his body could rejoin any dismembered limbs. According to the legend, Bhim split Jarasandh into two and threw the two halves facing opposite to each other so that they could not join.

It was at this place the Gautam Buddha spent several months meditating, and preaching at Griddhkuta,(Hill of the Vultures'). He also delivered some of his famous sermons and converted King Bimbisara of Magadha and countless others to his religion. Rajgir is also famous for its association with Maurya Kings Bimbsara and Ajatashatru. Ajatshatru kept his father Bimbsara in captivity here. On one of the hills is the cave of Saptparni where the first Buddhist Council was held under the leadership of Bhikshu Kashyap. The Saptparni cave is also the source of the Rajgir Hot Water Springs that have curative properties and are sacred to the Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. Today an aerial ropeway provides the link with a hilltop stupa "Peace Pagoda" built by the Japanese.

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Rajgir was the capital of the Magadh Mahajanpad before Patliputra was formed. In those days it was called Rajgrih. Rajgir, or Rajgrih, which means "Tthe Home of Royalty" has been associated with Lord Buddha and Buddhism.

Buddha, apart from spending several years in Rajgir, also delivered sermons here. The Jivekarmavan monastery was the favorite residence for Buddha. The teachings of Buddha were penned down at Rajgir and it was also the venue for the first Buddhist Council.

Records of the city date back to the 6th century, making it one of the oldest cities in India.

In ancient times the city was called as Pataliputra and held glory as a centre of the Magadhan and Mauryan Empire. However the most remarkable times of Patna were under the rule of Sher Shah Suri who revived Patna in the mid 16th century visualizing a town with a fort on the banks of the river Ganges.

The history of Nalanda is deeply connected with the Buddhism during its early stages. Buddha himself visited Nalanda several times.

THE history of Nalanda, the ancient university town of Bihar, goes back to the days of Buddha and Mahavira in the Sixth Century B.C. The town was home to Nalanda Mahavihara, a monastic university of international repute.

There are many versions of what the term nalanda means. One is that nalam (lotus) and da (to give) combine to mean "giver of the lotus". Since the lotus is supposed to represent knowledge, Nalandameans "giver of knowledge". The university of Nalanda, a suburb of Rajgir in ancient times, is just off the main road from Rajgir to Patna.

Both Buddha and Mahavira often stayed at Nalanda during the rainy season. Buddhist scriptures reveal that they once stayed at Nalanda at the same time, but there is no record of them meeting one another.

Ancient Buddhist sources say that Asoka, the Mauryan emperor (Third Century B.C) built a temple at Nalanda. It was a flourishing hub where the philosopher and alchemist, Nagarjuna, studied and taught in the Second Century A.D. However, excavations have not revealed anything to suggest that the site was occupied before the Gupta period (Fifth Century A.D.), the earliest finds being a copper plate of Samudragupta and a coin of Kumaragupta (414-455 A.D.). Fa-Hien who visited in the Fifth Century A.D. makes no mention of the massive monastic establishments at Nalanda. But Hiuen Tsang who came in A.D 637 during Harsha's reign (606-647 A.D.) refers to the great monastery that Harsha endowed with liberal grants.

Modern District of Nalanda with HQ Biiharsharif was established on Nov 9, 1972. Earlier it was Biharsharif sub-division of Patna district.

Gaya derives its name from the mythological demon Gayasur (which literally means Gaya the demon), demon (asur, a Sanskrit word) and Gaya. Lord Vishnu killed Gayasur, the holy demon by using the pressure of his foot over him. This incident transformed Gayasur into the series of rocky hills that make up the landscape of the Gaya city. Gaya was so holy that he had the power to absolve the sins of those who touched him or looked at him; after his death many people have flocked to Gaya to perform Shraddha sacrifices on his body to absolve the sins of their ancestors. Gods and goddesses had promised to live on Gayasur's body after he died, and the hilltop protuberances of Gaya are surmounted by temples to various gods and goddesses. These hilltop temples at Rama Shila, Mangla Gauri, Shringa Sthan and Brahmayoni are part of the pilgrimage circuit, and grand staircases have been built up to most of them.

Documented history of Gaya dates back to the enlightenment of Gautam Buddha. About 11 km from Gaya town is Bodh Gaya, the place where Gautam Buddha got enlightenment. Since then the places around Gaya (Rajgir, Nalanda, Vaishali, Patliputra) had been the citadel of knowledge for the ancient world. These centers of knowledge further flourished under the rule of dynasties like the Mauryans who ruled from Patliputra (modern Patna) and covered the area beyond the boundaries of the Indian subcontinent. During this period, Gaya was a part of the Magadh region.

Situated by the banks of River Phalgu, Bodhgaya is the holiest of all Buddhist pilgrim destination in entire world. It was here an entire new religion was born out of one man who went on to be known as Lord Buddha and the religion was called Buddhism. Prince Siddhartha who renounced all worldly connections and set out in search of truth, attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree here. The entire life of Bodhgaya revolves around this most revered tree in the world. A huge complex containing many international monasteries and temples have come up around the tree. Bodhgaya acquired importance during the period of Lord Buddha itself, but the temples started coming up only in the 7th century. During the 16th century, Buddhism here started declining. But once the excavations were started by British archaeologists and its true significance was established, Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world started visiting Bodhgaya. Thus making it the most important pilgrim site of international Buddhism.

The best time to visit Bodhgaya is between November and February when thousands of exiled Tibetans come here to attend the ceremonies and lectures under the Bodhi Tree. Buddhist monks from other Buddhist countries too come here during this period. And if one is looking for some solitary and peaceful holidays, then there is no place better than Bodhgaya for the purpose.