The Buddha lived in the sixth century BC Mahavir was born in 567 BC and the traveller in Bihar will encounter them both constantly. Rajgir is 10 km south of Nalanda and sacred to the memory of the founder of both Buddhism and Jainism. Lord Buddha spent many months of retreat during the rainy season here, and used to meditate and preach on Griddhkuta, the 'Hill of the Vultures'. Lord Mahavir spent fourteen years of his life at Rajgir and Nalanda.

It was in Rajgriha that Lord Buddha delivered some of his famous sermons and converted king Bimbisara of the Magadha Kingdom and countless others to his creed. Once a great city, Rajgir is just a village today, but vestiges of a legendary and historical past remain, like the cyclopean wall that encircles the town and the marks engraved in rock that local folklore ascribes to Lord Krishna's chariot. This legend, like many others, associates Rajgir to that distant time when the stirring events recorded in the epic Mahabharata were being enacted.

Rajgir is located in a verdant valley surrounded by rocky hills. An aerial ropeway provides the link with a hill-top stupa "Peace Pagoda" built by the Japanese. On one of the hills in the cave of Saptparni, was held the First Buddhist Council, The Saptparni Cave is also the source of the Rajgir Hot Water Springs that have curative properties and are sacred to the Hindus.