Rajgir (Rajgriha) was the first capital of the kingdom of Magadh, till Chandragupta Maurya shifted it to Patliputra. Prince Siddharth visited Rajgir during his wanderings in search of enlightenment, and returned here as the Buddha in the time of King Bimbisara. He set up his first vihara at Rajgir and spent a large part of the next 45 years preaching the Buddhist doctrine here. The Griddha Kuta or the Vulture Peak was the venue for some of his most important preachings including the Lotus Sutra. Six months after the death of Gautam Buddha, the First Buddhist Council was held at Rajgir and was attended by 500 of his followers.

Rajgir is also considered to be the capital of King Jarasandh from the Mahabharata. He had defeated Lord Krishna numerous times and was finally killed by Bhima at the nearby ground called ‘Jarasandh ka Akhra’ or Jarasandh’s Wrestling Pit.

There is now a ropeway that goes up the Ratnagiri hill to the Vishwa Shanti Stupa or Peace Pagoda.

Distance from Maksudpur: 50 km