Bihar is the cradle of ancient civilization. It has been the constant seat where Buddhism flourished. Hence a number of temples that one comes across here belong to this faith. Numerous temples in Nalanda and Rajgir have been ravished by time. Yet the beautiful heaps of ruins still remain to tell the tale of the splendour of these temples.
Drifting away from the later south Indian temples, the temple sculptures of Bihar have been created on bricks and black stone. Besides the Hindu and Buddhist veneration places, Bihar also houses Jain shrines. Those are made of white marble. The temple sculptures of Bihar are simpler.
Sculpture of Mahabodhi Temple
The colossal image of Lord Buddha is placed inside Mahabodhi temple in the "touching the ground pose", Bhumisparsha mudra. This image can be of 1700 years old. The image is presented facing at the east, exactly at the place where the Buddha at the time of meditation was seated having the Bodhi Tree at the back. The older railings of the temple have images such as Lakshmi, the Hindu Goddess of wealth, being bathed by elephants; Lord Surya, the Hindu God of Sun, riding a chariot drawn by four horses. The newer railings have figures of stupas (reliquary shrines) and Garuda (legendary bird in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain mythology). Images of lotus flowers also appear commonly. The temple is actually located in Bodh Gaya and it is a UNESCO World heritage Site.
Sculpture of Shri Chaubisi Jain Temple
In Chaubisi Jain Temple in Patna, there are 24 rock cut sculptures of Tirthankara. These are of similar colours as mentioned in Jain Agams. The sculptures are truly graceful and colossal in size.
Sculpture of Bari Patan Devi Temple
Bari Patan Devi Temple in Patna has sculptures which are made up of black stone. All the Goddesses are kept on a simhasan (throne) which are about 4 square and having a height of about 7 feet. The deities kept there are Mahakali, Maa Lakshmi, Maa Saraswati and Bhairava out of which first three idols are dressed in sarees.
Sculpture of Aranya Devi Temple
Aranya Devi Temple is located in Bhojpur district of Bihar. There are two idols of Aranya Devi which are placed on a throne and adorned with yellow sarees, flower garlands and gorgeous crowns on their heads. They are located to the west of the temple. The throne of the Goddess is roughly 10 feet high. The statues are made of black touchstone. One statue is 3 feet high, while the other is 2 feet high. There are statues of Radha and Krishna on the left side of Aranya Devi. Statues of Lord Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, Satrughna and Sita are located on their left side. These statues are made of marble.
Sculpture of Mundeshwari Temple
Mundeshwari Temple is situated in Kaura in Kiamur District of Bihar. Near the entrance of the temple, the door jambs are decorated with carved images of Dvarapalas, Ganga, Yamuna and many other deities. The main idols, placed in the sanctuary of the temple, are Devi Mundeshwari and Chaturmukh Shiva Linga or four faced Shiva Linga. Devi Mundeshwari is seen in this temple with ten hands riding a buffalo, attributed to Mahishasuramardini (Devi Durga). Statues of Ganesha, Surya and Vishnu are there in the temple as well.
Some Other Popular Buddhist Temples
Some other Buddhist temples with astounding sculptures that are scattered in different places of Bihar are Pragbodhi, Champanagar, Nalanda, Rajgir, Vaishali, Lauriya Nandangarh and many more.
Some Other Popular Jain Temples
Some other famous Jain temples with attractive sculptures are Jal Mandir, Lachhuar Jain Mandir and Kamaldah Jain Temple.
