Bihar

I am quite interested in visiting this state, but it gets a lot of bad press,
especially about abductions and crime.
Would love to hear from Indiamikers who have actually been there
and want to share.

Open-air,
I am going to Bodhgaya very soon and plan to travel by bus to Nalanda and Rajgir. I am sharing your interrogation points about Bihar.

I was based in Bihar (the part of the state that is now Jharkhand) for over a year in 1997-98 and loved it. To be honest, I (personally) didn't find it much different than the rest of India (in terms of personal safety, that is) - while I encountered a few problems in the markets and on the streets, I more often ran into overwhelming kindness and hospitality. The rural areas were absolutely wonderful.

That being said, I can't deny most of the bad press that's out there. While I never personally witnessed a lot of the incidents in the press at the time, they certainly did happen. That was the year when Laloo Prasad was put under house arrest, and also when a string of violent and humiliating assaults were directed at the Jesuit priests in the area. And, as far as I can tell, the in-fighting between clans in the rural areas is ongoing.

The thing is, even though these events were happening in the same state (and often in the same city) that I was living in, I only knew about them because I read the paper.

Anyway, Bihar is a unique and wonderful state (Jharkhand too!) and it would, in my opinion, be a shame to miss it. (I can't wait to go back, and will be spending a week or two there in December )

We did an overnite hop to Bodh Gaya from Varanasi by car. The road was the worst we experienced that whole trip. Absolutely grueling. You may want to take the train to Gaya.
Bodh Gaya was pretty cool, just don't expect anything too serene - the vibe may be Buddhist, but like the rest of India it is full of touts and scammers etc.
We ate in a pretty funky restaurant in the Buddha International hotel and enjoyed some really great food - Indian in flavor but looked like a torte of some sort. Never found anything like it since.
We felt just as safe in Bihar as anywhere, but you deinitely can tell it is a poorer state. Our driver seemed a bit edgy there - he changed the license plates on the car when we crossed into Bihar - don't know what that was about.
Also saw a very strange thing there. At a truck repair place along the road there was a huge pool of black oil next to the building. In the middle of it a man was just standing, completely coverd head to toe in oil. Just standing there...
-Greg

Thanks for your posts Gurnomi and India edge. Good to hear a different perspective for a change.

Bihar has the most beautiful, bucolic countryside. If you are going directly to Bodhigaya, time your train to arrive in Gaya in the daytime so you can enjoy the scenery on the ride to Bodhigaya and not worry about your safety. If you haven't been to Tibet, Bodhigaya is an interesting place to get a glimpse of Tibetan culture and a taste of their foods. It is also interesting to observe Indians and Tibetans worshipping in the same the place. Go to the stupa well before dusk to settle in and light candles -- a serene evening. There are also some meditation centers where Westerners go for retreat and to study Buddhism. Visitors can sit in on lectures of visiting Tibetan Rimpoches. Look for posters at the monestaries or ask around.