Rajgir is surrounded by several hills, the most prominent being the five hills of Vaibhargiri, Vipulagiri, Ratnagiri, Udayagiri and Sonagiri. Fa-Hian states that the “five hills form a girdle like the walls of a town,” which is an exact description of the site of old Rajgir. A similar description is given by Turnour from the Pali Annals of Ceylon, where the five hills are named Gijjhakuto, Isigili, Webharo, Wepulo, and Pandawo. In the Mahabharata the five hills are named Vaihara, Varaha, Vrishabha, Rishigiri, and Ghaityaka; but at present they are called Baibhar-giri, Vipula-giri, Ratna-giri, Udaya-giri, and Sona-giri.

Historically it is certain that Rajgir in the 6th century B.C. was the seat of the powerful kingdom of Magadha. Rajgir was intimately associated with the activities of the Buddha, which finds reference in the early Buddhist texts and in the travelogues left behind by the Chinese travelers Fa-Hien and Hieun Tsang. Bimbisara and Ajatasatru were the contemporary monarchs in the times of the Buddha. In the days of the Buddha, as today, Rajgir was the centre of diverse religious sects including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Ajivikas and others. Bimbisara was a personal friend of the Buddha and the early Buddhist texts tell the story of his slow death in prison, confined by his son Ajatasatru, and from where he used to look at the famous Griddhakuta peak where the Buddha sat and meditated during his stay at Rajgir. 

To be continued......