Kahalgaon Knowledge Guide
History
Vikramashila: Close to Kahalgaon are the remains of the great Vikramashila Mahavihara, that was famous as a centre of advanced learning across the world in the ancient times. Mahmud Shah's Tomb: Kahalgaon also houses the Tomb of Mahmud Shah, the last independent king of erstwhile Bengal, who died here a few days after his army was defeated by Sher Shah. The SSV college, which is a degree college, was the main stock center of business of indigo(Nil, used for white cloth) at the time of The British rule in India. Premedieval Era: Kahalgaon is named after Kahol Rishi, the father of the saint named Ashtavakra (popularly known in the Mahabharata). Ashtavakra was one of the greatest saints who got his body Vakara from eight places so was named as Ashtavakra. He set free his father from jail of the king by winning the a contest on Shastra. Medieval Era: Kahalgaon was the education hub in the Middle Ages. Vikramashila was one of the two most important centers of Buddhist learning in India, along with Nalanda during the Pala dynasty. Vikramashila was established by King Dharmapala (rule: 770 – 810 CE) in response to a supposed decline in the quality of scholarship at Nālandā. Atisha, the renowned pandita, is sometimes listed as a notable abbot. Modern Era: In the vicinity of the town, now stands the thermal power project from NTPC, known as KhSTPP. The project has an installed capacity of 2340 MW developed in two stages. The first stage had 4 units of 210 MW capacity each and the second expansion had 3 units of 500 MW. Arrival of NTPC in the town, marked the arrival of world-class infrastructure, healthcare and education, which would have taken years to reach to people otherwise. Kahalgaon now enjoys the luxury of the best. Education has taken a front-runner in the normal routine and the setup has also created enough jobs and businesses around itself. The townships of NTPC are wonderfully-planned, with lush greenery. It has parks, shopping complexes, clubhouses, stadium and transit-camps apart from housing for employees. The peace that Kahalgaon has is remarkable.
Tourism
Vikramashila Mahavihara
Vikramashila (vill-Antichak) is located 13 km from Kahalgaon. It is famous for ancient Vikramashila, founded by Dharmapala, a Pala King, in the 8th century, the educational institution served as a learning center of Tantric Buddhism. At the center of the building was a huge Buddhist temple, surrounded by 108 smaller temples. The remains excavated from this university made Vikramashila one of the most important historic places near Kahalgaon. It produced eminent scholars who were often invited by foreign countries to spread Buddhist learning, culture and religion. The most distinguished and eminent among all was Atisa Dipankara, the founder of Lamaism in Tibet. Subjects like theology, philosophy, grammar, metaphysics, and logic were taught here but the most important branch of learning was tantrism.
Tapas Dham temple/Shantibaba Temple
It is situated amid of Ganga River, 500 m away from the bank of the river. shiva shiv temple/NTPC camps tapas dham
Mahmud Shah's tomb
Mahmud Shah was the last independent King of Bengal who died at Kahalgaon in 1539 A.D. After his defeat at the hands of Sher Shah, the mighty Pathan ruler, he took refuge with the Mughal Emperor Humayun at Chunar. In his absence from Bengal his capital was stormed and sacked and his two sons were murdered by the Afghans. Mahmud Shah, after joining hands with the Mughal emperor Humayun, advanced as far as Kahalgaon to attack Sher Shah. But, after hearing the news of the death of his two sons and the plunder of his capital, he was so shocked that only after a few days' illness he died at Kahalgaon in 1539 A.D., where his tomb was built later. The tomb of Mahmud Shah is, therefore, of great historical significance.
Bhagalpur
Bhagalpur is famous for high quality silk products, the industry is more than 100 years old with traditional clans of silk producers and weavers living here.