Prof.Dr.VK Agarwal at 17:54, 26 March 2025

2025-03-26T17:54:40Z

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{{Short description|Nilanjan, Niranjana or Falgu River Flowing Through Bodh Gaya and Gaya}}
{{Infobox river
| name = Lilājan River
| native_name =
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| name_other = Niranjana River
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| subdivision_type1 = Country
| subdivision_name1 = [[India]]
| subdivision_type2 = State
| subdivision_name2 = [[Jharkhand]] and [[Bihar]]
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| subdivision_type5 = Cities
| subdivision_name5 = [[Jori Kalan|Jori]], [[Hunterganj]], [[Bodh Gaya]]

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| source1 = [[Simaria]]
| source1_location = Chatra district
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| mouth = [[Falgu River]]
| mouth_location = Gaya district
| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|24|43|41|N|85|00|47|E|display=inline,title}}
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The '''Lilājan River''' (also known by its Sanskrit name: '''Nirañjanā''') is a river that flows through the [[Chatra district|Chatra]] and [[Gaya district]]s in the [[India]]n [[States and territories of India|states]] of [[Jharkhand]] and [[Bihar]]. It is also referred to as the '''Nilanjan''', '''Niranjana''' or '''Falgu River'''.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://janhaag.com/TRbodhi.html| title = Passing through Bodh Gaya by Jan Haag | access-date = 2010-05-05 }}</ref>

==Course==
[[File:Miracle of the Buddha walking on a River - East Face - South Pillar - East Gateway - Stupa 1 - Sanchi.jpg|thumb|Miracle of the [[Buddha]] walking on the River Nairañjanā. The Buddha is not visible ([[aniconism]]), only represented by a path on the water, and his empty throne bottom right.<ref>Marshall [https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.459148 p.65]</ref> [[Sanchi]].]]
The Lilājan begins its journey north of [[Simaria]] in [[Chatra district]] on the [[Chota Nagpur Plateau#Hazaribagh plateau|Hazaribagh plateau]], the western portion of which constitutes a broad watershed
between the [[Damodar River|Damodar]] drainage on the south and the Lilājan and [[Mohana River|Mohana]] rivers on the north. It flows through a deep and rocky channel until it reaches the neighbourhood of Jori. There the hills begin to recede and the stream flows sluggishly over a wide sandy bed. From this point to the [[Gaya district|Gaya]] border beyond [[Hunterganj]] the river becomes sandy. It is dry in summer but disastrous during the rains. About {{convert|6|mi|km|0|disp=flip}} south of [[Gaya, India|Gaya]] it unites with the [[Mohana River]] to form the [[Falgu River]].<ref>{{cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=iUyU-zEbBYgC&q=Lilajan&pg=PA10 | title = Hazaribagh By Edward Lister | isbn = 9781115792752 |access-date = 2010-04-29 | last1 = Lister | first1 = Edward | date = October 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.jharkhandforest.com/files/Hazaribagh_Introduction.pdf |title = The Hazaribagh district |access-date = 2010-04-29 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141028111157/http://www.jharkhandforest.com/files/Hazaribagh_Introduction.pdf |archive-date = 2014-10-28 }}</ref>

==Bichkiliya waterfalls==
The water falls into a ''dah'' or natural reservoir in the Lilājan River. It is {{convert|11|km|mi|0}} west of [[Chatra, Jharkhand|Chatra]] – about half the distance is motorable, while the rest is only able to be traversed on foot.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://chatra.nic.in/tourism.htm |title = Tourism |publisher = Chatra district administration |access-date = 2010-04-29 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091007080116/http://chatra.nic.in/tourism.htm |archive-date = 2009-10-07 }}</ref>

==Buddhism==
Before attaining Enlightenment, the prince [[Siddhārtha Gautama]] practiced asceticism for six years (ten or twelve years according to some accounts) on the banks of the river, residing in a forest near the village of [[Uruvilvā]] (Bodh Gaya).{{refn|[[Bodh Gaya]]: Historically, the place was known as Uruvilvā in the Buddha’s time. It was not until the 18th or 19th century that the site came to be known as Bodh Gaya (consulted source: {{cite book |last1=Juergensmeyer |first1=Mark |last2=Roof |first2=Wade Clark |title=Encyclopedia of Global Religion |date=2011 |publisher=SAGE Publications |isbn=9781452266565 |page=147-148|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WwJzAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA148 |access-date=17 November 2024 |archive-date=12 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312191147/https://books.google.com/books?id=WwJzAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA148 |url-status=live}}}} After realizing that strict asceticism would not lead to Enlightenment, he recuperated after bathing in the river and receiving a bowl of [[Madhupayasa|milk-rice]] from the milkmaid [[Sujata (milkmaid)|Sujātā]].

He sat under the nearby [[pippala tree]], where he finally achieved Enlightenment. This tree became known as the [[Bodhi Tree]], and the site became known as [[Bodh Gaya|Bodh Gayā]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Nairanjanā River |url=https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/dic/Content/N/6 |website=Nichiren Buddhism Library |access-date=2019-02-06}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.travelphoto.net/a-photo-a-day/wordpress/2005/04/07/niranjana-river-bodhgaya/ View of the river]

{{Hydrography of Jharkhand}}
{{Rivers in Bihar}}

[[Category:Rivers of Jharkhand]]
[[Category:Rivers of Bihar]]
[[Category:Rivers in Buddhism]]

Lilajan River - Revision history

Prof.Dr.VK Agarwal at 17:54, 26 March 2025