Bihar’s New Shiva Circuit: एक नई तीर्थ यात्रा की शुरुआत

Patna : The Bihar government has announced plans to develop a comprehensive Shiva Circuit, drawing inspiration from the existing Ramayana, Buddhist, Jain, and Sufi tourism circuits. The initiative aims to link historically significant Shiva temples across the state and place them firmly on the national and international religious tourism map.

As part of the first phase, the Tourism Department has approved a Rs 278 crore package to develop infrastructure and tourist facilities around nine ancient Shiva temples. These include Singheshwar Sthan in Madhepura, which will receive the largest allocation of Rs 90.27 crore, and Shri Someshwar Nath Temple in East Champaran with Rs 70 crore earmarked for its development.

The initiative follows Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Pragati Yatra, which placed a renewed focus on religious tourism as a tool for cultural revival and local economic growth. The department is also planning dedicated projects around temples such as Baba Kusheshwar Sthan (Darbhanga), Gorakhnath Dham (Katihar), and Umanath Temple (Barh, Patna), among others. Some of these temples, like Sundarnath Dham in Araria, are associated with epic legends such as the Pandavas’ exile.

Officials confirm that the iconic Baba Hariharnath temple in Sonepur will be developed on the lines of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi. A consultant has been appointed, and work is expected to begin soon. Additionally, 17 acres of railway land near Jahaj Ghat in Sultanganj (Bhagalpur) is being transferred to aid pilgrims during the Shravani Mela.

Though many of Bihar’s Shiva temples boast mythological links to the Ramayana and Mahabharata, they have long remained absent from the mainstream tourism narrative. The state’s tourism department is now actively soliciting inputs from District Magistrates across 12 districts to include more temples in the circuit.

Among the temples slated for inclusion are: