Place · city

Rajgir

Also known as Rajagriha, Rajagaha, Girivraja

Rajgir, ancient Rajagriha, is a town in Bihar, India, ringed by five hills. It was the first capital of the kingdom of Magadha under Bimbisara and Ajatashatru in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE, before the capital moved to Pataliputra. The Buddha and Mahavira both spent long periods there, and the first Buddhist council is said to have met there after the Buddha's death. Remains of its massive stone wall survive.

Rajgir
Image: Photo Dharma from Penang, Malaysia · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

Kingdom of MagadhaFoundation, Socioeconomy, Military, Impact, SummaryBuddhismOrigins

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Kingdom of AvantiKingdom of Magadha

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Rajgir. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/rajgir
MLA
“Rajgir.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/rajgir. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Rajgir.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/rajgir.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Rajgir’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/rajgir (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻