Buddhist Pilgrimage
🚗 25 min by car · ₹300–400 auto/taxi from Glamour Palace
Dungeshwari Caves
Mahakala Caves — where Buddha practised austerities
Dungeshwari, also known as Mahakala Caves, is the site where Siddhartha Gautama spent six years in extreme ascetic practice before abandoning this path and accepting nourishment. The caves contain ancient shrines tended by Tibetan monks, and the hilltop offers sweeping views over the Bihar plains.
After leaving his palace in Kapilavastu, Siddhartha practised severe austerities with five companions at these caves for six years — surviving on just a few grains of rice per day. He eventually collapsed from weakness and realised that extreme asceticism was not the path to liberation. He accepted a bowl of rice pudding from Sujata and went to meditate under the Bodhi Tree, where he attained enlightenment. The three caves contain shrines: one Hindu (dedicated to Dungeshwari Devi), and two Buddhist — a Tibetan shrine with a golden image of the emaciated Buddha and a Thai Buddhist shrine. The caves are tended by Tibetan Buddhist monks. The hike up the hill to the caves takes approximately 20 minutes and passes through a small village.