Mandar Hill (Parvat)

Mandar Parvat aka Mandar Hill is a small, 700 ft high mountain situated in the Banka district of Bhagalpur, Bihar. The hill is of religious importance as it holds Hindu and Jain temples on the top. The hill holds many mythological stories and has been referred to as mandarachal parvat in the Hindu religious books. It is believed that this hill was used for churning the ocean to extract the nectar from its bosom (i.e. during the famous event of Samudra Manthan). Adjacent to the hill is a small pond named “Paapharni”. As the name indicates, the scared pond is said to have magical powers that take away all the sins on taking a dip into it. The pond also sees the temples of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Laxmi in the center. Mandar Hill also holds many rare and precious sculptures of Lord Shiva, Kamdhenu and Varaah, believed to be of 11-12th century AD.