Jarasandh Ka Akhara, Rajgir, Bihar India

Jarasandh Ka Akhara of Bihar serves to be that historic venue where the King of Magadha named Jarasandh succumbed to the inevitable hands of death in his epic battle with the invincible Bhima, the Pandava who was dowered with gift of unearthly strength.

Jarasandh Ka Akhara in Bihar is reckoned as the sought-after venue that hosted, perhaps, the most pulse-pounding and nerve-wrecking battles in the history of India. This larger-than-life encounter between the fiercest of the Pandavas, Bhima and the ardent devotee of the rebellion Lord Shiva, Jarasandha came about in this gothic destination sited in the state of Bihar regarded as Jarasandh Ka Akhara.

As indited in the Sanskrit epic entitled Mahabharata, Jarasandha was the heir to the King Brihadratha, who in spite of innumerable efforts failed to beget any nestling. Bedeviled at the hands of cruel fate, he resorted to some spiritual guidance from a holy sage named Chandrakauskika. After spending a good deal of time in exile under the aesthetic guidance of Chandrakaushika, he was presented with a magical fruit and instructed to feed it to his wife.

Since he had two spouses, he diplomatically halved the fruit and gave it to his better halves. Destiny again took a cruel twist and he was blessed with a child but he was dissected into two halves. Dismayed and terrified, Brihadhratha commanded that they should immediately be cast far away from the city. But destiny had other plans, as the two halves were eventually joined by a human devouring witch, Jara that led to the birth of Jarasandh.

Jarasandh was a very brutal and barbarous emperor and had many kings imprisoned in his dungeons. It was Bhima and Arjuna accompanied with Krishna who challenged him to a fight at Jarasandh Ka Akhara. Jarasandh chose Bhima, the mightiest among the Pandavas to battle. It was here in Jarasandh Ka Akhara where the bone-chilling display of raw strength continued for 27 days, when at the behest of Lord Krishna, Bhima tore apart his foe into two longitudinal halves and flipped them in the opposite direction that led to Jarasandh's death.