Mandar Parvat
Mandar Parvat, also known as Mandar Hill is a small mountain situated in Banka district under Bhagalpur division of state of Bihar. It is about 700 ft high and approximately 45 km south of Bhagalpur city off Bausi, a place located on the state highway between Bhagalpur and Dumka. Mandar Hill is a great place of pilgrimage although it is not so well known now. On top of the hill are a Hindu and a Jain temple.
The mountain has many references in hindu mythology known as mandarachal parvat. As per references found from Puranas and Mahabharata this hill was used for churning the ocean to extract the nectar from its bosom.
There is, adjacent to this hill, a pond called "Paapharni". This holy pond has its own historical significance. It is a place where you can revive yourself after taking a bath in the pond that refreshes mentally and physically. In the middle of the pond is a temple of lord Vishnu and goddess Laxmi.
Many rare sculptures of Lord Shiva, Kamdhenu and Varaah, believed to be of 11-12th century AD, can be found to be scattered around Mandar Hill. These rare artifacts need to be conserved by Archaeological Survey of India.
