Rajgir Saraswati Kund

Bahut accha laga

Rajgir Saraswati kund

Well, I was going in kumbh mela. It is sacred place. But management don't clean the water in pond and it is polluted by near sewer. It smells very bad. It needs to be clean. Proper sanitation is needed

A holy kund for Hindus, it is the main attraction in Rajgir.
There are 20+ kunds(water-pool) around this place. Saraswati kund has cold water, hence ideal for dip in scorching summers. It is the first kund located downhill.

The other kunds have hot water, and ideal for winter swims. They are located uphill. The water in hot water kunds are pure and the locals carry it for drinking.

The cold water kund on the other hand has piped water. It has 6 source pipes on its two sides. A sink pipe cleans the pool water. So, water in the kund is fresh and on most occasions clear. Except this time (more on this later).

There are changing rooms for Male and Female.

Charge for entry: Rs 60 per person. (as on April 2022)

Recently, a board mentioning No Entry for other religions was placed at the entry.

This being a holy kund is supposed to be maintained in good condition. It is a property of Bihar Government. However, its maintenance has been given on contract basis to a private firm/person recently.

This was my second visit (first in 2013) to the kund and we found it in an apathetic state this time. The water was dirty and smelling. Cleaning persons informed us that its has at least been 4 days since water was last drained out. Since it is standing water (not flowing), it was a pool of bacteria. (Check attached photos and videos)

We tried reaching out to the new contracting firm, however its whereabouts was kept a secret.

We were told that the Junglee Restaurant adjacent to the Kund is looking after the Kund. The restaurant owner passed on the buck to another person Sanjeev Kumar. Mr.Sanjeev Kumar tried offering us a refund of entry ticket to pacify us. Our faith is not for sale, so we never accepted the 'refund'. The private contracting firm details was never disclosed.

It was a disappointment and cause for worry. The staff is rude and uncooperative. At this state, another religiously important place will lose its holiness and vanish into thin air.