Magadh · Middle & Lower Gangetic Plain
Terrain and eco-zones
Humid subtropical, hotter and drier than north Bihar — around 1,000 mm of rain, falling almost entirely between late June and September, and less reliable than the northern districts receive. May and June reach 42–45 °C with a hot westerly wind; January nights fall to 6–8 °C.
Landforms
Older alluvium, harder and less fertile than the north bank's, with laterite patches in the southIsolated hill groups — the five hills that ring Rajgir, the granite domes of Barabar, and the Gaya outcropsVindhyan scarp along the southern edge, rising towards the Chota Nagpur plateauAhars and pynes — embanked catchments and contour channels, a landscape modified by hand over centuriesDry deciduous forest and scrub in the southern districts
Rivers and waters
Phalgu (Niranjana) — dry on the surface for most of the year, with water beneath the sandSone — the western boundary, wide, sandy and seasonalPunpun, Sakri, Morhar and Mohane — monsoon rivers that fill and empty within daysKiul and Harohar in the eastGanga along the northern edge, with Patna on its bank
Through the year
| Season | Months | Typical | What it is like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | November–February | 6–24 °C | Cool and dry, and the region's season — tilkut is pounded in Gaya, the Bodh Gaya monasteries fill with pilgrims and Tibetan teachings, and Makar Sankranti brings dahi-chura and til. |
| Summer | March–June | 26–45 °C | Very hot and dry, with the rivers reduced to sand. Sattu, chura and green mango carry the working day. |
| Monsoon | July–September | 27–35 °C | The rivers run for a few weeks and the ahar-pyne system captures what it can. Paddy transplanting, and the ropni songs sung with it. |
| Post-monsoon | October | 22–32 °C | Clear and green, with Pitru Paksha at Gaya and Chhath at the month's end — the busiest weeks of the region's year. |
Best time to visitOctober to March. Pitru Paksha at Gaya, in September or October, is extraordinary but the city is completely full; Bodh Gaya is at its best from December to February, when the Tibetan teaching season brings tens of thousands of pilgrims.
The climate, landforms, rivers and seasons of Magadh, and the best time of year to visit. (4)