Bhāgalpur

Bhagalpur is known across India as the Silk City, home to a tussar silk weaving tradition that has supplied handloom markets for generations and still supports thousands of weaving households in nearby villages and towns. The city sits directly on the Ganges, one of the last strongholds of the endangered Gangetic river dolphin, protected in a dedicated sanctuary downstream. Just outside town lie the ruins of Vikramshila, a ninth-century Buddhist university founded by the Pala dynasty that once rivaled Nalanda as a center of learning. Sultanganj, a few miles upriver, draws pilgrims to the Ajgaibinath temple, built on a rock island in the river. Talent covering Bhagalpur lists here on a subscription basis, and the platform handles the booking and the payment.