Ahalyāhrada (Ahalyahrada) is a sacred water-reservoir mentioned in Mahābhārata (Mahabharata). This is also called Ahalyā-kuṇḍatīrtha (Ahalya-kundatirtha). It is heard that the hermitage of Maharṣi (Maharshi ; great sage)Gautama was situated in this site, located in the Dvarbhanga district of Bihar. According to legends, Indra, the king of gods, soiled the chastity of Gautama’s wife Ahalyā in this very place. There is also an ancient well, which is said to have been made by Janaka, king of Mithilā (Mithila), as described in Mahābhārata (Mahabharata) —
janakasya tu rājarṣeḥ kūpastridaśa-pūjitaḥ.
There is an altar caller Ahalyāvedi (Ahalyavedi) in Ahalyākuṇḍa, under a tree. The king of Dvarbhanga has established a temple near this altar. Gautama-kuṇḍa (kunda) is located towards the west of Ahalyākuṇḍa, three miles away from it. In Mahābhārata, the blessedness of this site of pilgrimage has been praised a lot.