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Patna, the second largest metropolis city of Eastern India is the capital of Bihar. Previously known as Pataliputra, this was the capital of Magadha Empire under Mauryan, Haryanka, Nanda, Sunga, Gupta, Pala and Suri dynasties. It is one of the most famous oldest centres of learning and fine arts with a taste for history and religion. The 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Govind Singh was born here. This is the place where the greatest emperors and the greatest saints of India were seen.
Location
Patna, the modern city is located on the southern bank of the Ganges. This city is surrounded by three sacred rivers Ganga, Sone and Poonpun. The city also has Gandak and Punpun rivers. The Buddhist, Hindu and Jain pilgrim centres of Rajgir, Nalanda, Vaishali, Bodhgaya and Pawapuri are located near Patna. Patna is also regarded as the sacred city for the Sikhs. The city approximately ranges around 25 kilometers in length and 10 kilometers in width.
History
Patna was originated by a legendary King Putraka who made Patna by magic for his queen Patali giving it ancient name Pataligrama. Patna’s history started when Ajatashatru, king of Magadha wanted to shift his capital from hilly Rajagaha to Licchavis of Vaishali. Previously it was known as Pataligrama but later it was called Pataliputra and now it is known as Patna.
Gautam Buddha passed the last stage of his life in this place. From Pataliputra, Chandragupta Maurya ruled a vast empire from Bay of Bengal to Afghanistan. Early Pataliputra was built mostly with wooden structures but Chandragupta Maurya’s grandson, Ashoka changed the wooden structure into stone construction. Megasthenes in his book, Indica tells that the city of Pataliputra (modern Patna) was located near the rivers Ganges and Arennovoas.
Sher Shah Suri (Mughal period) built a fort in Patna and founded a town on the banks of the Ganges. The mosque Sher Shah Suri Masjid still survives in Patna. The book “Ain i Akbari” by Abul Fazl describes Patna as a flourishing centre for paper, stone and glass industries. By 1620, Patna was the largest town in Bengal and most famous centre for trade.
Attraction
This city is the home for various tourist attractions visited by various religions people and also by foreign tourists. Some of the famous attractions of Patna include Hanuman Mandir, Kumhrar, Takht Shri Harmandir Saheb, Golghar, Patna Museum, Patna Planetarium, State Secretariat Building and Qila House. Hanuman Mandir is the most famous temple of Patna where the devotees stand in long lines to offer prayers.
An important place of tourist attraction is Kumhrar where remarkable artworks and ruins of huge pillared assembly hall and Buddhist monastery of Mauryan times are found. Takht Shri Harmandir Saheb, the birthplace of Guru Govind Singh is an important place for Sikhs made by Maharaja Ranjit Singh-the ruler of Punjab. Golghar is an infamous monument used for storing grains and gives evidence of past architect and sculpture. Patna Museum, one of the main tourist attractions also called Jadu Ghar has wide collection of stone and bronze sculptures belonging to ancient and medieval phase of Indian history. Didarganj Yakshi is the most appreciated collection of this museum. State Secretariat building observes the death of seven schools and college students who were brutally killed by armed forces of British army during Quit India Movement of 1942. Patna Planetarium is the largest Planetarium in Asia where film shows are conducted related to astronomy. Qila house also called Jalan House is a treasure of interesting collectons, Chinese paintings and various artworks collected by Diwan Bahadur Radhakrishnan Jalan.
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