Patna: A City From The Past

Country: India

State: Bihar

District: Patna

Area: 3,202 square kilometres

Population: 1.8 million (14th most populous city in India)

Elevation: 174 feet

Time Zone: GMT plus 5:30 hours

• Pincode • 800 XXX
• STD code • +0612
  • Literacy: 63 per cent
  • Sex ratio: 839 females per 1,000 males

Patna is the capital city of the north Indian state of Bihar. The city is located in the river-dominated plains of north India. Located on the southern banks of the Ganges, the city is also situated close to Kosi, Sone and Gandak rivers. Patna is nearly 25 km long and 10 km wide. Patna is the largest city in eastern India after Kolkata in West Bengal. It is the biggest city in Bihar.

History

Patna is one of the oldest centre of human civilisation in the history of the world. During the days when Magadha thrived as an empire under several dynasties like the Haryankas, Shisunagas, Nandas, Mauryas, Sungas, Kanvas, Guptas, Palas and others, Patna was known as Pataliputra. It was a significant centre of learning in those days. Patna is also the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh. The accounts of the famous Chinese traveler Fa Hien also include Patna’s reference.

The story of the city is believed to have started rolling around 480 BC when Ajatashatru, the king of Magadha and son of Bimbisara decided to shift his capital to a more strategic location from the hilly Rajgriha to tackle his enemies. The new location was on the bank of the Ganges and a fortified area. It was initially called Pataligrama and then as Pataliputra. Gautama Buddha also spent the concluding days of his life at this place.

Patna reached the height of its glory under the Maurayn rule when it became an important centre of power. Pataliputra was the capital of the great Mauryan king, Chamdragupta Maurya. During his days, the city mostly had wooden structures which were changed to stone construction during the days of Emperor Ashoka. Pataliputra’s mantion could be found in the accounts of foreign scholars like Fa-Hien and Megasthenes.

After the fall of the Guptas, the city went through a period of uncertainty until Sher Shah Suri revived it in the 16th Century. Still later, Patna went into the hands of the Bengal nawabs and in 1765 after the Battle of Buxar, the British gained hold of the city.

In 1912, Patna became the capital of Orissa and Bihar when following the division of the Bengal Presidency.

Patna was the capital of the state of Bihar after independence of India in 1947 and it has remained so after the bifurcation of Bihar in the year 2000.

Name

There are several theories regarding the source of the name ‘Patna’. Some believe it came from the Sanskrit word ‘Pattan’ meaning port for the city is situated near the confluence of four rivers. Again, many believe the name has descended from Patan Devi, a Hindu goddess. A third opinion is that Patna’s name originated from its ancient name Pataliputra. The name could have originated also from the Greek name Palibothra, which was mentioned in the writings of Greek historian Megasthenes. Patna’s name has followed an evolutionary history, from Pataligram, Pataliputra, Kusumpur, Pushpapura, Azimabad, to the present-day Patna, which came into prominence during the reign of Sher Shah Suri.

Climate

Patna, like the most parts of Bihar, experiences subtropical climate with hot summers from March to June. Monsoons generally lash this part of the country in late June and continue till September. Winter extends from November till February with December and January being the coolest time. The lowest temperature can dip much below zero degree Celsius. Annual rainfall is around 1,000 mm.

Places of attraction in Patna

• Hanuman Mandir
  A famous temple located near to the Patna Junction.
• Patan Devi Temple
• Kali Mandir
• Kumhrar
  It is known for the artifacts and ruins that date back to the Mauryan times. The ruins include a Buddhist monastery, pillared assembly hall, clay figures, etc.
• Takht Shri Patna Sahib
  It is a religious place for the Sikhs and was constructed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

• Golghar
  The building is a granary that was built for storing grains during famine. One can get a glimpse of the entire city from atop Golghar.
• Patna Museum
  Patna Museum or ‘Jadu Ghar’ is one of the main tourist attractions of the city. Besides a wide range collection of stone and bronze sculptures and terracotas, the museum also hosts the Didarganj Yakshi, a fine piece of Mauryan art.

• Patna Planetarium
  It is the largest planetarium in Asia.
• Qila House
  Qila House is a place where one can find rare jade collections, Chienese paintings and works of art from various far-eastern states. The items that are in store here are collections of Diwan Bahadur Radhakrishan Jalan (the Qila House is also called Jalan House)
• State Secretariat Building
  This building is a top attraction of Patna. Its Clock Tower and Martyrs’ Memorial that commemorates the killing of seven students in the hands of the British during the 1942 Quit India Movement.
• Gurudwaras like Gurudwara Gobind Ghat, Gurudwara Guru ka Bagh, Gurudwara Bal Leela and others.
• Muslim pilgrim sites like Phulwari Sharif, Sher Shah Suri Masjid, Pathar Ki Masjid, Maner Sharif and others.
• Padri Ki Haveli
• Darbhanga House
• Mahatma Gandhi Setu over Ganges, one of the longest river bridge in the world
• Saheed Smarak
• Sadaqat Ashram
• Sri Krishna Science Centre
• Jaivik Udyan (botanical garden)

Places of attraction near Patna

Hindu, Buddist and Jain pilgrimages like Vaishali, Rajgir, Nalanda, Bodhgaya, Vikramshila, Maner and Pawapuri. Rajgir’s history even dates back to the days of Mahabharata. Tourist spots in jharkhand can also be reached from Patna.

Geography

Patna is located on the confluence of several rivers. In fact, it is the largest riverine city in the world.

Economy

Retail, property and higher education are some of the fields in which Ranchi has shown good progress. Patna is the fifth fastest growing city in India. The city is ell advanced in service sector. Besides, Patna has a reputation of maintaining a high quality of agricultural exports including grain, sugarcane, sesame and the famous Patna rice. Of late, quite a number of multi-national companies also have come up in Patna. It has been ranked as one of the best business-friendly cities in India in a recent survey.

Facts about Patna

• Parliamentary constituency: Patna
• Assembly constituencies: Patna West, Patna Central and Patna East
• Civic body: Patna Municipal Corporation
• Official languages: Hindi, Maithali, Magadhi, Urdu, Bhojpuri, English
• Court: Patna High Court
• Police stations: Kankarbagh PS, Danapur PS, Sultanpur PS
• Newspaper: Patna Daily, Hindustan Times, Hindustan, The Bihar Times and others
• Universities/Institutes: Patna University, Chanakya national Law University, Indira Gandhi National University, Birla Institute of Technology
• Hospitals: Dr Ruben Memorial Hospital, Sahyog Hospital, Magadh Hospital, Sri Ram Hospital
• Sports stadium: Moin-ul Haq Stadium for cricket, Patna Golf Club and others.

How to reach Patna

By air
Patna airport receives flights from major cities of the country like New Delhi, Kolkata, Ranchi, Lucknow and others. Patna is also connected with Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The airport in Patna is called Loknayak Jayaprakash Airport.

By rail
Patna is a major stop in train links between eastern and northern India. It is an important transit point owing to its location on the main line of Eastern Railway division. Several trains link Patna with the national capital including the Rajdhani Express. Patna has rail links with Kolkata, Chennai, Amritsar, Mumbai, Varanasi, Lucknow and others. Patna has five major railway stations, namely, Patna Junction, Rajendranagar Terminal, Shahib Junction, Danapur Junction and Gulzarbag.

By road
Patna is also well connected by roadways from various parts of the country. National Highways 19 (Ghazipur-Patna), 30 (Mohania-Bakhtiyarpur), 31 (Barhi-Guwahati) and 83 (Patna-Dobhi) connect Patna. Patna is 1,015 km from New Delhi, 1,802 km from Mumbai and 556 km from Kolkata.

By water
Patna is accessible by National Waterways Number 1 (Allahabad-Haldia stretch of Ganges-Bhagirathi-Hoogly river system).

Accommodation in Patna

Being a capital city, Patna boasts of hotels of various ranges, from five stars to cheap hotels. Some of the notable hotels in Patna city are

• Hotel Maurya

• Hotel Chanakya
• Hotel Pataliputra Ashok
• Hotel Samrat International
• Hotel Satkar International
• Hotel 5 Diamond
• Avantee Hotel
• Hotel Apsara