Patna, a beautiful city on the banks of holy river Ganges, is famed as the capital of the state Bihar. This city in the north-east region of India has been continuing as a vibrant trade centre for many agricultural products including rice, sugarcane, sesame, wheat and oilseeds.

In ancient period, it was a serene and beautiful small hamlet a small hamlet fortified by the king Ajatashatru, a hero of ancient Indian history. Historically known as Pataliputra, Patna had praise worthy history, tradition and culture. It was ruled by many famous kings from well known dynasties including Maurya Dynasty. This ancient hamlet has many names under the rule of many dynasties. Patna was known as Kusum Dhvaja, Pataligrama, Azimabad, Padmavati and Pushpapura during ancient times. Under the rule of Maurya Kings, this beautiful town was in the pinnacle of its period. During this golden period many renowned personalities including famous astrologists and scholars Ashvaghosha, Vatsyayana, Chanakya, Aryabhatta, Sthalabhadra and Panini lived here.

Patna is the capital of the state of Bihar, in north-eastern India. It was formerly known as Kusumpura, Pushpapura, Pâtaliputra, and Azeemabad. Located on the south bank of the Ganges River, its rapidly increasing population was 917,243 in 1991.

To the Sikhs, Patna is a sacred city, and one of their temples is found there. Also, their tenth and last "human" guru, Guru Gobind Singh, was born in Patna, and the shrine Harmandirji, constructed by Punjab ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh, consecrates his birthplace.

Places to See in Patna :

Golghar : Overlooking the Maidan the huge beehive shaped Golghar was built in 1786 as a granary to store surpluses against possible famines. The walls of this 29m high structure are 3.6 m thick at the base; it was built in 1786 and was a granary for the British army.

Agam Kuan : Legend has it that King Ashoka killed his brothers and threw them into this well.

Patna City Museum : The excellent museum contains metal and stone sculptures dating back to the Maurya (3rd century BC) and the Gupta periods, terra cotta figures and archaeological finds from sites in Bihar such as Nalanda. There are also original Chinese and Tibetan scrolls and paintings. The museum is closed on Mondays.

Sadaqat Ashram : Headquarters of the Bihar Vidyapeeth, this is the place from where the struggle for India's independence was launched in the State. It was also the retreat where Dr Rajendra Prasad, India's first President, lived after retirement. The museum here displays some of his personal belongings.

Kumrahar : Pataliputra, Ashoka's capital in the 3rd century BC, has been excavated at the small village of Kumrahar, south of Patna. It was earlier the capital of Chandragupta (321-297 BC), Bindusara (297-274 BC) before Ashoka ruled from here between 274 and 237 BC. The main points of interest are the assembly hall with its large pillars which date back to the Mauryan period" and the remnants of the brick Buddhist monastery known as Anand Bihar. North-west of Kumrahar is Bhikna Pahari where Ashoka built a retreat for his brother Mahinda. Kumrahar is six km from central Patna but the excavations are fairly esoteric and likely to be of interest only to those with a keen interest in archaeology and India's ancient history.

Khudabaksh Oriental Library : Founded in 1900 this library has a renowned collection of rare Arabic and Persian manuscripts, of Moghul and Rajput paintings and oddities like the Koran inscribed in a book only an inch wide. The library also contains the only books rescued from the sack of the Moorish University of Cordoba in Spain.

Harmandir Sahib : At the eastern end of the city, in the Chowk area of old Patna, stands one of the holiest Sikh shrines. Built by Ranjit Singh it marks the place where Govind Singh, the 10th and last of the Sikh gurus, was born in 1660. This is one of the five holiest places for Sikhs. On the bottom floor of this dome-shaped structure there are holy Sikh scriptures and an exhibition of photos about the Sikh religion together with personal belongings of the Guru including his shoes and cradle. You must cover your head as you enter the shrine.

The Planetarium : One of the largest planetariums in Asia, the Patna Planetarium attracts a large number of domestic as well as foreign tourists. The planetarium has regular film shows on subjects related to astronomy. It also holds exhibitions, which attracts lots of visitors.

How to Reach Patna :

Air : Patna has got an Airport of its own with all the major Airlines having air services to and fro from the place.

Rail : Patna is well connected by trains from all over the country. Superfast and mail trains are available from Patna to other cities in India.

Road : This place is also well connected by roads. Bus services are available for places within the state as well as to other states.

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