Patna
The ancient city of Pataliputra, now known as Patna is the capital of
Bihar. It is located on the
southern side of Ganga river and stretches about 15 Kms. This historically
famous city has been ruled by major kingdoms like Magadha, Maurya, Gupta, Pala
and Mughal emperor and renamed several times by the rulers. Relics of this
ancient city can be seen at Kumhrar, Bhikhnapahari, Agamkuan, Bulandi Bag etc.
Today it is an important business centre of eastern India.
There are daily flights to Patna from Delhi, Calcutta and Lucknow. Patna is linked by rail with New Delhi,
Mumbai, Varanasi, Calcutta and many other major cities. Patna is well
connected by road with Bodhgaya (125 km), Calcutta (90 km), Rajgir (102 km) and many other places
of tourist interest within Bihar.
Golghar
This huge and impressive granary is situated between Maidan and the Ganga river. Captain John Garstin of the Bengal
Engineers build it in 1786 to store grains for the British army following a
terrible famine. This building has an extra
ordinary 29 meter high ovoid dome and has a base of 125 meters and 3.6 meters thick walls. It was
intended to hold 137000 tons of grains. However, it was never
completed. It gives an excellent view of the city and the Ganga river from its
top which can be reached by the winding stairway around it.
Har Mandir
This is one of the holy sites of Sikhs, located in the chowk area at old Patna. This shrine
was built by
Maharaja Ranjit Singh in white marble with kiosks on the terrace in commemoration
of Guru Gobind Singh, the10th guru of the Sikhs who was born in Patna in 1660. It is the second of the four great takhts or thrones in
the Sikh world. There is a museum which exhibits the photos, holy
scriptures and personal possessions of the Guru.
Saif Khan's Mosque
The mosque built by Parwaz Shah, son of Mughal emperor
Jahangir located near Harmandir on the banks of river Ganga, is also known as
Chimni Ghat, Sangi or pathar masjid. The mosque was built during Parwaz Shah's
tenure as Governor of Bihar.
State Museum
The
museum is at Buddha Marg. Opens from 1030 to 1630.Entry - free. This museum
contains a rare collection of coins, paintings, terracotta, bronze and stone
sculptures of the Maurya and Gupta periods. The famous Mauryan Didarganji Yakshi
(3rd century BC), Ashes of Buddha, a First World War
cannon, Jain sculpture and archeological finds from
Bodh Gaya, Nalanda and Kukrihar are included in the collection. It also
has the Tibetan and Chinese sections and 15 meter long fossil tree. The
mezzanine floor contains the Tibetan 'Thankas'.
Kumrahar
This archeological site is located 5kms from Patna railway
station on the Kanjarbagh Road. Excavations here have revealed relics of over a
thousand years of four ruling periods from 600BC to 600AD. The remains found
here is a huge Mauryan hall supported by 80 sandstone pillars dating back to
300BC.
Martyr's Memorial
The martyr's memorial is a sculpture near the
Secretariat honouring the seven freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives in
the Quit India Movement of August 1942. They were shot dead when they
attempted to hoist the national flag.
Gulzaribagh
It is about 8 kms east of the
Golghar near Kumrahar. This is an old opium godown (warehouse) of
former East India Company. This warehouse, hall and ballroom are open to
visitors.
Jalan Museum
The museum holds the private collection of jade, Chinese
paintings and silver filigree work of the Mughal period. It is constructed at
the site of Sher Shah's fort.
Khuda Baksh Oriental Library
One of the national libraries of India, Khuda Baksh Oriental
library has a rare collection of Arabic and Persian manuscripts,
books from the University of Cordoba, Spain and Rajput and Mughal
paintings.
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