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. |
