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Patna is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar,
and one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the
world.Megasthenes(350 BC-290 BC),in his book Indica has mentioned 'The city
of Palibothra( Patliputra,modern day Patna) was situated on the confluence
of the rivers Ganges and Arennovoas (Sonabhadra - Hiranyawah) and was 9
miles long and 1.75 miles wide. The modern city of Patna lies on the
southern bank of the Ganges, as it flows past with the combined waters of
the rivers Ghagra, Son and Gandak. At the point where the city is located,
the sacred Ganges looks more sea than river: mighty, wide and never-ending.
A bustling city of 1,200,000 people, the city is approximately 15 km long
and 5 km to 7 km wide.
Patna's history started around the year 490 BC when Ajatashatru, the king of
Magadh, wanted to shift his capital from the hilly Rajgriha to a more
strategically located place to combat the Licchavis of Vaishali. He chose
the site on the bank of Ganges and fortified the area. From that time, the
city has had a continuous history, a record claimed by few cities in the
world. Gautam Buddha passed through this place in the last year of his life,
and he had prophesized a great future for this place, but at the same time,
he predicted its ruin from flood, fire, and feud. With the rise of the
Mauryan empire, the place became the seat of power and nerve centre of the
sub-continent. From Pataliputra, the famed emperor Chandragupta Maurya (a
contemporary of Alexander) ruled a vast empire, stretching from the Bay of
Bengal to Afghanistan.Early Mauryan Patliputra was mostly built with wooden
structures. Emperor Ashoka, the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, transformed
the wooden capital into a stone construction around 273 BC. Chinese scholar
Fa Hein, who visited India sometime around A.D. 399-414, has given a vivid
description of the stone structures in his travelogue.
Patna has a very long riverline, and it is surrounded on three sides by
rivers—the Ganga, Sone, and Poonpun (also spelt Punpun). Just to the north
of Patna across the river Ganga flows the river Gandak making it a unique
place having four largish rivers in its vicinity. In Patna, as in most of
Bihar, the summer temperatures rise very high as the hot tropical sun beats
down with all its intensity coupled with a heat wave which though is not as
severe as say in Delhi. The city, being near four large rivers, experiences
a rather high humidity throughout the year.
Patna's culture is vastly dominated by Ang and Maithil peoples. they are
intellectual, smart, handsome with relatively short height and weak body.
There are mixed races with aryan decent and further down. They have unique
culture and much influenced by Bengal than their western brethern.
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HOW
TO REACH
By Air : Indian Airlines and other private airlines connect Patna
with Delhi, Calcutta, Varanasi, Guwahati and several other Indian cities and
Kathmandu.
By Rail : Patna is strategically located in the main line of the Eastern
Railway and therefore connected with Delhi, Calcutta and other important
cities of India and most cities within Bihar.
By Road : It is located on the National Highway No 30, Patna is well
connected to other cities of the country including those within the state.
WHEN TO GO
Best Time to Visit Patna is October to February.
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WHAT TO SEE |
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Golghar : It was Built for the purpose of storing
grains to be used in the times of famines, this round building was
completed in 1786 though never used. The construction of Golghar was
necessitated following famines like the one that took place in the
region in 1770. The base of the building is 125 metres in width and the
walls are 3.6 metres thick. There are stairs to go on to the top of the
building that gives some beautiful views of the city and the river Ganga
nearby.
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Har Mandir : Har Mandir is the second-most
important gurudwara in India, the Takht Harmandir was built by Guru
Gobind Singh, the 10th guru of the Sikhs. The gurudwara built in white
marble with kiosks on the terraces consecrates the birthplace of Guru
Gobind Singh. is an important Gurudwara for the Sikhs. The Gurdwara is
situated in the Chowk area of Patna City (the older part the city). The
gurudwara is situated in the Chowk are of Patna city and has a museum on
it's third floor.
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Patna Museum : The museum displays a prized
collection of archaeological finds from different sites in Bihar. Metal
and stone sculptures of the Maurya and Gupta Periods, terracotta
figurines, ashes of the Buddha and a 16meters long fossilized tree
feature among the exhibits.
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Kumhrar : It is situated Nearly 5 km away from
Patna, this is the site of ancient Mauryan capital Patalipra. A huge
80-pillared hall of the Mauryan dynasty is an important find from the
excavation.
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Padri ki Haveli : Padri Ki Haveli (The old Roman
catholic Church of1775): Built in late 18th century, worth seeing for
its architectural designs.
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Khuda Baksh Oriental Library :- This is known as
the “world of manuscripts” in India, this is a treasure house of
medieval manuscripts and is famous for its rare Arabic and Persian
manuscripts, rich paintings and numerous volumes of rare books.
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Agam Kuan : This archeological remains of a deep
well is one of the major tourist attractions in Patna. It is believed to
be associated with the time of Ashoka.
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The Planetarium : The Patna Planetarium is one of
the largest planetariums in Asia and attracts a large number of domestic
as well as foreign tourists. It has regular film shows on subjects
related to astronomy and also holds exhibitions.
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WHERE TO EAT
Patna has many places to eat out. They range from modestly priced
restaurants to really inexpensive (hygiene questionable) food stalls. Most
offer a variety of Indian cuisines including South Indian, north Indian
tandoori and Indianised Chinese food. Snack bars and sweetmeat shops also
sell a wide variety of quick, ready to eat meals including local versions of
noodles, burgers and pizzas. Restaurants are as given below:-
Gokul Mini Restaurant : East Gandhi Maidan, Patna - 800004 0612 673120
Navneet Restaurant : Marwari Awas Griha Compound Fraser Road, Patna -
800001 0612 220625
Shree Basant Vihar Restaurant(A/C) : Maurya Lok Complex, New Dak Banglaw,
Road, Patna - 800001 0612 230469.
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