Patna, the capital of Bihar State, has a fascinating past. And in each chapter of its history, it has been crowned by a new name-Kusumpur, Pushpapur, Patliputra and Azeemabad, it is one of the oldest cities in the world.
The 5.7 km – long Mahatma Gandhi Setu, one of the longest river bridges in the world, connects Patna with northern Bihar.
Takht Sri Harmandir Patna Sahib – GURUDWARA
It is a Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) in the neighborhood of Patna Sahib, India.
It was built in remembrance of the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs.
It was built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, who also built many other Gurdwara’s in the Indian subcontinent.
The current shrine of Patna Sahib or Takht Sri Harmandirji Saheb was built in the 1950s.
Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, was born in Patna, Bihar, in 1666. He also spent his early years here before moving to Anandpur.
Besides being the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh, Patna was also honored by visits from Guru Nanak as well as Guru Tegh Bahadur.
Golghar
The Golghar or Gol Ghar, (“Round house”) is a large granary located to the west of the Gandhi Maidan in Patna, capital of Bihar state, India.
Built in the Stupa architecture, the building has a height of 29 m. It is pillar-less with a wall of thickness of 3.6 m at the base. One can climb at the top of the Golghar through the 145 steps of its spiral stairway around it.
ANCIENT TEMPLE – Patan Devi
Patan Devi, also called Maa Patneshwari is the oldest and one of the most sacred temples of Patna. It is regarded as one of the 51 Siddha Shakti Pithas in India. According to Puranic legends, the ‘right thigh’ of the corpse of Sati had fallen here when it was chopped off by Lord Vishnu with his ‘Sudarshan Chakra’. The ancient temple, originally called Maa Sarvanand Kari Patneshwari, is believed to be the abode of the goddess Durga.
The name of the city Patna is widely believed to have been derived from the name of the Bari Patan Devi Temple (located nearby Patna Saheb Gurudwara).However, according to another belief, the name is derived from Patan, which means a town and Patna was a big place of export and import.
OLD TEMPLE – Mahavir Hanuman Temple
Mahavir or Hanuman temple of Patna is one of the holiest Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Hanuman, located outside Patna Junction in Patna, Bihar. Million of pilgrims visit the temple every year and is the second most visited religious shrine in North India. The idol of Sankat-Mochan stands in it. The Mahavir Mandir Trusts have the second highest budget in North India after the famous Maa Vaishno Devi shrine.
Kumhrar Park
Kumrahar is the name of an area of Patna, where remains of the ancient city of Pataliputra were excavated. It is located 5 km east of Patna Railway Station.
Archaeological remains of the Mauryan period (322–185 BCE) have been discovered here, this include the ruins of a hypostyle 80-pillared hall. The excavation finding here dates back to 600 BCE, and marks the ancient capital of Ajatshatru, Chandragupta and Ashoka, and collectively the relics range from four continuous periods from 600 BCE to 600 CE.
ANCIENT TEMPLE – Agam Kuan
Agam Kuan (bottomless well) is an ancient well and archaeological site in Patna, India. It is said to date back to the period of Mauryan emperor, Ashoka (304–232 BCE). Circular in shape, the well is lined with brick in the upper 13 metres (43 ft) and contains wooden rings in the remaining 19 metres (62 ft).
The Agam Kuan is set within an archaeological site identified by the Archaeological Survey of India which also contains the adjacent Shitala Devi temple where the folk deity Shitala Devi is venerated. Inside this temple, the pindas of the Saptamatrikas (the seven mother goddesses) are worshipped. The temple is widely revered for its belief in curing smallpox and chicken pox.
Patna Museum
Inaugurated on 3 April 1917 during the British Raj to house the historical artefacts found in the vicinity of Patna, it is in the style of Mughal and Rajput architecture and is known locally as the Jadu Ghar.
Bihar Museum
Bihar Museum is a modern state of the art museum located in Patna. It was partially opened in August, 2015. ‘The children’s museum’, the main entrance area, and an orientation theatre were the only parts opened to the public in August 2015. Later, in October 2017 remaining galleries were also opened. More than 100 artefacts were transferred here from Patna Museum.
Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library
Close to the banks of the Ganges, in Patna, stands the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library a unique repository of about 21000 Oriental manuscripts and 2.5 lakh printed books. Though founded earlier, it was opened for public in October, 1891 by the illustrious son of Bihar Khan Bahadur Khuda Bakhsh with 4,000 manuscripts, of which he inherited 1,400 from his father Maulvi Mohammed Bakhsh.
Buddha Smriti Park
Buddha Smriti Park also known as Buddha Memorial Park (as translated in english) is an urban park located on Frazer Road near Patna Junction in Patna, Bihar. This park has been developed by the Bihar Government to commemorate the 2554th birth anniversary of the Buddha. This park was inaugurated by the 14th Dalai Lama.
Barabar Caves
Dating back to the Mauryan period, Barabar Caves are the oldest rock-cut caves in India. Located in Jehanabad district in Bihar, about 31 Km north of Gaya, some of the caves have inscriptions that date back to the Ashokan period.
The caves are situated in the Barabar Hills. There are similar caves in the Nagarjuni Hills which are located less than two km away which are also considered as part of the Barabar Caves.
There are many Hindu and Jain sculptures in the caves that are believed to have been carved out of huge boulders from 273 BC to 232 BC. The caves were used extensively by monks belonging to the Ajivika sect.
The caves have huge arches and all the caves have two chambers that have been carved completely out of granite. They have an echo effect that is unique to these caves because of the way they have polished interiors. Of the two chambers, the first is designated for masses to assemble for worshipping shrines known as stupas that were placed in the inner chamber. The inner chambers are now vacant.
There are four caves that form the Barabar caves – Lomas Rishi, Sudama, Karan Chaupar and Vishwa Zopri.
Lomas Rishi caves are the most fascinating caves here which has been cut out of a huge mound of granite in such a way that it resembles the wooden huts that the Buddhist monks used to live in. There is a row of elephants that leads towards the stupas in the Lomas Rishi cave.
The Sudama cave has arches similar to a bow and has a circular chamber with a mandap. The Karan Chaupar cave is a single room with exquisitely polished inner walls with inscriptions that date back to 245 BC. The Vishwa Zopri cave has two rooms of rectangle shape that can be reached by the rock cut stairs.
Of these, Lomas Rishi and Sudama are the oldest examples of rock-cut architecture in the country with the architectural designs from the Mauryan period and they went to influence most rock sculptures in the next few centuries. Similar architectural detailing has been found in Ajanta caves and Karla caves along with many other caves in South Asia.
Navlakha Palace, Rajnagar
Lying in ruins, Navlakha Palace is situated in Rajnagar near Madhubani in Bihar.
This palace was built by Maharaja Rameshwar Singh and said to have suffered extensive destruction during an earthquake in 1934.
No renovation was done after the destruction, thus this palace remains in ruins now. It is a royal palace and even though it has been damaged so much, one can still marvel at its architectural brilliance. The palace complex comprised of gardens, pond and temples.
MOTIHARI
Motihari is the city from where Mahatma Gandhi began his legendary Satyagraha for the first time against the British rule.
The town of Motihari is a magnet for many Buddhist tourists throughout the year, as a major Buddhist stupa is situated here.
This stupa is widely known as Motihari stupa and is undeniably a magnificent structure, that stands tall at a height of 104 ft. Many believe that the existing stupa is the remains of a much greater stupa.
Legendary author George Orwell was born here and one can visit George Orwell’s monument.
The Mahatma Gandhi Museum and Stone Pillar are the most distinguished tourist locations of Motihari Tourism.
Moti Jheel is a historical canal located in the heart of the city of Motihari.
Kesaria Stupa, Kesaria (East Champaran)
Reckoned to be the tallest and largest Buddha Stupa in India, Kesaria Stupa is one of the major attractions of Bihar tourism.
The stupa is believed to have been built between 200 and 750 AD under the rule of Raja Chakravarti. With a height of 104 feet, it is an imposing structure that must be visited during a visit to Bihar.
Gandhi Sangrahalaya
The Gandhi Sangrahalaya situated in Motihari town has a wide collection of relics and photographs of the Champaran Satyagraha. The Gandhian Memorial Pillar in the ashram was designed by Nand Lal Bose, a famous artist of Shantiniketan.
