Beneath the din and bustle of 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.

Turning over the pages of early Indian history one comes across the name of the pre-eminent city of Patliputra. Located at the site where Patna is today, this city saw the rise and fall of India's first major kingdoms. Its period of glory spanned a thousand years, from 6th century BC to 6th century AD. After the decline of the Mughals, the British too found Patna a convenient regional capital and built a modern extension to this ancient city and called it Bankipore. It was in Gandhi Maidan in this area that Mahatma Gandhi held his prayer meetings.

General Information

How to get there

Air  
Patna is connected with Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, Lucknow, Ranchi.

Road
Patna is connected to Nalanda-90 km, Rajgir-102 km, Pawapuri-90 km, Gaya- 172 km Bodhgaya-179 km, Raxaul-210 km, Ranchi-335 km, Muzaffarpur-72 km, Sasaram- 152 km, Vaishali-56 km, Calcutta-653 km, Delhi-997 km.

In and around

Kumrahar
Site of the ancient city of Patliputra. Excavation here have revealed relics of four continous period from 600 BC to 600 AD. The fifth period begins from 1600 AD. An important kind is the 80 pillared huge hall of the Mauryan dynasty.

Golghar
This huge and impressive beehive-shaped structure was constructed in July 1786 by Captain John Garstin following a terrible famine in 1770, to serve as a state granary. A flight of steps winds round this 29m high building leading to the top from where one get a fine view of the river Ganga and Patna city.

Har Mandir
This shrine consecrates the birthplace of the tenth religious preceptor of the Sikh faith, Guru Gobind Singh. Originally built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, a ruler of Punjab, Harmandirji is one of the holiest Sikh shrines. Standing in the chowk area of old Patna, this dome-shaped structure contains Sikh scriptures and the personal belongings of the guru.

Martyrs' memorial
Life size statues in front of the old secretariat compound have been put up in memory of seven brave young men who sacrificed their lives in August 1942 in the historic struggle for India's independence.

Pathar ki Masjid
Situated on the bank of river Ganga, this mosque is known variously as Saif Khan's mosque, Chimni Ghat mosque or Sangi Masjid. It was built by Parwez shah, son of the Mughal emperor Jahangir, during his tenure as governor of Bihar.

Sher Shah Suri Masjid
Sher Shah Suri built this mosque in 1545 to commemorate his reign. Built in Afghan architectural style, it is one of the many beautiful mosques in Bihar and a landmark in Patna.

Khuda Baksh Oriental Library
Set up at the turn of the century, the library has a distinguished collection of race Arabic and Persian manuscripts, Rajput and Mughal paintings and oddities like an inch – wide Quran. It also contains the only books rescued from the plunder of the University of Cordoba in Spain. It is one of the national libraries of India.

Patna museum
The museum contains a First World War cannon, metal and stone sculpture of Maurya and Gupta periods, Buddhist sculpture, terra-cotta figures. The famous Didarganj Yakshi of 3rd century BC and a 16 m long fossilised tree are some of its special possessions.

Jalan museum
Built at the old site of Sher Shah's fart, it has an excellent collection of jade, Chinese paintings, Mughal glass and silver filigree carvings. It is a private collection and visitors need prior permission.

Sadaqat Ashram
It is the headquarters of Bihar Vidyapeeth, a national university. India's first President Dr.Rajendra Prasad lived here after his retirement and there is a small museum here displaying his personal belongings.

Maner
About 29 km from Patna, Bari Dargah, is the cenotaph of the Sufi Saint Hazrat Makhdoom Yahiya Maner. The tomb of his disciple Shah Daulat is also here. It is an important pilgrimage place for Muslims during the annual urs.