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                 PATNA TRAVEL GUIDE

The ancient name of Patna was Patliputra and it was the capital of the Magadha
empire.
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.

Legend ascribes the origin of Patna to a mythological king Putraka who created
Patna by magic for his queen Patali, literally Trumpet flower, which gives it its ancient
name Pataligrama. It is said that in honour of the first born to the queen, the city was
named Pataliputra. Gram is the Sanskrit for village and Putra means son.

From a scientific history perspective, it would be appropriate to surmise that the
history of Patna started around the year 490 BC when Ajatashatru, the king of
Magadh, wanted to shift his capital from the hilly Rajagriha 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.

The Mughal period was a period of unremarkable provincial administration from
Delhi. The most remarkable period during these times was under Sher Shah Suri
who revived Patna in the middle of the 16th century. He visualised a fort and a town
on the banks of Ganga. Sher Shah's fort in Patna does not survive, but the mosque
built in Afghan architectural style survives.

Mughal emperor Akbar came to Patna in 1574 to crush the Afghan Chief Daud Khan.
Akbar's navratna and state's official historian and author of Ain-i-Akbari Abul Fazl
refers to Patna as a flourishing centre for paper, stone and glass industries. He also
refers to the high quality of numerous strains of rice grown in Patna famous as
Patna rice in Europe.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Time zone        IST (UTC+5:30)
Area                  202 kmē (1,236 sq mi)
Elevation          53 m (174 ft)
District(s)         Patna
Population       1,200,000 (2001)
Density             375/kmē (971/sq mi)

PLACE TO VISIT

Agam Kuan -  literally the unfathomable well which is said to date back to the
Ashokan period.

Hanuman Mandir - The favourite Deity of the Patnaite. It is situated right in
front of the Patna Junction, the central railway station of the City. Long winding
queues can be seen at the temple on Saturdays and Tuesdays, the traditional
worshipping days of the deity.

State Secretariat Building -  and its Clock Tower, including the Martyrs
Memorial commemorating the seven school and college students who were brutally
killed by the armed forces under the command of the British Raj in front of the Patna
Secretariat during the Quit India movement of 1942.

Patna Museum -  called the Jadu Ghar: The well-known museum has a fine
collection of stone and bronze sculptures and terracotta figures of Hindu and
Buddhist artists. . It also has, what is considered to be, the best collection of
Buddhist religious paintings outside Tibet.

Saheed smarak -  situated near Bihar Vidhan Sabha. is a memory of seven
extra ordinary students who attempted to hoist the Indian flag on the top of Bihar
Vidhan Sabha in 1942 during English rule. The six were shot dead by the forces
under the command of the-then colonial government of India, while the last and the
seventh one was able to hoist the flag.

Darbhanga House -  also called Nav Lakha building. This was built by
Maharaja Sir Kameshwar Singh of Darbhanga. This beautiful building on the banks
of Ganges now houses the post graduate departments of Patna University. It houses
the Kali Mandir, which has been a place of worship of the goddess, the Maharaja
himself was a great devotee and the students of the Patna University rarely take an
exam without offering a prayer.

HOW TO REACH

Being an important centre in eastern india , it has got fine rail connectivity with all part
of country, many superfast trains & Prestegious Rajdhani Express between New
Delhi and Patna, Daily filght from New
delhi, Kolkata ,Ranchi, Chennai, Hydrabad, Banglore and Lucknow.