Patna,
one of the oldest cities in the world, offers something for everything. The city stretches for 15 km along the south
bank of the Ganges. The main railway station, airline offices and the
airport are all at the western end of the town, while the older and more
traditional part of Patna re to the east. The 'hub' of the new Patna is at
Gandhi Maidan. The main market area is Ashok Raj Path which starts from
Gandhi Maidan. To roads near the railway station recently changed their
names: Frazer Road is now M Haque Path, and Exhibition Road is Braj Kishore
Path respectively.
From
old relics like Kumhrar to new constructions like the Patna Planetarium,
there are interesting places for people of all interests, nationality, and
religion. It's no wonder then that the Patna has more tourists than any
other places in Bihar. There are many travel
agents for your needs catering from domestic travels within the state to
other parts of the country and abroad. For visitors, transportation
is abundant to roam in and around the city. Also, there are several hotels
in the area to suit just about any budget ranging from Marwari Basa to 3 or
4-star more expensive accommodations. Come and rediscover the glories of Patna where guests
and visitors are treated with immense respect and love.
LANDMARKS OF PATNA:
Patna Museum: This
is undoubtedly one of the best museums anywhere in the country. It has an
excellent collection of artifacts and collectibles. It has a 53-foot fossil
tree, 200 million years old. Besides this there are several metal and stone
sculptures dating back to the 3rd century BC.
There are also a number of
original terracotta figures and ancient household implements here. Some of
the original Chinese and Tibetan paintings are also very interesting. There
is also another museum, the Jalan Museum. It houses a private collection and
can be seen only with prior permission.
Gandhi Setu, a bridge built across the
mighty river Ganga connecting North and Central Bihar.
Moinul Haq Stadium, a center for
international sporting events and has hosted World Cup Cricket matches.
Planetarium, Dak Bungalow Road. One of the largest Planetarium
in Asia, the Patna Planetarium attracts large
number of domestic as well as foreign tourists. The planetarium has regular film shows on subjects related to
astronomy. It also holds exhibitions which attracts lots of visitors.
Kumhrar - 8 kilometer from Patna, this
is where excavations have found remains of the ancient capital, Pataliputra.
Patna is one of the oldest inhabited places in the world, dating back to a
document history till the 4th century BC. The highlights here are the
remains of a Buddhist monastery, Anand Bihar and an assembly hall with huge
pillars which date back to the Mauryan period. Another fantastic find here
is the 4th century BC palace of the Mauryas, the sheer size of whose
constructions says a lot about the lifestyle of the times.
Sher Shah Masjid:
This mosque was built in the Afghan style of architecture by the frontier
ruler Sher Shah in 1545. This is also the oldest mosque in the entire
region. Sher Shah Suri was easily the most important ruler of these parts in
the more recent history of this region, he broke away from the Mughal empire
of Humayun to setup his own kingdom.
Hari Mandir Temple:
This Sikh temple built at the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh
Guru. It is an important place of pilgrimage for the Sikh community, one of
the four most important pilgrimage spots for Sikhs. It was built by the
great Sikh ruler Raja Ranjit Singh. Because of the presence of this spot
here, Patna is very revered and referred to as Patna Sahib by Sikhs.
Rajgir: About
100 km. from Patna the Saptaparni cave
in Rajgir was the venue for the first Buddhist council held after the Buddha
attained Nirvana. During the Buddha's time, Rajgir and not Pataliputra was
the capital city of these parts. It was known as Rajgriha and was the
capital of Magadh, the major Hindu kingdom of this region in those days.
Rajgriha is also one of the most important places in the history of Buddhism
for it was here, in Griddhakuta, that the Buddha converted the Mauryan king
Bimbisara to Buddhism and paved the way for the foundation of the greatest
Buddhist empire in the subcontinent.
Rajgriha has several
interesting tales attached to it. There is the famous archaeological
discovery, 'Ajatshatru's fort' here that is said to be the place where King
Ajatshatru imprisoned his father Bimbisara. There is also the Vishwa Shanti
Stupa, a temple for wold peace built by the Japanese up the hill from Rajgir
which has to be reached by an aerial ropeway. There is also the Jarasandha
Akhada where the mythological battle between Bhima and Jarasdhana of the
Mahabharat is said to have been fought.
LANDMARKS AROUND GANDHI MAIDAN:
Golghar: This
is one of the more unlikely tourist attractions in the world, it is
basically a huge store house. The Golghar is a huge granary built in 1786 to
store food in case of famines. It was built by the British after a terrible
famine in 1770, but rarely ever used since then and has now become a tourist
attraction
