Patna – Ancient Indian Capital to Modern Tourist Destination

Once the seat of powerful dynasties like the Nanda, Magadha, Mauryan, Gupta, Pala and Suri, the seat of arts, culture and learning, the setting of Chanakya and his ‘Arthashastra’. Patliputra or Patna today is considered to be amongst the oldest continuously inhabited destinations in the world!

Over 3000 years of glorious history, beautiful ancient monuments and archaeological wonders simply dot different parts of Patna, giving it a strong edge for tourism. The city draws over 2.5 million tourists every year, thanks to its rich heritage and tourist attractions.

Travel and tourism in Patna, is not a modern bug, in fact the city has been a happening tourist hotspot since 300 BC. Greek geographers, Chinese Tourists, Buddhist monks and students travelled far and wide to reach this ancient capital. Travels and tours around Patna today might not bring in scriptures or monks, but they nevertheless create history.

Patna University ( Photo: Sankara Subramanian)

While the libraries of Nalanda University might be silent for centuries now, their stones nonetheless bring in a beautiful window into the magnificent and glorious culture of Ancient India. Patna tells each traveller different historical legends in the form of top attractions. Patna Tourism is simply open to every kind of traveller. It isn’t uncommon to see numerous ‘Indian Jones’ around the archaeological wonders of Patna.

Some of the Patna’s top attractions for tourists in terms of archaeological sites include:

1. Kumhrar –
   

   A historical place Kumhrar at Patna ( Photo: Anil Sao)
   This site is a beautiful remaining reminder of the great Mauryan Period. These archaeological remains that include the magnificent ruins of an 80 pillared hypostyle hall date back to 600 BC. The site is believed to be the capital of great emperors like Chandragupta, Ashoka and Ajatshatru. The mesmerising relics at Kumhrar range across 600 BC to 600 AD.
2. Agam Kuan –
   

   Agam Kuan in Patna ( Photo: Anil Sao)
   The ‘unfathomable well’ dates back to Ashoka the Great, the well is situated in the east of the city and is believed to be 105 feet deep! Brick encased, the well is held by a set of wooden rings, the diameter of Agam Kuan is believd to be 20’2’’. An interesting visit while in Patna, there are numerous legends and tales associated with the Agam Kuan.
3. Patna Museum-
   

   Patna Museum ( Photo: Amit)
   The magnificent Patna museum houses some of the best pieces of brilliant art and craftsman ship. One of the most magnificent sculptural and living examples of Mauryan Art, Didarganj Yakshi displays exquisite craftsmanship and is believed to be one of the most famous art pieces of India. The museum in itself is a wonder to behold, built in the Rajput and Mughal architectural style, Patna Museum is also known as Jadu Ghar. The museum is believed to house a World War I cannon, a 200 million years old tree fossil, numerous other Hindu and Buddhist art pieces.
4. Chausagarh-A famous historical destination, the destination is also called as Chausa and is famous as the destination where Humayun the Mughal emperor was defeated by Sher Shah in 1539 A.D

One of the sacred religious sites for Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and Islam, religious tourism too is booming in this 5^th fastest growing city in the country. For nothing is Patna considered to be one of the oldest inhabited cities!

1. Mahavir Mandir-
   

   Mahavir Mandir ( Photo: Amarendra Kishore)
   Considered amongst the holiest temples of Hinduism, this temple is dedicated to Lord Hanuman, and millions of devotees simply flock to the temple every year.
2. Patan Devi-
   

   Outside the temple of Patna’s reigning deity- Patan Devi ( Photo : Kush Kumar)
   Considered as one of the famous 52 Shakti Pithas of the Mother Goddess; this temple is believed to hold the ‘right thigh’ of the Goddess Sati.  The abode of goddess Durga, this temple is also called as Maa Sarvanand Kari Patneshwari.
3. Takht Shri Harmandir Sahib in Patna -
   

   Takht Shri Harmandir Sahib in patna ( Photo: Facebook)
   This sacred place is revered by all Sikhs as it is believed to be one of the 5 Takhts of Sikhism. This Gurudwara was built in remembrance for Guru Gobind Singh.
4. Gurudwara Pahila Bara – 
   

   Gurudwara Pahila Bara (Photo: India Tourism Guide)
   This famous Sikh Gurudwara believed to dedicated to Guru Nanak Dev, is also known as Gurdwara Ghai Ghat. It is said that Guru Nanak Dev stayed here during his visit to Patna.
5. Gurudwara Gobind Ghat –
   

   Gurudwara Gobind Ghat
   This is considered to be Gurudwara where Guru Gobind Singh as a child would play with other children. Located on the banks of Ganga, this Gurudwara is also known as Gurudwara Kangan Ghat.
6. Padri Ki Haveli –
   

   Padri Ki Haveli ( Photo : Arvind)
   
   
   One of the oldest churches of Bihar, the Padri Ki Haveli, is believed to have been built in 1713 when the Roman Catholics arrived at the state.
7. Pathar ki Masjid –
   

   Pathar ki Masjid ( Photo: Rachna Kumar)
   Standing on the banks of River Ganga, is the Pathar ki Masjid, said to be established by the son of Jahangir Parvez Shah, this colossal stone structure is believed to have been built in 1621.
8. Sher Shah Suri Masjid –
   

   Sher Shah Suri Masjid ( Photo : Rajan Ramkumar)
   A beautiful example of the Afghan style of architecture, the mosque is said to have been built to commemorate Sher Shah Suri’s reign from 1540-1541.
   

   Khuda Bakhsh Oriental library ( Photo: SXAA Patna Picasa)

Apart from beautiful archaeological wonders and religious attractions, there are numerous other Patna tourist attractions one can visit while you travel and tour through this ancient city. Some of these include the Patna Planetarium, which is said to be amongst the largest planetariums in Asia, the Sanjay Gandhi Jaivik Udyan which is one of the 16 big zoos of the country. While at Patna, do visit the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental library, which is known to house some rare and magnificent collections of Arabic and Persian manuscripts.  This national library is also hosts some rare paintings of the Mughal and Rajput rule.

Mahatma Gandhi Setu in Patna ( Photo: Niro Thakur)

Some of the Patna tourist spots include the Golghar or Round House, which was a granary built during the British rule in 1786 by Captain John Garstin. Visit one of the world’s longest bridges Mahatma Gandhi Setu, which runs a length of over 5450 metres. The bridge has over 40 piers.

Nalanda University( Photo: K Vishwanath Reddy)

These are but a few of the top attractions of the magnificent historical city of Patna, but while travelling in Patna, Bihar it would be nothing short of a crime to visit the historical and rather close sites ofBodhgaya, Nalanda University, Vaishali, Rajgir and many more, all of which give a beautiful insight in the rich and magnificent view of the history of Pataliputra.

View of Patna ( Photo: SXAA Patna in Picasa)

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