"Patna is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. Patna is the second-largest city in eastern India after Kolkata. It had an estimated population of 1.68 million in 2011, making it the 19th largest city in India. With over 2 million people, its urban agglomeration is the 18th largest in India. Patna also serves as the seat of Patna High Court.
The city is located at an altitude of 53 metres. Patna has one of the world’s longest bridges in the world, the Mahatma Gandhi Setu on the River Ganga. In terms of population, Patna is the second largest city of eastern India. Patna was founded in 490 BCE, when a king of the Magadha empire, Ajathashatru, fortified the then called Pataligrama. His son, Udayi continued the dynasty and developed the village into a town and thus, Pataliputra was formed."
Kumrahar stands proof of the cultural excellence of ancient Pataliputra. Located 5 kms from Patna, Kumrahar gives you an insight into the rich history of Patna. The site now contains archaeological remains of Mauryan palace. Excavations conducted at Kumrahar between 1912 and 1915 brought to light Mauryan pillared hall. Further excavations have unearthed more pillars and now the site is referred to as ‘Eighty Pillared Hall’.
Golghar is a fine specimen of the architectural splendor of the land. Captain John Garstin built Golghar in the year 1786 to use as a granary to store grain when famine hit the city. The architecture bears resemblance of the Stupa style. With 125 meters width and 3.6 meters thick, the granary has steps to lead you to the top. The view from the top is spectacular as you can see the majestic Ganges gushing beneath. Golghar also owned the pride of being the tallest building in Patna at that time. Though built to store grains, Golghar was never used to the maximum capacity. Owing to oversight while designing and constructing, Golghar could be opened only from inside and hence if filled to its full capacity, opening the doors would not be possible.
Situated at city’s centre, Patna Museum is sure to make your mind travel to the ancient times. It was constructed in the year 1917 and it is the oldest museum in the city. Influences of Mughal and Rajput style of architecture are evident in the construction of the museum. Though the museum possesses over 45000 artefacts, owing to space restraint, a minor percentage of the possessions are on display. Both the floors of the museums are dedicated to galleries including Natural History Gallery, Stone Sculpture Gallery, Indian Stone Art Tradition, Orissa Stone Sculpture, Buddha Relic Gallery and Painting Gallery.
Popularly referred to as Patna Zoo, Sanjay Gandhi Botanical Garden covers a sprawling 153 acre of land and finds a place among the largest zoos in the country. It was established in the year 1969. The zoo is home to 110 species of wild animals adding up to 800 animals. Some of the animals found here include tigers, white tigers, hippopotamus, lions, monkeys and many more. The place is a delight for bird watchers as a wide range of birds are seen here. Some of the museums in the garden include snake museum, bat museum and fish museum. Toy train in Sanjay Gandhi Botanical Garden takes you through the important places in the garden. There are battery-operated cars as well. For the adventurous lot, elephants wait to take them round the zoo. The pond situated at the centre of the garden has boating facilities.
Nalanda is one of the most important tourist destinations that attracts people from all parts of the world. Nalanda ranks amongst the first few residential universities in the world. It was established in 5th century AD and during its prime time, it had scholars and students visiting from various parts of the world including Korea, Turkey, Indonesia, China and Persia. Excavations have brought to light some of the marvelous structures here. Many temples and monasteries were built here. One of the temples offers spectacular view of the area around. Statues of Buddha in various sizes are seen here. Famous Chinese traveler Hieun Tsang had stayed in Nalanda during 7th century.
Mahavir Mandir is dedicated to Hanuman. It is believed that this temple was built in the year 1730 AD. The temple underwent modifications in the years 1983 and 1985. It is considered amongst the holiest temples by followers of Hindu faith. With over million pilgrims visiting the temple every year, it is named as the second most frequented shrine in Northern India.