East India · Bihar
Patna, Bihar
Sources: wikimedia
Before you go
Bihar's capital holds one of the Panj Takht; the Prakash Utsav (Guru Gobind Singh's birth anniversary, Dec-Jan) is the peak.
About Patna
- Riverside
Where it is
Patna, the capital of Bihar, stretches for many kilometres along the southern bank of the Ganga near where the Son, Gandak and Punpun rivers join it, on the plains of eastern India.
History
As Pataliputra, founded in the 5th century BCE, the city was the capital of the Magadha kingdom and then of the Maurya and Gupta empires, and the Greek envoy Megasthenes described it. Sher Shah Suri revived it in the 16th century, Guru Gobind Singh was born here in 1666, and under British rule it became the capital of the new province of Bihar and Orissa in 1912.
People
Patna speaks Hindi, Magahi, Urdu, Bhojpuri and Maithili, reflecting its place at the crossroads of Bihar's regions. Chhath, when families offer prayers to the setting and rising sun from the ghats, is the city's great festival, and litti chokha and sattu are everyday favourites.
Known for
- Takht Sri Patna Sahib
- The Bihar Museum and Patna Museum
- Golghar
- Chhath on the Ganga ghats
- Litti chokha
Did you know?
Golghar, a huge beehive-shaped granary built by the British in 1786 to guard against famine, is climbed by a spiral stairway of 145 steps winding round its outside.
Shrines and sites
- Takht Sri Patna Sahib
- Mahavir Mandir
- Patan Devi temples
- Agam Kuan
Traditions
- Sikh
- Hindu
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.