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Archive for the ‘Bihar’ Category

Details

Altitude: 53 metres
Temperature (Max./Min.) Deg C: Summer – 40/21 Winter – Max. 20/6.
Rainfall:120 cms
Best Season: October to March
Clothing: Summer – Cottons Winter – Heavy Woollens

History

Patna once called Pataliputra the capital of Bihar,is among the world’s oldest capital cities with unbroken history of many centuries as imperial metropolis. A very fertile arched stretch of land along the bank of the Ganga. The history and heritage of modern day Patna go back well over two millennia. Like Delhi, Patna too had been the regal seat of governance for successive kingdoms since ancient times. And to this day, it is the capital city of the state. As each ruler ascended in power and established dynastic glory, he gave his capital a new name. Thus, the ancient Kusumpura metamorphosed through Pushpapura, Pataliputra, Azeemabad and now into Patna, a continuous history ranging from 6th century BC to present times – a record claimed by few cities in the world. It was Ajatshatru the Magadha king who first built a small fort in Pataligram on the bank of the Ganga in 6th century BC, which later blossomed into the ancient glory still to be seen in the neighboring archaeological sites at Kumrahar. Bhiknapahari, Agamkuan, Bulandi Bagh and Kankar Bagh. Pataliputra dominated the political fortunes of the whole of north India between 6th century BC and 5th century AD, a fact established by archaeological excavations. After a temporary eclipse, in 16th century, Sher Shah Suri returned the city to its former glory and established the present Patna. After the decline of the Mughals, the British too found Patna a convenient regional capital and built a modern extension to this ancient city and called it Bankipore. It was in Gandhi Maidan in this area, that Mahatma Gandhi held his prayer meetings.

Tourist Attractions

Vaishali

A place regarded holy by Buddhists and Jains, Vaishali is located around 55 kms from Patna. The place derives its name from King Visala from the epic work, Ramayana. It has the distinction of having been the capital of one of the first republics of the world which was run by the Lichchavi clan. It is at the same place where Lord Buddha preached his last sermon and declared his approaching Nirvana. Lord Mahavira, the 24th Jain Tirthankara, was also born here in Kundligrama (Vaishali) in 599 B.C. Some of the main attractions here are the newly built Vishwa Shanti Stupa, the Ashokan pillars and a host of other structures related to both Buddhism and Jainism.

Golghar

In the year of 1786, a huge granary Golghar or Round House was built by Captain John Garstin , After the devastating famine of 1770 which occurred in Bihar and killed millions of people, then the Governor-General of India ordered to construct this architecture for the purpose of storing grains for the British army. For lifting the grain bags, twisted stairs were made for the potters to load the grain through the hole which is on the top of the Golghar.

Khuda Baksh Oriental Library

Founded in 1900, a magnificent one man collection of rare Arabic and Persian manuscripts, Rajput and Mughal paintings, oddities like the Koran inscribed in a book only 25mm wide and an assortment of old and new books from the University of Cordoba, Spain. It is one of the national libraries in India. The library also contains the only books to survive the sacking of the Moorish University of Cordoba in Spain.

Nalanda

Situated approximately 90 kms away from Patna, Nalanda was one of the greatest seats of Buddhist learning in ancient times. Though it is a small village today, archaeological excavations made from here have unearthed a large part of the most important centre of Buddhist learning all over the world. Important attractions are some retrieved ruins of the Nalanda University, the Surya Mandir, the Hiuen Tsang Memorial Hall, the Nalanda museum and the Nav Nalanda Vihar.

The Archaeological Museum was established in 1917 and houses the antiquities mainly those excavated from Nalanda, the earliest university cum monastery complex and from Rajgir. In the museum there is a small but beautiful collection of Buddhist and Hindu bronzes and a number of undamaged statues of the Lord Buddha that were found in the area. Two enormous terra-cotta jars of the first century stand intact behind the museum in a shaded enclosure. The collection includes copper plates and stone inscriptions, coins, pottery and samples of burnt rice (12th century AD) found among the ruins here. Open during 10.00 to 17.00. The museum is closed on Friday.

Two huge jars found from the monastic complex at Nalanda have displayed in a separate shed. A rich wealth of stone sculptures and images, terracotta, bronzes and other antiquarian objects are preserved in its reserve collection. Out of 13463 antiquities, 349 are on display in the four galleries of the museum. The antiquities from Nalanda are datable from 5th to 12th century AD but some of those from Rajgir are a little earlier in date.

The Sonepur Mela takes place at the town Sonepur which is 22km from Patna. The Mela takes place on Kartik Purnima, a fortnight after Diwali , and people from all over the world get together to participate in this huge festival and is enjoyed by all. The full moon day of the month of Kartik (November) is regarded as one of the most auspicious days for the Hindus. Sonepur situated on the confluence of the holy rivers Ganga and Gandak, has the reverence of a blessed ground and lasts for a fortnight. In ancient times the Royal Rajahs and Nawabs used to camp here. The Sonepue Fair has unique and historical importance.

The sprawling mela ground here with the pulsating market has the widest possible range of cattle and commodities. The array of shops sells all sorts of merchandise. Sonepur Fair is the only one of its kind where a large number of elephants are sold. These are purchased mainly by forest departments and people involved with logging operations. Apart from elephants, a large number of cattle and horses are also brought to the fair for sale. Various folk shows, games and jugglers can be seen in the fair.

Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, spread over 34 acres of land, is located in Patna of Bihar. Established in 1969 as a botanical garden, it was later developed into a biological park. It has been declared a protected forest by the state government. One of the 16 large zoos in India, the park is home to over 300 species of trees, herbs and shrubs. There is an exclusive nursery for medicinal plants. Rose garden, orchid house and grass lawns can also be found here.

The Patna Zoo makes considerable effort to conserve and propagate endangered species from around the world. Breeding captive wild animals is a difficult challenge that the zoo has met with some notable success. Apart from this, it harbors more than 800 animals. Aquarium and snake house are the added attractions. The aquarium has about 35 species of fish and is the maximum revenue earner for the park after the gate entry fee. Snake house has 32 snakes belonging to 5 species.
 

The Martyr’s Memorial is a memorial to seven freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives during the Quit India Movement in August 1942, while attempting to hoist the national flag. Martyr’s Memorial is situated outside the Secretariat building in Patna. 

The foundation stone of Martyr’s Memorial was laid on August 15, 1947, by the governer of Bihar, Mr. Jairam Das Daulatram. The sculptor Mr. Deviprasad Roychoudhry built the [bronze] statue of the seven students with the national flag. These statues were cast in Italy and later placed here. The names of the seven martyr’s are engraved in the memorial :

Umakant Prasad Sinha of Ram Mohan Roy Seminary,class IX;
Ramanand Singh of Ram Mohan Roy Seminary, class IX;
Satish Prasad Jha of Patna Collegiate School, class X;
Jalpati Kumar of Bihar National College, 2nd year;
Devipada Choudhry of Miller High English School, class IX;
Rajendra Singh of Patna High English School, matric class;
Ramgovind Singh of Punpun High English School, matric class IX;

Gandhi Setu is built over the river Ganga. The Ganga, especially, is the river of India, beloved of her people, round which are intertwined her memories, her hopes and fears, her songs of triumph, her victories and her defeats. She has been a symbol of India’s age-long culture and civilization, ever changing, ever flowing, and yet ever the same Ganga.

The bridge is located near Patna, capital of the state of Bihar in Eastern India. The 5.575 km long bridge between the faces of the Hajipur side abutment and the last foundation on the high bank at Patna, consists of 45 intermediate spans of 121.065 m each, and
two end spans of 65.530 m each. As the river carries navigational traffic, the span arrangement for the decking had to be provided with a minimum headroom clearance of not less than 10.7 m. The headroom
has to be maintained in all the spans of the bridge except for the last few spans on the Hajipur side, which covers a length of 305 m.

The cantilever segmental construction method is adopted to construct this mega bridge. This bridge was built by Gammon India Limited. It was innaugurated by the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi in 1982.

Patna city at one point of time have ruled the entire Indian subcontinent. This is the truth and there are many interesting monuments here that remind you of the rich past of the city. Panic stricken by the devastating famine of 1770, the British ruler Captain John Garstin had built a SILO or Golghar for the storage of foodgrains for British army with the storing capacity of 140000 tons on 20th July 1786, at the east bank of the Ganga where today’s Gandhi Maidan is located. At present it is the Central Granary. First in Asia and largest in the world this SILO has unique qualities in architecture. It is round like a honeycomb.

Golghar or the round house, the huge granary was built in 1786 by Captain John Garstin, at the behest of the then administrator, Warren Hastings. Bihar experienced severe draught that resulted in acute famine in the year 1770. Alarmed by the situation faced by the people, this massive granary was constructed for the British army.

The enormous structure is 29 m high and is 3.6 m wide at the base. Overlooking the river and the plains, it looks like the upper half of a gigantic, decorated Easter egg, with the spiral stairway winding around this monument, adding to its embellishment. It offers a magnificent breathtaking view of the city and the river Ganges, flowing nearby.The spiral staircase was so designed, in order to facilitate the passage of the coolies, who had to carry grain-bags up one flight, deliver their load through a hole at the top, and descend the other stairs.

Bodhgaya is one of the most important and sacred Buddhist pilgrimage center in the world. It was here under a banyan tree, the Bodhi Tree, Gautama attained supreme knowledge to become Buddha,the Enlightened One. Born; in the foothills of the Himalayas as a Sakya prince of Kapilvastu (now in Nepal), most of the major events of his life, like enlightenment and last sermon, happened in Bihar. Buddhism as a religion was really born in Bihar and evolved here through his preaching and the example of his lifestyle of great simplicity, renunciation and
empathy for everything living.

Bodh Gaya is a place which should be visited or seen by a person of devotion and which would cause awareness of the nature of impermanence.

Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound. The site of the enlightenment now attracts Buddhists and tourists from all over the world. At any time during the cooler months between December and March, a visitor to Bodh Gaya can observe a continual stream of
Indian and international pilgrims walking the roads or arriving in buses, circumambulating the temple, performing prostrations and offering prayers in a multitude of languages. For those who aspire to awaken their full potential, Bodh Gaya today is truly a field vibrant with the potentiality of enlightenment. Enriched by devotion of Buddhists of all traditions, this holy site is emerging
as a powerful inspiration to the modern world, awakening people of all nations to the real possibility of enlightenment.