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.

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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.

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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.
 

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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;

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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.

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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.

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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.
 

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Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib is one of the famous Gurdwaras in Bihar located in Patna. Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, was born in 1660 in Patna. The Har Mandir Takht, one of the four sacred shrines of the Sikhs, stands at this holy site. The original temple was built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and contains belongings of the Guru and Sikh holy texts.

This Gurdwara, one of the holiest of five Takhts, attracts thousands of Sikh devotees. This Gurdwara is popularly called Haveli of Salis Rai John. It was once the residence of a great devotee of Guru Nanak. The Gurdwara was sanctified with the presence of Guru Tegh Bahadur . This shrine houses some holy relics of the tenth Sikh Guru including a Pangura (cradle) where the Guru used to sleep during his childhood. Apart from this, a pair of sandals, four iron arrows and a sacred sword are kept here.

There is a spacious congregation hall adjacent to the sanctorum where Guru Gobind Singh was born. The door of the inner sanctum is adorned with floral designs and copper plates. The Holy Guru Granth Sahib is kept on the central canopied seat.

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Patna is one of the oldest inhabited places in the world and present day Patna is located on the southern bank of the Ganges. Patna is the capital city of the state of Bihar and was formerly known as Pataliputra, which was the capital of the Mauryan Empire. The name Patna is said to have been derived from Patan which happens to be the name of a Hindu Goddess Patan devi. Patna is now a renowned name in the tourism industry and is an important place of tourist
interest housing lots of attractions that reflect its glorious past.

Patna’s most remarkable Mahatma Gandhi Setu is built upon the Ganges, which is one of the longest bridges in the world at 7.5 Km ,crosses the Ganges 5 Km west of the city centre. Patna is pretty densely populated. Patna’s most significant monument is the Gol-Ghar which is a huge grain storage and was built in 1786 by John Garstin at the behest of the then administrator, Warren Hastings, in the hope of avoiding the repetition of the terrible famine in 1770 .March of the every year is very special to Patna due to the Patliputra Mahotsava which makes Patna very live and people enjoys a lot.

Parades ,sports ,dancing ,music programmes are arranged at this time. The best time to visit Patna is between October to March. The climatic conditions during these months are comfortable enough to visit the place .The temperature varies between 17 to 28 degrees approximately. But in the starting of October it may be lower.So it is suggested to carry warm garments in the months from October to January.

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Patna may not be one of most sought after states of India, but the cricket stadium there is quite a spectacle. It holds 25,000 spectators and it hosted the first ODI between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka on November 15, 1993. Established in 1969-70 it was formerly known as Moinul Haque Stadium. The “Moin-ul-Haque” cricket stadium is located in the eastern part of Bihar.  The greenery of the stadium along with its huge size, enhances and energizes the sportsman spirit of the cricket players. The cricket ground of Patna has an excellent pitch for playing. The stadium is equipped with all the modern amenities that makes the Moin-ul-Haque stadium one of the best of its kind in the world.

This part of Bihar has produced many cricket stars, which has prompted the Government of the state and the regional cricket association to build a stadium that would further boast the budding cricketers. The Moin-ul-Haque stadium has a “Turf” pitch that follows the international standard. The cricket ground has a well maintained “Dressing Room” for the players that allows them to take proper physical and mental rest before any important match. The dressing rooms of the players are equipped with proper gymnasiums, beds to take rest, and well maintained toilets. The cricket ground also has “Pavilion” or “Club House” where the players can watch the match along with important dignatories and few eminent personalities. The stadium also has an excellent sitting arrangement for the cricket lovers.

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Image source : mapsofindia

Patna is located on the southern bank of the Ganga river. The Mahatma Gandhi Setu which is regarded as one of the longest bridges in the world stretches upto 7.5km, crosses the Ganga river, 5 km to the west of the city. It is the capital city of Bihar. It is an important business centre in eastern India .On the other hand it is also an entrance for the Budhist and Jain pilgrim centres situated in Bodhgaya, Nalanda, Vaishali, Rajgir and Pawapuri. Patna is airlinked with cities like Calcutta, New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Lucknow. It is linked with cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi, Calcutta and many other major cities by means of railway. There are regular inter-state bus services with connects bihar with Patna.

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Anyone planning to visit Patna, capital of Bihar, must note down some places which is must see….A brief information about those is provided below..

Patna Museum

Patna Museum is considered as an excellent museum as it is ornated with metal and stone sculptures. Its origin can be traced back to the Maurya and Gupta periods.It is a place where one can came across terracotta figures and archaeological finds from sites such as Nalanda. The meseum also houses the world’s longest fossilised tree, which is 16 metres in height and 200 million years old.

Golghar

Captain John Garstin laid the foundation of this building at the command of the British administrator Warren Hastings in July 1786. This amazing beehive shaped building served as a granary during terrible famine of 1770. A flight of steps winds round this 29m high building leads to the top from where one gets a fine view of the river Ganga and beautiful city of Patna.

Har Mandir

This is one of the holiest Sikh shrines in the state.This shrine consecrates the birthplace of the tenth religious preceptor of the Sikh faith, Guru Gobind Singh who was bornin the year 1660.It is carved entirely of white marble.Originally built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, a ruler of Punjab, Harmandirji is one of the holiest Sikh shrines . It is located in the Chowk area of Old Patna.This dome shaped structure contains Sikh scriptures and the personal belongings of the guru.

State Museum

The museum is located at Buddha Marg. The major attraction of the museum is a rare collection of coins, paintings, terracotta, bronze and stone sculptures of the Maurya and Gupta periods. The Museum houses well renowned Mauryan Didarganji Yakshi (3rd century BC).It also icludes collection such as Ashes of Buddha, a First World War cannon, Jain sculpture and archeological finds from Bodh Gaya, Nalanda and Kukrihar. One can come across the Tibetan and Chinese sections where one can see 15 meter long fossil tree. The mezzanine floor contains the Tibetan ‘Thankas’.

Khuda Baksh Oriental Library

Khuda Baksh Oriental Library is one of the national libraries of India.It was set up at the turn of the century in the year 1900.The library has a distinguished collection of rare Arabic and Persian manuscripts, Rajput and Mughal paintings and oddities like an inch-wide Quran.The library also houses the only books rescued from the plunder of the University of Cordoba in Spain

Kumrahar

Kumrahar is the site of the ancient city of Pataliputra.It is located on the Kankarbagh Road which is 5 km from Patna Railway Station. Excavations here have revealed relics of four continuous periods from 600 BC to 600 AD. The fifth period begins from 1600 AD. The 80pillared huge hall of the Mauryan dynasty is regarded as an important find.

Gulzaribagh

It is situated at 8 kms far from Golghar near Kumrahar. This site was use for warehousing old opium of former East India Company.

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