Formerly known as Pataliputra, Patna is the capital city of Bihar. Situated on the banks of River Ganga, Patna is the largest city of the state as well as headquarters of Patna district. Bounded by three rivers, it is the largest riverine city in the World. It is one of the World’s oldest capital cities that have an illustrious and long history that dates back to several centuries as an important city. The city had been the most esteemed seats of power and learning in ancient India. Patna is today, one of the fastest growing cities of India and has developed as a prominent tourist destination of the state. Geography and Climate Patna is situated on the southern banks of the holy River Ganges and its topography is segregated into two categories, namely a narrow strip of somewhat high land about 8 km in width along the southern bank of the Ganga River having very fertile soil and secondly alluvial fertile plains in the remaining portions. Patna has a humid subtropical climate with extremely hot summers and mild winters. In Patna the summer temperatures rise very high as the hot tropical sun beats down with all its intensity. The city, being near four large rivers, experiences a rather high humidity throughout the year. The summer begins in April and peaks in June/July with the temperature soaring up to 46° C till the moisture laden monsoon wind start blowing. The monsoon season begins in August and lasts till September and at times continues till early October. The city experiences cold nights and sunny days from November to February till the arrival of the spring. Demographics According to 2011 provisional census data, Patna city had a population of 1,683,200 (before expansion of the city limits) within the corporation limits, with 894,158 men and 789,042 women. 11.32% of the population was under six years of age, with 102,208 boys while 88,288 are girls. The sex ratio of the city was 882 females per 1,000 males. The Patna metropolitan region had a population of 2,046,652 of which 1,087,864 are males and 958,788 are females. Patna metropolitan region constitutes the second largest metropolitan region in Eastern India. The religion data in 2001 indicated a majority of Hindus. The city has large communities of Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhism in the city. The overall literacy rate is 84.71%, with the male literacy rate being 87.71% and the female literacy rate being 81.33%. Hindi is the official language of the state of Bihar but many other languages are spoken. The native dialect is Magadhi or Magahi, named after Magadha, the ancient name of Bihar. English is widely spoken by Patnaites, and other widely spoken dialects and languages include Bhojpuri, Maithili, Bengali, Urdu and Oriya. History of Patna Patna has a long and illustrious history that dates back to the dawn of civilization in India. A city whose administrative power controlled vast region stretching from modern Afghanistan in the east to beyond Bengal in the west, from Kashmir in the north to Deccan in the south, and which brought the golden period of Indian art, culture and power, has a recorded history of more than 2000 years. Patna city which saw the rise and fall of powerful dynasties like of Mauryan's and Gupta's, was once considered at par with the glorious Mesopotamian city of Susa and Ecbatana. The original name of Patna was Pataliputra or Patalipattan and the name Patna has undergone many changes at its earliest stages like Pataligram, Kusumpur,Patliputra, Azimabad etc. and finally got its present name. During 6th Century BC, it was a small village where Buddha noticed a fort being constructed under the orders of king Ajatshatru (491 - 461 BC) of Rajgriha for the defense of Magadha Kingdom against the Lichchavis Republic of Vaishali. Impressed by its strategic location, successors of Ajatshatru, Udayabhadra shifted the capital of Magadha kingdom from Rajgriha to Pataliputra in the middle of the 5th century BC. Since then for about one thousand years Pataliputra remained the capital of great Indian empires of Nanda, Maurya, Sunga and Gupta dynasties. The city has also been an important center of activity in the fields of learning, commerce, art, culture and religion. With the rise of Mauryan Empire (321-185 BC), the glory and power of Patna increased manifold and it became the nerve center of the Indian subcontinent. Chadragupta ruled a vast empire and established a strong centralized state with a complex administration under Kautilya. Ashoka, the grandson of Chadragupta took over the empire to its zenith during his tenure. The city prospered in an era of peace and development during his reign. This city was the fountainhead of the spring of knowledge and wisdom in ancient times. With the fall of Mauryan dynasty in 184 BC, the empire crumbled, but the city continued to be important one. The rise of Gupta dynasty gave the golden age of the Indian culture. Chadragupta I (320-335 AD) conquered the Magadha kingdom and made Pataliputra as its capital. The kingdom was further consolidated by his son, Samudragupta (335-376 AD), and his grandson, Chandragupta II, also called as Vikramaditya. The Gupta era was marked by magnificent and creative architecture, sculpture and painting. In 12[SUP]th[/SUP] century AD, the city faced the most brutal attack when Qutb-ud-din Aibak destroyed the renowned learning center at Nalanda, 120 km from it and onstant brutal attacks on its cultural and educational centers gradually reduced it reputation as a center of learning. The city was again revived during the 16th Century AD by Sher Shah Suri, the warrior from Sasaram, 160 km from Pataliputra, who became the ruler of India for a short time. The mausoleum of Sher Shah at Sasaram is a masterpiece of architecture. After the decline of Mughal empire, the city went into the hand of Nawabs of Bengal. In the famous battle of Buxar, 115 km from Patliputra in 1764 AD, English defeated the Nawabs and that changed the course of history for the next two century. The city went into the hand of East India Company and Patna played an important role in the 1857 struggle movement. In 1912, when Bihar and Orissa were carved out of Bengal presidency, Patna was made the capital of Bihar and Orissa, although in 1935 Orissa became a separate entity with its own capital. Patna continued to be the capital of the state of Bihar after independence in 1947, though Bihar itself was partitioned again in 2000 when Jharkhand became a separate state of the Indian union. Culture of Patna Patna is blessed with a culture which has continuously evolved during the last 2500 years of recorded history. The population comprises of different sects of people who came here over the centuries and finally settled down. The evolution and spread of religions like Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism has added secular aspect to the city. The people from different regions of state also settled down in the city, bringing along with them culture, craft and language of the region specific, thus making the city as culturally vibrant. The city celebrates each major festival of India with grandeur; however, the biggest of all festival is Chhath, which bring a feeling of purity, devotion and worship in the city during its 4 day long duration. Beside it, Ramnavami, Jitiya, Teej and Somwari, Eid, Bakrid and Muharram are celebrated with great joy and pomp throughout the city, especially in the old city, called Patna city. Christmas, Buddha Jayanti, Mahavir Jayanti and Guru Nanak Jayanti are as well celebrated with great fervor in the city. Tourist Destinations in Patna Being the capital of ancient India as Patliputra, it has many places excavated belonging to Mauryan and Gupta period, roughly dating back to 3rd cent BC to 5th Cent AD. The artifacts excavated like Didarganj Chauri-Bearer has attracted worldwide attention. Being the gateway to the various Buddhist, Jainism, Sikhism and Sufism circuits, Patna has developed into a major tourist destination of India. Some of the famous travel destinations in Patna are: Golghar Martyr's Memorial Har Mandir Takht Patna Museum Pathar ki Masjid Sher Shah Suri Masjid Khuda Baksh Oriental Library Jalan Museum Sadaqat Ashram Agam Kuan Gandhi Setu Padri Ki Haveli Biological Park Modern Planetarium Kumhrar Transportation Air Patna is connected with many important Indian cities like, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata via airways. Several Airlines serve this airport with regular flights. Patna Airport is known as Jaiprakash Narayan International Airport, which has been named after an Indian independence activist and political leader Jayaprakash Narayan. Railways The Patna Junction railway station is connected to most of the major cities in India by the railway network. The city lies in between New Delhi and Kolkata which is one of the busiest rail route in India and houses six major stations, namely Patna Junction, Rajendranagar Terminal, Gulzarbagh Station, Danapur Station, Patliputra Junction and Patna Sahib Station. The main line of the East Central Railway passes through the entire length of the district running parallel to the Ganga. There are three railway lines running across the district from north to south, namely the Patna Gaya Branch line the Fatwah-Islampur Light Railway and the Bakhtiarpur-Rajgir Branch line. Road The city is served by several major road highways and state highways, including National Highways 19, 30, 31, and 83. National Highway 31 passes through Danapur, Patna and Patna City, while one branch goes to Barauni via Barh, the other proceeds to Nawada via Bihar. Luxury bus service between Patna and several neighboring cities is provided by the Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation and the Bihar State Road Transport Corporation. Local mode of transportation such as auto rickshaws, cycle rickshaws, etc are available.
