Patna

The history of Patna starts from the year 493 BC when Ajatshatru, the king of Magadh, fortified a small village Pataligrama, which latter came to be known as Pataliputra. Located on the high bank of the river Ganges, the city was established by the son of Ajatshatru, Udayi. In the years that followed, the city saw many dynasties that ruled the Indian subcontinent from there. Pataliputra reached its pinnacle of glory under the Mauryas and became one of the most important capital cities. Patna became the capital of Bihar when India attained independence in 1947.

Golghar: Overlooking the Maidan the huge beehive shaped Golghar was built in 1786 as a granary to store surpluses against possible famines. The walls of this 29m high structure are 3.6 m thick at the base; it was built in 1786 and was a granary for the British army.

Agam Kuan: Legend has it that King Ashoka killed his brothers and threw them into this well.

Patna City Museum: The excellent museum contains metal and stone sculptures dating back to the Maurya (3rd century BC) and the Gupta periods, terra cotta figures and archaeological finds from sites in Bihar such as Nalanda. There are also original Chinese and Tibetan scrolls and paintings. The museum is closed on Mondays.

Sadaqat Ashram: Headquarters of the Bihar Vidyapeeth, this is the place from where the struggle for India's independence was launched in the State. It was also the retreat where Dr Rajendra Prasad, India's first President, lived after retirement. The museum here displays some of his personal belongings.

Kumrahar: Pataliputra, Ashoka's capital in the 3rd century BC, has been excavated at the small village of Kumrahar, south of Patna. It was earlier the capital of Chandragupta (321-297 BC), Bindusara (297-274 BC) before Ashoka ruled from here between 274 and 237 BC. The main points of interest are the assembly hall with its large pillars which date back to the Mauryan period" and the remnants of the brick Buddhist monastery known as Anand Bihar. North-west of Kumrahar is Bhikna Pahari where Ashoka built a retreat for his brother Mahinda. Kumrahar is six km from central Patna but the excavations are fairly esoteric and likely to be of interest only to those with a keen interest in archaeology and India's ancient history.

Khudabaksh Oriental Library: Founded- in 1900 this library has a renowned collection of rare Arabic and Persian manuscripts, of Moghul and Rajput paintings and oddities like the Koran inscribed in a book only an inch wide. The library also contains the only books rescued from the sack of the Moorish University of Cordoba in Spain.

Harmandir Sahib: At the eastern end of the city, in the Chowk area of old Patna, stands one of the holiest Sikh shrines. Built by Ranjit Singh it marks the place where Govind Singh, the 10th and last of the Sikh gurus, was born in 1660. This is one of the five holiest places for Sikhs. On the bottom floor of this dome-shaped structure there are holy Sikh scriptures and an exhibition of photos about the Sikh religion together with personal belongings of the Guru including his shoes and cradle. You must cover your head as you enter the shrine.