Patna earlier known as Patliputra has a rich past. Patna is known to be one of the longest continuously inhabited place in world. The history of Patna dates back to the dawn of civilization thereby making it a place with rich cultural heritage. There are many tourists sites in Patna due to this reason. There are many historical, religious and monuments that speak volumes about the past of Patna. Here are some of historical destination you shouldn’t afford to miss when in Patna
Kumhrar Park
Kumhrar Park is one of the places with extreme historical importance. It is 6kms away from Patna Railway Station. Kumhrar
Park is known to be the hub of archeological finds, Kumharar has been
excavated many a times in the past and was considered the ancient
capital of Patliputra, which was ruled by Ajatshatru, Ashoka and
Chandragupta. Many relics have been found at this site which date back
to 600 B.C which existed at the time of Chandragupta Maurya. Assembly
hall of 80 Pillar was found which is an example of the architectural
acumen of the people of that era. Visit Kumhrar if you want to know the
history of Patna. It also has remains of a Buddhist monastery and
several other things which are preserved in the museum.
Golghar
Visit Golghar for the sheer architectural marvel of this granary. As the name suggests 'Golghar' is a round structure situated on the west side of Gandhi Maidan. It should not be visited for a beautiful experience it might provide but for the historical significance of this structure. Golghar is basically a granary built after the fatal famine of the 1770 which claimed about 10 millions lives in Bihar, Bengal and the area now known as Bangladesh. It was completed in the year 1786, built on the classic Stupa architecture. There is a spiral stairway of 145 steps through which the tourists can climb atop the Golghar and get a good view of Patna.
Shershah Masjid
It is also one of the landmarks and is built by
Shershah Suri in 1540-1545 to honour his reign. It is one of those
classic examples of Afghan structure, situated in south-west corner of
Purab Darwaza, Patna City. The striking feature of this mosque is
central dome in between and four small domes surrounding it, what makes
it unique part is that from whichever angle you look on it there appears
only three domes. It is one of the historic mosques of India and hence
holds importance.
Khuda Baksh Library
Khuda Baksh Library is considered as one of the national libraries of India and also considered as ‘Manuscript Conservation Centre’ (MCC) under the National Mission for Manuscripts. It was opened in 1891 by Khan Bahadur Khuda Baksh with 4000 manuscripts. He inherited 1400 manuscripts from his father, Khuda Baksh Library is known to have rare Persian and Arabic manuscripts. It also contains paintings from the Rajput and Mughal eras. Some of the citable manuscripts are Timur Nama, Diwan-e-Hafiz, Padshah Nama, Shah Nama, Safinatul Auliya among others. This library was converted to public library in 1880 and eventually opened by the then governor of Bengal, Sir Charles Elliot on 5th October, 1891.
Patna Museum
It is also popularly known as 'Jaadu Ghar'. It is the state museum and was built by Britishers in 1917 to preseve the artifacts found in the vicinage of Patna. It has collection of archeological finds including coins, paintings, art objects, textiles etc. It also has a collection of paintings depicting life of the first president of India, Dr.Rajendra Prasad . One of the interesting things found at the museum is the fossil of the 200 year old tree which has been preserved in the museum. There is entry fee for this museum and but charges are very nominal.