Patna (Bihar, India)

PATNA the provincial capital of Bihar dates back in the Indian history when the town was called Patliputra and later on it was also called Kusumpura. The city was visited by Lord Buddha in the 6th century B.C. Patliputra, in the time of Ashoka became the centre from where messengers of peace and international understanding were sent to all over India and beyond. The glories of the city revived with the rise of the Gupta Empire in the early 4th century A.D. and Chandragupta I, who was the first emperor of the Gupta dynasty, had his capital here. Fahian, Chinese pilgrim, who visited this city in early 5th century A.D, has left a very rich description of the place.

Sightseeing:

Bodhgaya:
Located in the state of Bihar, Bodhgaya along with Sarnath and Kushinagar are the most sacred places for the Buddhists around the country. It is here in Bodhgaya that Buddha is supposed to have attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree. The tree from the original sapling still stands in the temple premises The magnificent Mahabodhi temple stands adjacent to this bodhi tree. The temple stands on the site of the ancient temple erected by Ashoka in the 3rd century BC. The inscriptions here describe the visits of pilgrims from Sri Lanka, Myanmar and China between 7th and 10th century AD.

Nalanda:
Nalanda is one of the places distinguished as having been blessed by the presence of the Buddha, it later became particularly renowned as the site of the great monastic university of the same name, which was to become the crown jewel of the development of Buddhism in India. The name may derive from one of Shakyamuni's former births, when hewas a king whose capital was here. Nalanda was one of his epithets meaning "insatiable in giving."

Golghar:
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.