Introducing Patna
Bihar’s busy capital spreads out over a vast area on the south bank of the swollen and polluted Ganges, just east of the river’s confluence with three major tributaries. Unlike Varanasi, there is little of interest along the river itself and Patna has only a handful of worthwhile sights, but it’s a major transport hub for the state and a useful base for visiting the Buddhist sites of Vaishali, Kesariya and Rajgir. The 7.5km-long Mahatma Gandhi Seti, one of the world’s longest river bridges, spans the Ganges between Patna and Hajipur.
Advertisement
Patna was once a powerful city. Early in the 5th century BC, Ajatasatru shifted his capital of the Magadha kingdom from Rajgir to Pataliputra (Patna), fulfilling Buddha’s prophecy that a great city would arise here. Emperors Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka also called Pataliputra home and it remained one of India’s most important cities for almost 1000 years. The ruins of this ancient city sit submersed in Kumrahar, a southern district of Patna.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
-
Re: Any inexpensive hotel near the DEL airport?
by marsha100 07 September 2011
About check-in times for Indian domestic flights out of Delhi -- yes, two hours is a good idea. The queue just to get inside the terminal…
-
Re: India Visa + overland pilgrimage
by trekkingmonk 02 September 2011
Yes, you can obtain a visa to India from the Indian Embassy visa section in Kathmandu. The trip from Kathmandu to Lumbini, crossing the…
-
RE: The beginnings of travel to Burma
by Compadre 29 August 2011
Same same as the 'whisky flights' from Nepal to India. In 79 I took a flight from Katmandu to Patna and most of the aircraft was filled…
In our shop
Bags feeling light?
Coffee table looking bare?
Get your guidebooks, travel goods, even individual chapters, right here.
Hotels & Hostels
-
Book now
Hotel Akash
Patna -
Book now
Hotel Maharaja Inn
Patna -
Book now
Hotel Ambassador
Patna
Advertisement
