Ruins of Pataliputra

Bihar

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You'll have to rely heavily on your imagination to envisage what was once one of the greatest cities in the ancient world, ruled by kings Ajatasatru (491–459 BC), Chandragupta (321–297 BC) and Ashoka (274–237 BC). There's barely anything to actually see, except the sandstone remains of a pillar. Nothing remains of Ashoka's 80-pillared hall, thought to be the location of the third Buddhist Council. There's a small museum on site.

Shared autorickshaws (₹10) run to the site from just outside Patna train station.

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View more attractions

Nearby Bihar attractions

1. Buddha Smriti Park

3.02 MILES

This peaceful 9-hectare park, inaugurated by the Dalai Lama in 2010, is notable for its massive sandblasted charcoal stupa (₹50), which houses a unique,…

2. Golghar

3.15 MILES

This massive, bulbous granary was built by the British army in 1786 and was being restored at the time of writing. The idea behind its construction was to…

3. Patna Museum

3.34 MILES

Housed in a majestic colonial-era building, this museum contains a splendid collection of Mauryan and Gupta stone sculptures, some beautiful bronze…

4. Bihar Museum

4 MILES

This impressive museum, one of the largest in south Asia, has three history galleries, plus displays on contemporary art and ethnic groups of Bihar. It…

5. Chhoti Dargah

19.63 MILES

One potential excursion from Patna is to hire a taxi to this architecturally elegant three-storey mausoleum fronted by a large tank, 30km west of Patna…

6. World Peace Pagoda

27.36 MILES

This impressive, modern whitewashed pagoda built in 1996 by Japanese Buddhists dominates the Vaishali area.

7. Archaeological Museum

27.53 MILES

The small museum at Vaishali contains some fine 1000-year-old Buddhist statuary and an intriguing 1st- to 2nd-century AD toilet pan. It also has an…

8. Buddha Relic Stupa

27.58 MILES

This 5th-century stupa, originally 12m tall, is now in ruins, but it was once one of the eight locations in which Buddha's ashes were buried. The…