Patna
(2001 est. pop. 1.4 million). Patna (ancient Pataliputra) is the capital of Bihar State in northern India, 300 miles northwest of Calcutta on the south bank of the Ganges. The river is triple its usual width here and is crossed by the Mahatma Gandhi Seti, one of the largest bridges in the world.
Kunika Ajatasatru, second in the line of Magadh kings and heir of King Bimbisara, the philosopher-king of Kashi, ascended the throne of Magadh in 493 BCE. He fortified the small village of Pataligrama, which later came to be known as Pataliputra. The city was established by Ajatasatru's son Udayi to fulfill the Buddha's prophecy of a great city on that site. It was the capital of the Mauryan and Gupta empires and one of the subcontinent's most important cities for nearly a thousand years. The first Mauryan emperor, Candragupta (d. c. 297 BCE), expanded his domain to the Indus; his grandson Asoka (d. c. 238 BCE) extended it further. The city declined under medieval feudalism, until the sultanate revival in the sixteenth century under the rule of Mughal emperor Sher Shah. The English and Dutch East India Companies established factories in 1640 and 1666. The English began governing in 1766 and made Patna a provincial capital in 1912.
The symbol of the city is the beehive-shaped Golghar, a granary built in 1786. The Har Mandir Sahib shrine commemorates the Sikh guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708). In his honor the old quarter of the city is called Patna Sahib.
Further Reading
Ahmad, Qeyamuddin. (1988) Patna through the Ages: Glimpses of History, Society, and Economy. New Delhi: Commonwealth.
Singh, Kanak. (1991) History of Freedom Movement in Bihar: A Case Study of Patna City. Patna, India: Janaki Prakashan.
This is the complete article, containing 282 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page).
