Patna

Housed in a majestic heritage building, this museum contains a splendid collection of Mauryan and Gupta stone sculptures, some beautiful bronze Buddhist statuary, 2000 year old terracotta figurines and a gallery of wonderful Rajasthani miniatures. Don’t miss the fabulous collection of thangkas (Tibetan cloth paintings) brought to India by the scholar and traveller Rahul Sankrityayan in the early 20th century.
Upstairs in a locked gallery (an extra Rs. 500) you can get a glimpse of a tiny casket believed to contain some of Buddha’s ashes that were retrieved from Vaishali.

Since its opening initially in 2015 and fully in 2017, Bihar Museum is spread over 13.3 acres and its 7 galleries showcase the Bihar’s heritage and its contribution to world civilization — from Buddha and Mahavir, to the Nalanda University, the Bihari diaspora (known as girmitiya labourers) of the 19th and 20th centuries, and Mahatma Gandhi’s first satyagrahafrom Champaran. Also highlighted here, are the philosophy of Chanakya and the reign of Emperor Ashoka.

What sets the Bihar Museum apart from others in the state is in its measuring up to international standards.The entry fee for adults is Rs 100; Rs 50 for children, and Rs 500 for foreigners.

It is Patna’s latest iconic 34m-high sandstone arch - Sabhyata Dwar - on the bank of river Ganga, built with a Mauryan architecture to evoke the glory of the ancient capital of Pataliputra that serves as the ceremonial gateway to the city. It stands on the sprawling premises of the Samrat Ashoka International Convention Centre, which neighbours the Patna’s Gandhi Maidan.

The ceremonial arch was originally envisioned by late ex-Vice Army Chief Lt Gen (retd) S K Sinha as the ‘civilisation gate’ that would beckon travellers and passersby to Patna and draw them to its rich and multi-layered history, as it did in the reign of the Mauryan Empire over 2,500 years ago.

The inscriptions will be attributed to Megasthenes, the ancient Greek envoy to Pataliputra – the capital of the Mauryan Empire; to King Ashoka, who ruled ancient India from his capital in Pataliputra (today’s Patna); to Lord Buddha and to Lord Mahavira

Samrat Ashok International Convention Centre near Gandhi Maidanhas a 'Bapu Hall' with a capacity to seat 5,000 people and a four-floor structure with a height of 35 metres and a spread over 11.82 acres of land. It has five components, including the main convention hall, Gyan Bhavan, auditorium, Sabhyata Dwar and a food court.

The project was conceptualised in 2012 during the Global Bihar Summit, when the need of a major convention centre was felt as the S K Memorial Hall has the capacity to seat only 1,500 people.

Samrat Ashok International Convention Centre near Gandhi Maidanhas a 'Bapu Hall' with a capacity to seat 5,000 people and a four-floor structure with a height of 35 metres and a spread over 11.82 acres of land. It has five components, including the main convention hall, Gyan Bhavan, auditorium, Sabhyata Dwar and a food court.

The project was conceptualised in 2012 during the Global Bihar Summit, when the need of a major convention centre was felt as the S K Memorial Hall has the capacity to seat only 1,500 people.

The library finds its origin in private collection of a bibliophile Mohammad Bakhsh and expanded by his son Khuda Bakhsh, who inherited 1,400 manuscripts and continued to add to the collection and eventually converted it into a private library by 1880. The library was opened to public upon its inauguration by Sir Charles Alfred Elliott, Governor of Bengal on 5 October 1891. After partition in 1947, Dr. S.V. Sohoni played a key role in ensuring that the collections were retained in India.[5] In 1969 through a Federal Legislation, an Act of Parliament, namely 'Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library Act' (1969), the Government of India declared Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library a centre of national importance and government took over the funding, maintenance and development of the library. Today it continues to attract scholars from all over the world.

Years after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948, an appeal was made to the citizens of India nationwide to build memorials for Gandhi. With the help of contributions of poor and rich citizens of India, a trust was established with the name Mahatma Gandhi National Memorial Trust, for this cause.[3][4] The Patna Sangrahalaya was established in 1967[5] near the North-Western corner of Gandhi Maidan. It was a member of the Central Gandhi Sangrahalaya Samiti until July 1971, when the five museums (Ahmadabad, Madurai, Bairakpore, Mumbai, Patna) were made independent.

(Danapure Road; Admission 2; Time: 6am-6pm)
For a dome with a view, climb this massive, bulbous granary, built by the British army in 1786. The idea behind its construction was to avoid a repeat of the 1770 famine. On one side, the old carved sign reading ‘For the perpetual prevention of famine in these provinces’ although fortunately it was never required.
Its dual spiralling staircases (142 steps each) were designed so that workers could climb up one side and down the other. The viewing gallery on top of the monument affords unparalleled vistas of the city and the Ganges.

It is a Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) in the neighborhood of Patna Sahib, India. It was built in remembrance of the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs on 22 December 1666. It was built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, who also built many other Gurdwara's in the Indian subcontinent. The current shrine of Patna Sahib or Takht Sri Harmandirji Saheb was built in the 1950s.
Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, was born in Patna, Bihar, in 1666. He also spent his early years here before moving to Anandpur. Besides being the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh, Patna was also honored by visits from Guru Nanak as well as Guru Tegh Bahadur.

Kumrahar is the name of an area of Patna, where remains of the ancient city of Pataliputra were excavated. It is located 5 km east of Patna Railway Station.
Archaeological remains of the Mauryan period (322–185 BCE) have been discovered here, this include the ruins of a hypostyle 80-pillared hall. The excavation finding here dates back to 600 BCE, and marks the ancient capital of Ajatshatru, Chandragupta and Ashoka, and collectively the relics range from four continuous periods from 600 BCE to 600 CE.

It is a 20 acre park near the railway station established in 2010 by the Bihar government to commemorate the 2550th anniversary of the Buddha’s mahaparinirvana. Inaugurated by the Dalai Lama in 2010, it is notable for its massive sandblasted charcoal stupa (admission Rs. 50), which houses a unique bulletproof chamber inside; and sapling plantings from both the Bodhi Tree in Bodhgaya and Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka.

Patan Devi, also called Maa Patneshwari is the oldest and one of the most sacred temples of Patna. It is regarded as one of the 51 Siddha Shakti Pithas in India. According to Puranic legends, the 'right thigh' of the corpse of Sati had fallen here when it was chopped off by Lord Vishnu with his 'Sudarshan Chakra'. The ancient temple, originally called Maa Sarvanand Kari Patneshwari, is believed to be the abode of the goddess Durga. The name of the city Patna is widely believed to have been derived from the name of the Bari Patan Devi Temple (located nearby Patna Saheb Gurudwara). Some, however, doubt whether the name of Patna is derived from this temple. According to them, the name is derived from Patan, which means a town and Patna was a big place of export and import.

Mahavir or Hanuman temple of Patna is one of the holiest Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Hanuman, located outside Patna Junction in Patna, Bihar. Million of pilgrims visit the temple every year and is the second most visited religious shrine in North India.