Patna
Seat of mighty empires.Beneath the din and bustle of Patna, the capital
of Bihar state, has a fascinating past. And in each chapter of its history,
it has been crowned by a new name- Kusumpur, Pushpapur, Pataliputra and
Azeemabad.
Turning over the pages of early Indian history one comes across the name
of the pre-eminent city of Pataliputra. Located at the site where Patna
is today, this city saw the rise and fall of India's first major kingdoms.
Its Period of glory spanned a thousand years, from 6th
century B.C. to 5th
century A.D. Ajastshatru, second in the line of Magadh Kings, built a fort
at Pataligram on the bank of river Ganga.
This later became famous mauryan metropolis of Pataliputra and was ruled
by Chandragupta Maurya (a contemporary of Alexander) and his grandson Ashok,
acclaimed for the spread of Buddism.
Other emperors who ruled from Pataliputra were the Gupta and Pala Kings,
Shershah Suri (16th Century) and Azimush-Shan (18th Century) grandson of
Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who renamed it Azeemabad. Vestiges of this ancient
city can be seen at Kumhrar, Bhikhnapahari, Agamkuan, Bulandi Bag etc.
Today Patna, the capital of the State of Bihar, is an important business
centre of eastern India. More significantly, it is a gateway to the Buddhist
and Jain pilgrim centres of Vaishali, Rajgir, Nalanda, Bodhgaya and Pawapuri.
Patna Tourism Reservation Form
