Patna History & Culture

Patna is the capital city of Bihar state, India. It is one of the oldest residences that dates back to 2500 years ago. The city was known as Pataliputra, and it takes pride because of being rich in history that can be witnessed today in the form of several monuments, museums, and other historical places.

Patna was the residence of Gautam Buddha in his last days; it is the land where the 10th Guru is Sikhs, Shri Guru Govind Singh Ji was born and spent his life here. In ancient times, Patna shaped some legendary personalities like Aryabhatta, Chanakya, Kalidasa, and Vatsyayana, which are an inspiration for many in modern days. Even these days, the place produces IAS, IPS, and officers in other segments in a high proportion. Also, don’t forget by using Astropedia’s Rahu Kaal Patna .

Let’s have a palate of history about Patna and get enlightened. But before that, get a dive into the etymology.

The origin of the name (Etymology)

There are a few stories behind the origin of the name for the city Patna. One such belief consists of the four rivers Ganga, Sone, Gandak, and Punpun. The union of these rivers made Patna operate like a port since the city derives its name from Pattan, which means port.

Another legend is that the presiding deity of the city Patan Devi became the major influence upon naming it as Patna.

There is a legend about this King named Putraka; however, very few believe this story. The King for his Queen Patali, by using a magic stroke, created the city and named it Pataligram. When the queen gave birth to her firstborn, the name was changed to Pataliputra, which means the son of Patali.

History of Patna

As per the references, the city dates back to at least 2500 years, which is the oldest after Varanasi, which claims to be 5000 years old. Jainism and Buddhism were two major religions, according to the scriptures. The records state that Ajatashatru, the King of Magadh in 490 BCE, shifted his capital from the hilly Rajgriha to the bank of Ganga; this place was then developed into Patna.

Later in 684 BCE, the capital Rajagriha came under the ruling power of the Haryanka dynasty. Once the supremacy of Haryanka was over, Nandas ruled the place. When it was the period of Mahapadma Nanda, Alexander the Great invaded India. He was about to defeat Patna as well, but his soldiers were not ready to face Nanda’s army since they were filled with wealth and hence included elephants and a large number of foot soldiers besides cavalry and chariots.

When Mahapadma Nanda dies, the Mauryas dynasty began to operate Patna. Mauryan empire got very popular in the region, and this was the time when the place got its name Pataliputra. Under the guidance of the royal advisor Chanakya, Chandragupta established a complex administration where his empire stretched from the Bay of Bengal to Afghanistan.

The successor of Chandragupta, Bindusara, then took the lead and deepened the roots of their empire toward central and southern India. Later came the time of Ashoka, the grandson of Chandragupta, who transformed the wooden Pataliputra into stone construction.

After the break down of the Gupta empire, the borders of India faced invasion from the foreigners. In the 12th century, the invader Muhammad Ghori captured Ghazni, Multan, Sindh, Lahore, and Delhi, and got his supremacy. One of his generals, Qutb-ud-din Aybak, became the Sultan of Delhi.

By the time of the mid-12th century, Bakhtiar Khilji, the general of Qutb-ud-din Aybak, invaded Bihar and Bengal; this made Patna a part of the Delhi Sultanate. He is also said to destroy the Nalanda University near Rajgrih, the most ancient learning center. With the loss of these learning centers, Patna got major harm to its prestige as an educational and cultural center of India.

Consecutively, Patna experienced the supremacy of The Mughal, The Nawabs, and the East India Company before India got its independence. However, in the British Era, Patna got its lost prestige back due to several developments, and Patna being the major commercial and learning center in India.

Some famous educational institutes that were built during the British Raj:

Patna College, Patna Science College, Bihar College of Engineering, Prince of Wales Medical College, and the Patna Veterinary College.

Some places to visit in Patna: Agam Kuan, Mahatma Gandhi Setu, Patna Planetarium, the world’s tallest Buddhist Stupa, and a boat ride in the Ganges.