Patna

No reviews yetCity Bihar, India

Write a review Things to do Businesses Add photos

Durga Puja 2014 Patna 05, Patna, Bihar, India

Monsoon clouds over Priyadarshi Nagar, Patna, Bihar, India

About Patna

Long before it was Patna, this stretch of the Ganges bank was Pataliputra, capital of the Magadha kingdom and later of the Mauryan and Gupta empires. Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka ruled from here, and the Greek envoy Megasthenes described a vast timber-walled city. Traces of that past survive at Kumhrar and Agam Kuan, and the region's treasures fill the Bihar Museum and the older Patna Museum.

Today Patna is the capital of Bihar and a sprawling, energetic city stretched along the south bank of the river. It is a place of pilgrimage for Sikhs, who come to Takht Sri Patna Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh, and for Hindus who queue at the Mahavir Mandir. The British left the beehive-shaped Golghar granary, whose spiral stairs lead to a broad view over the Ganges.

Patna is also the natural base for Bihar's great Buddhist circuit. Nalanda, Rajgir, Bodh Gaya and Vaishali are all within reach by road, so many travellers spend a day or two in the city before heading out to the ancient sites.

Best seasonOctober to March, when days are mild and dry

Ideal stay2 days in the city, more for the Buddhist circuit

ArrivingJay Prakash Narayan Airport and Patna Junction railway station link the city with all of India

12 Best Things to Do in Patna

Landmarks 2

Golghar

Golghar is a huge beehive-shaped granary built in 1786 on the orders of Captain John Garstin after a terrible famine in Bengal and...

Gandhi Maidan

Gandhi Maidan is a vast open ground in the centre of Patna that has hosted independence-era meetings, political rallies and today'...

Museums 3

Bihar Museum

Opened in the last decade, the Bihar Museum is a striking modern complex on Bailey Road with galleries that trace the region's sto...

Patna Museum

Locally known as the Jadu Ghar, the Patna Museum occupies a handsome Indo-Saracenic building from the early twentieth century and...

Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library

Founded in the late nineteenth century from a private collection, the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library holds an extraordinary store o...

Temples and Shrines 2

Takht Sri Patna Sahib

Takht Sri Patna Sahib marks the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, born here in 1666, and is one of the five Ta...

Mahavir Mandir

Next to Patna Junction railway station, the Mahavir Mandir is a much-loved temple dedicated to Hanuman, and on Tuesdays and Saturd...

History 2

Kumhrar

Kumhrar is the excavated site of part of ancient Pataliputra, best known for the remains of a great Mauryan hall that once stood o...

Agam Kuan

Agam Kuan, the unfathomable well, is an ancient brick-lined well in the eastern part of the city that local tradition links with t...

Parks 2

Buddha Smriti Park

Buddha Smriti Park is a landscaped memorial park close to Patna Junction, centred on the tall Patliputra Karuna Stupa, which holds...

Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park

Patna's zoo, the Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, sprawls over a large wooded area off Bailey Road and is one of the city's biggest...

Viewpoints 1

Gandhi Ghat

Gandhi Ghat is one of the busiest of the steps leading down to the Ganges in Patna, and in the evenings it hosts a Ganga aarti wit...

Businesses in Patna

See all businesses →

Top-rated local businesses in Patna, with real reviews on WiserMap.

Addiction Treatment Center

Nasha Mukti Kendra Patna

Nasha Mukti Kendra Patna, Sandalpur Rd, Jai Mahavir Colony, Bazar Samiti, Patna

View profile Website ↗

Reviews

No reviews yet. Been to Patna? Be the first to share your experience.

Write a review

Share what you loved, what to skip and tips for other travelers.

Share your photos

Been to Patna? Add your best shots to the gallery.

More places in Bihar

Hyderabad

Telangana, India

Chittorgarh

Rajasthan, India

Bhopal

Madhya Pradesh, India

Mumbai

Maharashtra, India

Pune

Maharashtra, India

Kanpur

Uttar Pradesh, India

Lucknow

Uttar Pradesh, India

Nagpur

Maharashtra, India

See all places in India →

Photo credits

Photo: Nandanupadhyay, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: PhotographerInNepal, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Shivamsetu, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Abhinoor Singh Anand, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Botu Yadav, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Shivamsetu, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Chandan Singh from India, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Posiedon2M39, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Sumitsurai, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Manoj nav at English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: कवि कलाकार हिमांशु मान्ने, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Nandanupadhyay, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Aryan ghosh, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Shivamsetu, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Summit Kumar Shaurya, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Sumitsurai, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Manoj nav at English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: Sumitsurai, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Neelsb, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Cjsinghpup, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Shivamsetu, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Samtxneo, Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Photo: Shivamsetu, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Sumitsurai, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Nandanupadhyay, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Sumitsurai, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: PP Yoonus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Shivamsetu, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Indiavanish, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Jaiprakashsingh, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Souravgg8, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ahmed Nisar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: AnkitAnand073, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0