Patna was initially a small village named Patali.  It was later called by various names like Pataligrama, Patanjali and Pataliputra. Many great scholars including Aryabhatta, Ashvaghosha, Panini, Sthalabadra, Chanakya and Vatsyayana have born or learned in this place. The works of Kautilya and the Greek ambassador Magasthenese prove the same. Ajatshatru shifted his capital from Rajagriha to Patali and established his fort here.

During the earlier Mauryan period there were wooden multi-storeyed buildings and palaces with parks and ponds. At that time there was a wide ditch around the city for drainage and for the purpose of defense. When the Mauryan king Ashoka ruled over this place in 273 B.C., stone constructions were started. The Chinese traveler Fa Hein who visited India in 400 to 415 AD had praised the massive stone structures.

The excavations at Patna show the civilization flourished during 600 B.C. to 600 A.D. There was a hall with 80 pillars arranged in eight rows having ten pillars in each. This structure impressed the traveler Magesthanese. The charitable hospital of Ashoka, rock edicts and many imperials innings were found in the place.

The ancient mosque in Patna was builtin 1489 AD by the then ruler of Bengal, Alauddin Hussaini Shah. In 1574, Daud Khan was defeated by the Mughal King Akbar and this started the era of Mughals in Patna. Under the Mughal rule it flourished as a center of commerce and learning. Paper and glass and other earthernware items were manufactured in this place.

Shah Jahan, the Mughal ruler visited Patna with his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Saif Khan, the Mughal governor of that time, built a beautiful mosque by the banks of the river Ganges. As per the request of his grandson Muhammed Azim, King Aurangazeb renamed Patna as Azimabad. Azim wanted to develop Patna in the similar lines of Delhi but patriarchal war put an end to him ambition.

Patna prospered commercially during the rule of Nawabs of Bengal. 1620, a factory for purchase of calico and silk was started by British in Patna. Other European settlers came to the place and soon it became a busy center of trade and commerce. Many factories and godowns were established in and around the city making it a trade center. This was considered as the greatest mart of the eastern region.

The Patna College administrative block was once the residence of the Dutchman. The oldest church in Bihar, Padri Ki Haveli was built in 1772 in Patna. The first nawab of Pudh Saadat Ali Khan was buried at Patna and the monument of Imambara of Imam Bandi Begum was situated here. Mirza Massoom’s mosque was built in 1616, Mir Ashraf’s mosque was built in 1773 and the single domed mosque at Mangal Talao was built during the reign of Shah Jehan. These could be seen in the Patna photos and Patna videos.

The Battle of Buxar was fought in 1764 and as a result of the war, the Mughals and the Nawabs lost control over the regions of Bengal. According to the Diwani Rights, British brought them under their control. After the independence of India, Patna became the capital of Bihar state in India.

Article Posted By : Sumazla  On February 14, 2012lView All Articles

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Patna , Patna photos , Patna videos