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Patna

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Asia

   Patna
   Patna
   State
    -  District(s)   Bihar
                      -  Patna
   Coordinates       25.35° N 85.12° E
   Area
    -  Elevation     3,202  km²
                      - 53 m
   Time zone         IST ( UTC+5:30)
   Population ( 2001)
    -  Density       1.2 million
                      - 375/km²
   Mayor
   Codes
    -  Postal
    - Telephone
    -  Vehicle
                      - 800 0xx
                      - +0612
                      - BR-01-?

   Paṭnā pronunciation  (Hindi: पटना) is the capital of the Indian state
   of Bihar, and one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the
   world. Megasthenes (350 BCE-290 BCE), in his book Indica has mentioned
   that the city of Palibothra (Pataliputra, modern day Patna) was
   situated on the confluence of the rivers Ganges and Arennovoas
   (Sonabhadra - Hiranyawah) and was 9 miles long and 1.75 miles wide.

   The modern city of Patna lies on the southern bank of the Ganges, as it
   flows past with the combined waters of the rivers Ghagra, Son and
   Gandak. At the point where the city is located, the sacred Ganges looks
   more sea than river: mighty, wide and never-ending.

   A bustling city of 1,200,000 people, the city is approximately 15 km
   long and 5 km to 7 km wide.

   The Buddhist and Jain pilgrim centres of Vaishali, Rajgir or Rajgriha,
   Nalanda, Bodhgaya, and Pawapuri are all nearby. Patna is a sacred city
   for Sikhs also. Their tenth and last "human" guru, Guru Gobind Singh,
   was born here. It is the ideal gateway for all the places on this
   circuit. The monuments in and around the city take one down the history
   to its glorious past.

   Apart from being the administrative centre of the state and its
   historic importance, the city is also a major educational centre and
   medical centre. Its the epicentre for all the students from Bihar
   preparing for various competitive examinations. Various educational
   instituitions are coming up here.

   The walled old area, called Patna City by the locals, is also a major
   trading centre.

Origin of name

   The appellation Patna is etymologically derived from Patan, the name of
   the Hindu goddess Patan devi. Another theory says the name comes from
   Pattan, or a port in Sanskrit since the city, located near the
   confluence of four rivers, has been a thriving river port.

   The city has been known by various names during its more than two
   millennia long existence—Pataligram, Pataliputra, Kusumpur, Pushpapura,
   Azimabad, and the present day Patna. It got its name of Patna during
   the reign of Sher Shah Suri, a Bihari ruler who has the distiction of
   making the only interruption to the long rule of Mughals. His tomb is
   at Sasaram, a place near to Patna.

History

   Legend ascribes the origin of Patna to a mythological king Putraka who
   created Patna by magic for his queen Patali, literally Trumpet flower,
   which gives it its ancient name Pataligram. It is said that in honour
   of the first born to the queen, the city was named Pataliputra. Gram is
   the Sanskrit for village and Putra means son.

   From a scientific history perspective, it would be appropriate to
   surmise that the history of Patna started around the year 490 BC when
   Ajatashatru, the king of Magadh, wanted to shift his capital from the
   hilly Rajgriha to a more strategically located place to combat the
   Licchavis of Vaishali. He chose the site on the bank of Ganges and
   fortified the area. From that time, the city has had a continuous
   history, a record claimed by few cities in the world. Gautam Buddha
   passed through this place in the last year of his life, and he had
   prophesized a great future for this place, but at the same time, he
   predicted its ruin from flood, fire, and feud.

   With the rise of the Mauryan empire, the place became the seat of power
   and nerve centre of the sub-continent. From Pataliputra, the famed
   emperor Chandragupta Maurya (a contemporary of Alexander) ruled a vast
   empire, stretching from the Bay of Bengal to Afghanistan.

   Early Mauryan Patliputra was mostly built with wooden structures.
   Emperor Ashoka, the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, transformed the
   wooden capital into a stone construction around 273 BC. Chinese scholar
   Fa Hein, who visited India sometime around A.D. 399-414, has given a
   vivid description of the stone structures in his travelogue.

   Megasthenes, Greek historian and ambassador to the court of
   Chandragupta gives the first written account of Patliputra. Much later,
   a number of Chinese travellers came to India in pursuit of knowledge
   and recorded their observation about Pataliputra in their travelogues.

   In the years that followed, the city saw many dynasties ruling the
   Indian subcontinent from here. It saw the rules of the Gupta empire and
   the Pala kings. However, it never reached the glory that it had under
   the Mauryas.

   With the disintegration of the Gupta empire, Patna passed through
   uncertain times. Bakhtiar Khilji captured Bihar in the 12th century AD
   and destroyed many ancient seats of learning, Patna lost its prestige
   as the political and cultural centre of India.

   The Mughal period was a period of unremarkable provincial
   administration from Delhi. The most remarkable period during these
   times was under Sher Shah Suri who revived Patna in the middle of the
   16th century. He visualised a fort and a town on the banks of Ganga.
   Sher Shah's fort in Patna does not survive, but the mosque built in
   Afghan architectural style survives.

   Mughal emperor Akbar came to Patna in 1574 to crush the Afghan Chief
   Daud Khan. Akbar's Secretary of State and author of Ain-i-Akbari refers
   to Patna as a flourishing centre for paper, stone and glass industries.
   He also refers to the high quality of numerous strains of rice grown in
   Patna famous as Patna rice in Europe.

   Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb acceded to the request of his favourite
   grandson Prince Muhamad Azim to rename Patna as Azimabad, in 1704 while
   Azim was in Patna as the subedar. However, very little changed during
   this period other than the name.

   With the decline of Mughal empire, Patna moved into the hands of the
   Nawabs of Bengal, who levied a heavy tax on the populace but allowed it
   to flourish as a commercial centre.

   During 17th century, Patna became a centre of international trade. The
   British started with a factory in Patna in 1620 for trading in calico
   and silk. Soon it became a trading centre for saltpetre, urging other
   Europeans—French, Danes, Dutch and Portuguese—to compete in the
   lucrative business. Peter Mundy, writing in 1632, calls this place,
   "the greatest mart of the eastern region".

   After the decisive Battle of Buxar (1765), Patna fell in the hands of
   the East India Company and continued as a trading centre.

   In 1912, Patna became of the capital of Orissa Province and Bihâr when
   Bengal Presidency was partitioned. It soon emerged as an important and
   strategic centre. A number of imposing structures were constructed by
   the British. Credit for designing the massive and majestic buildings of
   colonial Patna goes to the architect, I. F. Munnings. Most of these
   buildings reflect either Indo-Saracenic influence (like Patna Museum
   and the state Assembly), or overt Renaissance influence like the Raj
   Bhawan and the High Court. Some buildings, like the General Post Office
   (GPO) and the Old Secretariat bear pseudo-Renaissance influence. Some
   say, the experience gained in building the new capital area of Patna
   proved very useful in building the imperial capital of New Delhi.

   There are several prestigious educational institutions in Patna like
   Patna College, Patna Women's College, Patna Science College, Bihar
   National College,Bihar College of Engineering, now National Institute
   of Technology, Patna, Patna Medical College (formerly, Prince of Wales
   Medical College), Nalanda Medical College, Patna Dental College and the
   Patna Veterinary College.

   Orissa was created as a separate province in 1935. Patna continued as
   the capital of Bihar province under the British Raj.

   Patna played a major role in the Indian independence struggle. Most
   notable are the Champaran movement against the Indigo plantation and
   the 1942 Quit India Movement.

   Patna continued to be the capital of the state of Bihar after
   independence in 1947, though Bihar itself was partitioned again in 2000
   when Jharkhand was carved out as a separate state of the Indian union.

Geography

   Patna is located on the south bank of the Ganges River, called Ganga
   locally. Patna has a very long riverline, and it is surrounded on three
   sides by rivers—the Ganga, Sone, and Poonpun (also spelt Punpun). Just
   to the north of Patna across the river Ganga flows the river Gandak
   making it a unique place having four largish rivers in its vicinity. It
   is the largest riverine city in the world.

   The bridge over the river Ganga, named after Mohandas Gandhi, is 5850m
   long is said to be the longest single river bridge in the world.
     * Altitude: 53 meters
     * Temperature: Summer 43 °C to 21 °C, Winter 20 °C to 6 °C
     * Rainfall (average): 1,200 mm

Climate

   In Patna, as in most of Bihar, the summer temperatures rise very high
   as the hot tropical sun beats down with all its intensity coupled with
   a heat wave which though is not as severe as say in Delhi. The city,
   being near four large rivers, experiences a rather high humidity
   throughout the year.

   The summer begins in April and peaks in June/July with the temperature
   soaring up to 46° C till the moisture laiden monsoon wind bring some
   much-needed relief to the parched fields. The rains last through August
   & September and continue into early October. The northern Indian
   winters bring bitter cold nights and sunny days to Patna from November
   to February till the arrival of the spring that brings the weather to a
   full cycle.

   The local almanac divides the year into six seasons of roughly two
   months each. Apart from the usual four seasons: Summer, Monsoon, Winter
   and Spring, you may add mild winter between Monsoon and Winter and Mild
   summer just before the onslaught of the severe north Indian summer.

Demographics

   The population of Patna is over 1,285,470 (2001 census), which has
   grown from 917,243 in the 1991 census. The population density is 1132
   persons per square kilometre. There are 839 females to every 1,000
   males. Overall Literacy rate is 62.9%, and female Literacy rate is
   50.8%. Source – District Elementary Education Report Card 2004 of
   National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration, New
   Delhi (www.eduinfoindia.net)

   Patna has a moderate crime rate. The main jail is Beur Jail.

   Many languages are spoken in Patna. Hindi is the official language of
   the state of Bihar. Thanks to the British influence since early days,
   English is also spoken extensively.

   The native dialect is Magahi. Other dialects from other regions of
   Bihar spoken widely in Patna are Angika, Bhojpuri, and Maithili. Other
   languages spoken in Patna include Bengali, and Oriya.

   Memons from Patna are called Patni Memons and speak a form of Memoni

People and culture

   The Main Culture- Patna's culture is vastly dominated by Ang and
   Maithil peoples. They are intellectual, smart, handsome with relatively
   short height and slender body frame. There are mixed races with Aryan
   descent and further down. They have unique culture and much influenced
   by Bengal than their western brethern.

Status of women

   The women are respected and have a say in the affairs of the family. If
   one compares the status of women if other parts of the north India,
   then it is comes as a pleasant surprise. However, recent years have
   seen a degeneration in education and social awareness, particularly in
   rural areas. In these areas one can sometimes see women being
   mistreated.

Family orientation

   People are religious and family oriented, and their lives are deeply
   rooted in tradition. The interests of the family take
   prelkl;ok;lkcedence over that of an individual. Families are generally
   large, though the government is actively encouraging family planning to
   curb rapid population growth. Extended families often live together
   home because of economic necessity, and a growing number of urban women
   are joining the professional workforce.

Marriage

   Most marriages are still arranged by parents; the degree to which the
   children are consulted depends on the family. Marriage is sacred and is
   considered to endure beyond death. Weddings are times of great
   celebration, expense, and feasting. Ceremonies are often elaborate. In
   many ceremonies, the bride and groom exchange garlands and promises
   before they circle around a fire seven times to solemnize the marriage.
   Bright clothing, jewellery, and flowers are part of almost every type
   of ceremony. The bride’s parents may still give a dowry, such as money
   or land, to the groom, even though the practice is illegal.

Cuisine

   Staple food of majority of the population is “bhat, dal, roti, tarkari
   and achar”, prepared basically from rice, lentils, wheat flour,
   vegetables, and pickle grade raw, unripe fruits. Traditionally, mustard
   oil has been the popular cooking medium for Patnaites. Plain boiled
   milk as well as curd is widely used by all section of the Patnaites.
   "Kichdi", the broth of rice and lentils, seasoned with spices, and
   served with several accompanying items like curd, chutney, pickles,
   papads, ghee (clarified butter) and chokha (boiled mashed potatoes,
   seasoned with finely cut onions, green chilies) constitutes the lunch
   for most Patnaites on Saturdays.

   Patna is also known for the sweet delicacies of central Bihar including
   Khaja, Motichoor ka Ladoo, Kala Jamun, Kesaria Peda, Parwal ki Mithai,
   Khubi ka Lai and Chena Murki. These owe their origin to towns in the
   vicinity of Patna: Khaja from Silao, Ladoo from Maner, Kala Jamun from
   Vikram, Khubi ka Lai from Bakhtiarpur, Kesaria Peda from Gaya and Chena
   Murki from Koelwar, Poori from Behea. Descendants of the original
   family members of the cooks, called halwais in the local language, have
   migrated to urban Patna and authentic sweet delicacies are now
   available in the city itself. Unlike the Bengali sweets which are
   soaked in syrup of sugar and are therefore wet, sweets of Patna and
   Bihar are mostly dry. The mangoes of Digha, Patna are very delicious &
   famous.

   There are several other traditional snacks and savouries:
     * Pua', prepared from a mixture of refined wheat flour(maida), milk,
       ghee (clarified butter), sugar, dry fruits and honey
     * Pittha, steam cooked, made by powdered rice with sttufed griended
       gram(chana)OR khoya etc.
     * Tilkut, referred to as 'Palala' in Buddhist literature, is made of
       pounded 'tila' or sesame seeds (Sesamum indicum) and jaggery or
       sugar
     * Chiwra, beaten rice, served with a coat of creamy curd and sugar or
       jaggery
     * Makhana (a kind of water fruit) is prepared from lotus seeds and is
       taken puffed or as kheer, prepared with milk and sugar
     * Sattu, powdered baked gram, is a high energy giving food. It is
       taken mixed with water or with milk. Sometimes, sattu mixed with
       spices are used to prepare stuffed 'chapattis', locally called as
       'makuni roti'.
     * Litti Chokha,A baked round shape, made by wheet floor with stuffed
       sattu(litti), the combination of smashed boil potato, bringel &
       tomato(chokha).

   A variety of non-vegetarian items are also prepared by a section of the
   population. Fish curries are widely used by a cross section of
   non-vegetarian population of all social groups. Mughal cuisine are well
   known and widely relished in Patna. Of late, Continental dishes are
   also catching up fancy. Various types of rolls which are also available
   in New York owe their origin to Patna. Some muslim families moved from
   here to Karachi in Pakistan during partition, and then to the U.S.,
   taking with them their culture and cuisine. They sell various
   vegetarian and non vegetarian rolls and are rather popular by the
   generic name Roll Bihari in and around Lexington Avenue (South) in New
   York.

Transport

   Patna railway station
   Enlarge
   Patna railway station

   Patna is connected by Indian Railways to all major cities of India. It
   is situated on the main line of the Eastern Central Railway and a side
   line connects it to Gaya making it a Railway Junction. The airport at
   Patna is named Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport after a popular leader.
   Regular domestic flights, connecting Patna with Delhi, Calcutta,
   Mumbai, Ranchi, and a few other places are available.

   National Highway 31 passes through Patna. A number of roads branching
   from Patna connect the city to other parts of Bihar. Bus services are
   available to all parts of the state, and several towns and cities of
   Jharkhand. Bailey Road the longest road of Patna & is the spine of it.

   The river Ganges is navigable throughout the year and there is
   considerable boat traffic for transporting cargo. However, with the
   construction of a bridge over Ganges, the river traffic and ferry
   services have lost their importance. A National Waterway goes through
   Patna connecting Allahabad & Howrah.

   Local public transport—City buses ply on many routes within the city
   limits. Auto rickshaws and pedal rickshaws are the basic means of
   public transport. Patna is well connected by road to the whole of
   Bihar, Jharkand & the adjoining places of the neighbouring states.

Economy

   From the very ancient time patna has rich socio economic background.
   Patna has long been a major agricultural centre of trade, its most
   active exports being grain, sugarcane, sesame, and medium-grained Patna
   rice. It is also an important business centre of eastern India.

   The hinterland of Patna is endowed with excellent agro-climatic
   resources and the gains of the green revolution have enabled the older
   eastern part of Patna (locally called as Patna City) to develop as a
   leading grain market of the state of Bihar, and one of the biggest in
   eastern India. Patna, being the state capital, with a growing middle
   income group households, has also emerged as a big and rapidly
   expanding consumer market, both for Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG),
   as also for other consumer durable items. A large and growing
   population, and expanding boundaries of the city, is also spurring
   growth of service sector. The old and established educational
   institutions of the city have always been contributing to the national
   pool of excellent human resources.

Places of interest

In Patna

   Some of the places of interest in the city are:
     * Agam Kuan, literally the unfathomable well which is said to date
       back to the Ashokan period.
     * Hanuman Mandir The favourite Deity of the Patnaite. It is situated
       right in front of the Patna Junction, the central railway station
       of the City. Long winding queues can be seen at the temple on
       saturdays and tuesdays, the traditional worshipping days of the
       deity.
     * Kumhrar, the site of the ruins of the Ashokan Patliputra.
     * Takht Shri Harmandir Saheb, constructed by Punjab ruler Maharaja
       Ranjit Singh, consecrates the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh Jee
     * State Secretariat Building and its Clock Tower, including the
       Martyrs Memorial commemorating the seven school and college
       students who were brutally killed by the armed forces under the
       command of the British Raj in front of the Patna Secretariat during
       the Quit India movement of 1942.
     * High Court Building.
     * Golghar ( a beehive shaped granary)- One of the oldest British
       buildings in Patna.
     * Patna Museum called the Jadu Ghar: The well-known museum has a fine
       collection of stone and bronze sculptures and terracotta figures of
       Hindu and Buddhist artists. Didarganj Yakshi is the most prized
       collection of this museum.
     * Khuda Baksh Oriental Library: It has a collection of rare ancient
       manuscripts.
     * Begu Hajjam's mosque, built in 1489 by the Bengal ruler Alauddin
       Hussani Shah
     * Pathar ki Masjid built by Pervez, the elder brother of Shah Jehan
       and the first Mughal prince who made Bihar his residence
     * Qila House (Jalan House) houses an interesting museum famous for
       its jade collection, Chinese paintings and other far eastern work
       of art, Collected by Diwan Bahadur Radhakrishan Jalan.
     * Sadaqat Ashram on the banks of the river Ganga which later became
       the retreat of Dr. Rajendra Prasad
     * Zoological and Botanical garden called Sanjay Gandhi Jaivik Udyan
     * Padri Ki Haveli, deemed to be the oldest church in Bihar dating
       back to 1772
     * Bankipore Club on the banks of the river Ganges. The dance hall of
       this club is said to be one of the original buildings built by the
       Dutch in the 17th century.
     * Darbhanga House, also called Nav Lakha building. This was built by
       Maharaja Sir Kameshwar Singh of Darbhanga. This beautiful building
       on the banks of Ganges now houses the post graduate departments of
       Patna University. It houses the Kali Mandir, which has been a place
       of worship of the goddess, the Maharaja himself was a great devotee
       and the students of the Patna University rarely take an exam
       without offering a prayer.
     * Patna College administrative block building was initially part of a
       Dutch Opium factory established on the banks of the Ganga as a part
       of the flourishing Opium Trade from the northern China and Nepal
       region.
     * Gandhi Maidan called the Patna Lawns during the British Raj.

Around Patna

   See also
     * Bodh Gaya
     * Vaishali
     * Nalanda
     * Rajgir

Education

   Most of the government-run schools in Patna are affiliated to Bihar
   School Examination Board, whereas most of the private schools are
   affiliated to ICSE and CBSE boards. The major ones being St. Joseph's
   Convent High School, Notre Dame Academy, Don Bosco Academy, St
   Michael's Higher Secondary School, D.A.V., Khagaul, St Karen's School
   and Gyan Niketan. The government-run public schools lack many
   facilities, but are the only options for the poor who cannot afford the
   fees in private schools. A number of schools are run by Christians
   missionaries - prominent among them being the Jesuits.St. Joseph's
   Convent High School(1857) and St. Michaels(1858)are some of the oldest
   schools of Patna and have produced some of the finest students who had
   made many contribution for the welfare of the humanity.

   Unlike the rest of India, many colleges also provide an option for the
   plus 2 level of education (Class 11 and 12) raising the standard of
   education due to access to superior teachers of colleges. As a result,
   a high percent of the students are able to qualify in All India
   competitive examinations like IIT JEE and All India Medical Entrance
   Exam.

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