Places to Visit in Patna

Patna is an ancient city located on the southern banks of holy river Ganges. It is the capital of the state of Bihar. There are so many different places to see in Patna such as Mahavir Mandir, Patna Museum, Golghar, Takht Sri Patna Sahib, etc. From religious sites to archaeological hot spots, the city has a lot to offer to the tourist. If you are a history enthusiast, you must visit the Patna Museum that demonstrates Indo Saracenic style of architecture. Here you will find various sculptures as well as coins from the ancient era. Then there is Gola Ghar that is a granary which offers you amazing views.

Golghar, Patna

This is a huge granary that demonstrates the stupa style of architecture. The construction of this granary was completed in 1786. It is 29 meters high and has a pillarless wall with 3.6 m of thickness. Once you reach the top of Golghar you will have an amazing view of the entire city and the holy river Ganges. There is a spiral staircase that facilitates the easy movement of workers for loading and unloading of grains. If you look at Golghar from a distance it looks a huge beehive. This old monument is a must-see for anyone who visits Patna.

Ruins of Pataliputra, Patna

These are one of the oldest inhabited sites of the world. They are located on the southern banks of river Ganges. This area was once the capital of Magadha rulers. So, between 1912- 1915 historians unearthed ruins belonging to the Mauryan era here. Remains of an assembly hall with 80 pillars can be seen. All this is now enclosed in the form of a park. The rich collection of relics here attracts history buffs and archeologists from far and wide. A guided tour will help to uncover the rich history of Pataliputra. There is no entry tick for this park.

Nalanda Mahavihara, Patna

This is the archeological site with huge significance located in the state of Bihar. It encompasses archaeological remains of a scholastic and monastic institution from the 3rd century BCE to 13th century CE. Nalanda was a prominent center of learning in the ancient era. Here you will see several noted artworks in stone, stucco, and metal, shrines, stupas, and viharas. For a span of more than 800 years, Nalanda offered uninhibited flow of knowledge. It also holds testimony to the growth of Buddhism as a religion. This site is spread across an area of 23 hectares. It comes under the category of the World Heritage list.

Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, Patna

It is one of its kind repositories of a whooping 21000 oriental manuscripts. This library has been declared as an Institution of National Importance in 1969 by Govt of India. It is funded by the Indian Ministry of Culture. Khuda Bakhsh Khan gave away all books that formed part of his personal collection so that people of Patna could benefit from the same. The library was opened for public viewing on 29th October 1891. Just about anyone can visit the library. More than 4000 rare books and manuscripts form part of this amazing library. Sir Charles Elliot, Lieutenant Governor of Bengal inaugurated this library.

Mahavir Mandir, Patna

This is one of the holiest temples located in Patna city. It is dedicated to the Hindu Lord, Hanuman. People from far and wide visit this temple. This temple was initially set up by Swami Balanand who was a hermit belonging to the Ramanandi sect. in 1730 AD. Later on, this temple was reconstructed in marble. Huge queues can be seen in this temple on Saturdays and Tuesdays. In fact, a large number of people visit Mahavir Mandir on Ram Navami. Mahavir Mandir Temple Trust handles the upkeep of this temple.

Takht Sri Patna Sahib, Patna

Also known as Harmandir Sahib, Takht Sri Patna Sahib is a well-known gurdwara that is located in the state of Bihar. It was built to commemorate the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth Sikh Guru. Maharaja Ranjit Singh constructed in between 1780-1839. The place has great religious significance and pilgrims from all across the world come here. Usually, it takes around 1–2 hours for every pilgrim. There is no entry fee and you can come here at any part of the day. It is located on the banks of River Ganga.

Choti Dargah, Patna

It is basically a 3-storied mausoleum located in Maner that is located at a distance of 30 km from the city of Patna on NH 30. It is basically the burial site of Makhdum Sultan Saiad Shah Ahmad Charampose Teg Barhana. He was a notable saint of the 13th century. It was believed that he possessed occult powers and therefore he ranked very high among the Sufi saints of that era. The place has huge religious significance and people from far and wide come here for getting their wishes granted. It is said that anyone who comes here will not go empty handed.

Jain Temple of Pawapuri, Patna

This is a holy site for Jains all across the globe. It is located in the Nalanda district of Bihar. Here there is a temple known as Jal Mandir or Water Temple. Pawapuri is actually the place where Lord Mahavir the 24th Thirthankara attained Nirvana. This temple is built within a tank that contains Lotus of red color. The place where the cremation of Mahavira took place got dug up as people took the soil containing his sacred ashes. So, a tank was made in this area. Jal Mandir is built of white marble. There is a bridge that links the temple with banks of the water tank.

Patna Museum, Patna

This is a state museum that was established on April 3rd in 1917 during the rule of British. A huge number of ancient artifacts can be seen here. Also known as Jadu Ghar it demonstrates both Rajput and Mughal style of architecture. Some of the items that are present inside this museum are bronze statues, textiles, paintings, sculptures, bronze images, etc. A fossil of a tree that is almost 200 million years old is also on display. The museum was inaugurated by Sir Edward Gait. Some other highlights of the museum are National History Gallery, Mauryan lion head from Masarh, the lustred stone torso of Jain Tirthankar, etc.

Jalan Museum, Patna

This is a private museum located in a residential house on banks of river Ganga. In the part of the building, the Jalan family still continues to live. The museum is open for public viewing from 9 to 11 AM from Monday to Saturday only via prior appointment. The appointment needs to be taken 48 hours prior to entering the museum. It is a collection of more than 10,000 objects belonging to the modern period. Things present include metal items, stone items, ivory, porcelains, glass, etc. The museum is also referred to as Quila House and portrays Dutch and English architecture.