Patna
| Patna पटना |
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| State : |
 India
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| State : | Bihar | ||
| District : | Patna | ||
| Location : | 25 ° 37 ' N , 85 ° 8' E | ||
| Height : | 60 m | ||
| Area : | 136 km² | ||
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Inhabitants : - Agglomeration : |
1,684,297 (2011) 2,049,156 (2011) |
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| Population density : | 12,385 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Website : | Patna | ||
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Patna ( Hindi : पटना , Paṭnā ) is the capital of the state of Bihar in northeast India with around 1.8 million inhabitants . Older names are Kusumpura , Pushpapura , Pataliputra and Azimabad . Patna is the seat of a Roman Catholic archdiocese .
location
Patna lies on the south bank of the Ganges at a height of approx. 50 m above sea level. d. M .; the holy city of Varanasi is around 250 km (driving distance) to the west, the capital of West Bengal, Kolkata, is around 560 km south-east. The climate is warm to hot; Rain falls almost exclusively in the summer monsoon months .
population
Official population statistics have only been kept and published since 1991.
| year | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 |
| Residents | 917.243 | 1,427,709 | 1,684,297 |
Almost 86.5% of the majority of the Magadhi , Hindi and Urdu- speaking population are Hindus , about 12.5% are Muslims ; other religions such as Sikhs , Buddhists , Jains and Christians etc. form numerically small minorities. The male population is about 12% higher than the female population.
A population of over 5.1 million people is expected in the agglomeration by 2050.
economy
The area around Patna is fertile; already Abu 'l-Fazl , the chronicler of the Mughal emperor Akbar I mentioned the quality of locally grown rice and describes the city as a center of paper and glass manufacturing. Today Patna is an important agricultural trading center ( rice , grain , sugar cane , sesame ). In addition, small and medium-sized craft and industrial companies as well as service providers of all kinds (banks, insurance companies, hospitals, schools, etc.) have settled here.
history
Patna / Pataliputra has a long history: In the 5th century BC AD Ajatasattu shifted the capital of the kingdom of Magadha from Rajgir to Pataliputra; According to tradition, Buddha and Mahavira , the founder of Jainism , also visited the city at this time . Around 400 BC The Chinese monk and pilgrim Fa Hsien spent several months in the city. Around 300 BC The Greek Megasthenes, who was born in Asia Minor , stayed several times at the court of Chandragupta Mauryas and described Pataliputra as the largest city known to him. In the 2nd and 1st centuries BC The Shunga dynasty of Pataliputra and Vidisha ruled large parts of northern India. Even under the Gupta rulers (approx. 320–550) and the Pala kings (approx. 750–1150), Pataliputra remained the capital of the empire. Around the year 1200, Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji conquered large parts of northern India, which then fell to the Sultanate of Delhi , which was conquered by the Mughals in 1528 . As early as 1620, the British East India Company had set up a trading post in Patna; Export goods such as rice and saltpeter were shipped over the Ganges to Calcutta and there transferred to larger ships. In 1632 the English merchant Peter Mundy called Patna the "largest trading center in the East" and in 1793 the city was annexed by the British .
Attractions
Despite its long history, the city has few attractions of historical and cultural importance; however, it is a popular pilgrimage center for members of all Indian religions.
- According to legend, the Agam Kuan Fountain, located about 4 km east of the city center, was built by the Mauriya ruler Ashoka . The current building is much younger.
- The Mahatma Gandhi Setu Bridge has spanned the Ganges since 1982 and is the second longest bridge in the country with a length of 5,575 m
- In the vicinity is the archaeological site of Kumhrar with finds from the Maurya period (3rd and 2nd centuries BC).
- The Begu Hajjam Mosque was likely built shortly before or shortly after 1500.
- The five-domed Sher Shah Suri Mosque was built around 1540 .
- After a famine, the Englishman John Garstin had a dome-shaped granary with external stairs ( Golghar ) built on the banks of the Ganges in 1786 . Today it is the symbol of the city.
- The Sikh Temple ( Takht Sri Harimandar Sahib ), which was built in the early 19th century by the Panjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh , marks the birthplace of Guru Gobindh Singh.
- The Mahavir-Mandir , consecrated to the Hindu god Hanuman , has a long history. However, the current building dates from the 20th century.
- The Birla Temple , built in the 1970s by the Birla family of industrialists, is also significant for the city .
- The city has a well-known archaeological museum ( Patna Museum ) with Buddhist and Hindu stone, bronze and terracotta figures. In addition, other finds such as a huge fossil tree are shown.
- The Oriental Library ( Khuda Bakhsh ) contains a collection of historical works.
- Since 1916, the city has been the seat of the Patna High Court , the supreme court for the state of Bihar.
- The University of Patna opened in 1917.
Personalities
Patna is the birthplace of
- Bidil or Mirza Abdul Qadir Bedil-i Dihlawi (1645–1721), Indian style poet in Persian poetry
- Gobind Singh (1666–1708), 10th and last Guru of the Sikhs
- Lalu Prasad Yadav (* 1947), former Chief Minister of Bihars and Minister of Railways of India
- Sonakshi Sinha (* 1987), actress
See also
Web links
- Patna, Sights (English)
- Patna, sights (Wikipedia, English)
- Patna, sights (Lonely Planet, English)
