The sprawling and busy capital of Bihar spreads over the south bank of Ganges. 

The former powerhouse is a great base for visiting the Buddhist sites situated at Vaishali and Kesariya.  Legend ascribes the origins of this city to a mythological king who created Patna by magic for his Queen. 

There are Buddhist, Hindu and Jain pilgrim centers nearby and Patna is also a holy city for the Sikhs for whom the Sikh Guru Gobind Singh was born in this city. That’s the reason why you should include Patna in your tour to India.

Tourism in Patna

Patna is a gateway to the Buddhist and Jain pilgrimage centers of Vaishali, Rajgir, Nalanda, Bodhgaya and Pawapuri which just goes to show that Patna has not only played an important part in the cultural identity of the region but also the spiritual identity of the nation.  Patna was once the seat of many esteemed rulers from the Magadh and Mauryan empires, and was a center for higher learning in ancient India.

Also, there is a very beautiful mosque here in Patna named Shershah Masjid that was built by an afghan chieftain when he became the ruler of Delhi.  It is stunningly constructed in the Afghani style and is a must see for anyone visiting the city. This mosque along with the excavations at Kumhrar, Har Mandir Temple and Golghar are now some of the most popular tourist attractions here in Patna.

Patna and its rivers                                              

Located on the south bank of the Ganges the city of Patna straddles a large confluence of rivers.  The Ganges is the largest and is joined by Ghagra, Gandak, Punoun and Sone rivers. Patna is a scenic city due to the flowing rivers that pass through its districts and an engineering marvel is the Mahatma Gandhi Setu Bridge which is one of the longest bridges to span a single river in the world at 5575 meters long.

Patna family life

Patna’s people are family oriented and have lives that are deeply rooted in both tradition and their respective religions.  Families here are often very large although the government is known to actively promote family planning as a way to curb the recent rapid population growth.  The family as a whole is known to take precedence over the individual as a result of having many to look after within a family group.

Patna’s economy

The economy of Patna is largely based on the local service industries; it in fact has the highest gross domestic product in Bihar.  Patna is growing incredibly fast and amazingly, Patna is ranked as the second best city to start a business in after Delhi.

Patna’s socio-economic background reaches far back into history as it has been one of the major agricultural centers of trade for a very long time.  Specializing in grains, sugar cane, sesame and a medium grained rice it has risen to become a very important business center in the east of India.  Amazingly Patna has experienced a great economic boom that has come about by the change in law and order after the government was changed. With a rapidly expanding consumer market due to a fast growing population Patna has a great many malls.