Patna, city, northeastern India, capital of Bihar State, on the Ganges River. It is a trade center for an agricultural area producing rice, grain, sesame, linseed, and sugarcane. Notable features of the city include a mosque built in 1499, Patna Museum, and the University of Patna (1917). Patna also houses a Sikh temple and is a sacred city for Sikhs; their last guru, Gobind Singh, was born here.
Patna was settled in the 5th century BC as Pataliputra. In the 3rd century BC the city became the imperial capital of the Indian ruler Ashoka. Patna deteriorated after AD 400, but some of its former greatness was restored in the 16th century. The Mughals made it the seat of the viceroy of Bihar and a leading trading center. In 1763 the British seized Patna after a struggle with the nawab of Bengal. Patna was made capital of Bihar and Orissa Province in 1912, and it became capital of Bihar State in 1935. Population (1991) 917,243.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Patna Information info
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