Ruins of Patliputra , Khumrar , Patna . Bihar

Ruins of Patliputra , Khumrar , Patna . Bihar :-

Ancient literatures refer Patliputra by various names like Pataligram, Patalipur, Kusumpur, Pushpapur or Kusumdhvaj . In 6th century B.C. it was a small village where Buddha ,sometime before death, had noticed a fort being constructed under the orders of King Ajatshatru of Rajgrih for defence of magadh Kingdom against the Lichchavi Republic of Vaishali. Impressed by its strategic location Kingh Udayin , son and successor of Ajatshatru, shifted the capital of Magadh Kingdom from Rajgrih to Patliputra in the middle of 5th century B.C. Since then for about thousand years Patliputra remained the capital of Great Indian Empires of Shaishunag, Nanda, Maurya , Sunga and Gupta dynasties .

The Place has also been an important centre of activity in the fields of learning,commerce,art and religion. Sthulbhadra the eminent Jain ascetic had convened a council here during the period of Chandragupta Maurya. During Ashoka’s reign the third Buddhist Council was held here. However there is an opinion that it continued to be the capital during early Pala period also.Thereafter the place might have lost its capital status. 

A number of famous authors are associated with Pataliputra, notable being Kautilya or Chanakya , author of Arthashastra and Patanjali who wrote Mahabhashia . Fa-Hien, the famous Chinese traveller of early 5th century A.D. had described Pataliputra as a prosperous city and a famous center of learning.


The first vivid account of Pataliputra, including its municipal administration comes at 300 B.C. from Megasthenese, the celebrated Greek ambassador at the court of Chandragupta Maurya, who mentions it as Palibothra in his book named Indica. According to his account the spread of the city was like a parallelogram, about 14 kms east-west along the river Ganges and 3 kms north-south . The circumference of the city was about 36 kms .The city was protected by massive timber palisades and further defended by a broad and deep moat which also served as a city sewer ,kautilya in his book Arthashastra also indicated wide rampart around the city  
 Remnants of the wooden palisades have been discovered during a series of excavations at Lohanipur, Bahadurpur, Sandalpur, Bulandibagh, Kumrahar and some other locations in Patna . Megasthenese also mentions about a royal place of Chandragupta Maurya built of timber and describes it to be far superior to the palaces of Susa and Ecbatana in present Iran in terms of beauty and magnificence .



. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Morton Toffee Factory, Marhowrah , Bihar

Image
Morton Toffee Factory, Marhowrah , Bihar The history of Marhowrah dates back to Vedic period as the two famous temples situated here have references in sacred Hindu scriptures. In modern period, it was part of British colonization, as old British established factories and buildings are still famous landmarks in the town. Once a vibrant place humming with a tinge of colonial culture and factory life, Marhowrah in Saran district has slowly turned into a graveyard of industries. The town has a rich industrial history, Marhowrah boasted of four factories of national fame — Kanpur Sugar Works, Morton Confectionary, Saran Distillery and Saran Engineering Works. As all four of them closed down one by one more than a decade ago. C & E Morton was a large packaged food producer. C &  E  Morton (India) Limited carried on the business of manufacturing various kinds of confectionery in their factory at Marhowrah in Bihar and sells its products under the trade name "Morton&quo
Read more

Remains of Ancient Vaishali and Ashoka Pillar , Kolhua ,Vaishali, Bihar , India

Image
  Remains of Ancient Vaishali , Kolhua :-             Stupa & Pillar :- Kolhua, a part and parcel of ancient city of Vaishali marks the spot where a local chief of monkeys had offered a bowl of honey to Lord Buddha. The event is regarded as one of the eight most signigicant events of his life. According to the Buddhist literature, this was the place where Buddha spent many of the rainy seasons, Allowed Nuns to the Sangha for the first time , announced his approaching Nirvana and converted Amarpali from a proud court dancer to a nun.         The recent excavation conducted by Archaeological Survey of India have revealed remains of Kutagarshala , Swastika shaped monastery , a tank, number of votive stupas and miniature shrines in addition to main Stupa and the Ashokan Pillar which were exposed earlier. The pillar locally known as Lat is 11.00 meters high monolithic polished sand stone column surmounted by a seated Loin capital. It is probably one of the earl
Read more

Prahlad Sthumb ,Satlgarh , Dharahara, Banmankhi, Purnea

Image
Prahlad Sthumb  ,Satlgarh , Dharahara, Banmankhi, Purnea :-   About 2 kms from Banmankhi, exists a modern temple dedicated to the Narasimha  avatar of Vishnu. The temple has the idol of Narasimha Vishnu in the Sanctum Sanctorum surrounded by different enclosures containing other prominent deities of the Hindu religion. This was the place related to Hiranyakashyap’s attempted slaghter of his son Prahlad for devotion to the worship of lord Vishnu.  There is an underground pillar known as "Prahlāda khamba". It is said to be the pillar from which Narasiṁha, the half-man half-lion avatara, manifested to kill Hiranyakashap. Adjacent to the pillar is a large temple devoted to Lord Narasiṁha. Allegedly, attempts to excavate or move the "Prahlada khamba" have failed.Dharahara, a village extreme west of the district Purnea approx. 30 km, situated about 12 miles to the south of Raniganj and a few miles north of Dhamdaha . At the northwest corner is Monolith cal
Read more