Best things to do in Patna
Patna is a good base for exploring Nalanda, Rajgir and Vaishali, and Sonepur, north of Patna, is worth visiting for its mela, usually held in November. Here are the best things to do.
#1 Don’t miss the Sonepur Mela
If you’re in Bihar between early November and early December, don’t miss the Sonepur Mela, staged 25 km north of Patna, across the Gandhi Bridge, at the confluence of the Gandak and the Ganges. Cattle, elephants, camels, parakeets and other animals are brought for sale, pilgrims combine business with a dip in the Ganges, sadhus congregate, and festivities abound.
The event is memorably described by Mark Shand in his quixotic Travels on My Elephant (see page 1221). The Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation in Patna (see page 814) organises tours and maintains a tourist village at Sonepur during the mela.
#2 See the site of the Buddha’s last sermon at Vaishali
Set amid paddy fields 55 km north of Patna, the quiet village of Vaishali was the site of the Buddha’s last sermon. Named after King Visala, who is mentioned in the Ramayana, Vaishali is also believed by some historians to have been the first city-state in the world to practise a democratic, republican form of government.
After leaving his family and renouncing the world, Prince Gautama (Buddha) studied here, but eventually rejected his master’s teachings and found his own path to enlightenment. He returned to Vaishali three times and on his last visit announced his final liberation – Mahaparinirvana – and departure from the world, in around 483 BC.
A hundred years later, the second Buddhist Council was held in Vaishali and two stupas erected. A small but well-presented archaeological museum provides a glimpse into the ancient Buddhist world.
#3 Visit Rajgir, the former capital of the Magadha kingdom
Eighty kilometres northeast of Bodhgaya, the small market town of Rajgir nestles in rocky hills that witnessed the meditations and teachings of both the Buddha and Mahavira, the founder of Jainism.
The capital of the Magadha kingdom before Pataliputra (Patna), Rajgir was also where King Bimbisara converted to Buddhism.
Rajgir is also regarded as a health resort because of its hot springs, 1 km south of town, which can get unpleasantly crowded, especially as the neighbouring Laxmi Narayan Temple has become a popular destination for Hindus not wishing to miss out on Rajgir’s Buddhist and Jain pilgrimage.
#4 Find peace at Buddha Smirti Park
Slap-bang in the middle of town, the 22-acre Buddha Smirti Park stands on the site once occupied by Bankipur Central Jail. The park was inaugurated by the Dalai Lama in 2010, and its trees include saplings taken from the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya.
The big stupa in the middle houses an urn supposedly containing ashes from the body of Buddha himself, which were unearthed at Vasihali. This being a Buddhist site, there’s also a meditation centre, and a museum illustrating the life of Buddha and the history of Buddhism.
#5 Climb Golghar for mighty views over Patna
Patna’s most notable monument is the Golghar, also called “the round house”, a huge colonial-era grain store built in 1786 to avoid a repetition of 1770’s terrible famine; thankfully, it never needed to be used.
Overlooking the river and Gandhi Maidan, its two sets of stairs spiralling up to the summit were designed so indentured workers could carry grain up one side, deliver their load through a hole at the top, and descend down the other.
Sightseers now clamber up for mighty views of the river and the city. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, there’s a sound-and-light laser show illustrating the history of Bihar and the Golghar.
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