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BEST TIME TO VISIT
Patna is hot and humid in summer and cold in winters. Temperature varies from a
maximum of 43°C in summer to a minimum of around 5°C in the winters. Relative humidity
can go up to 100% during summer. It receives medium to heavy rainfall in the monsoon.
TOURISTS ATTRACTIONS IN PATNA
Patna has many sites of historical importance that can be visited.
The Khuda Baksh Oriental Library is a treasure trove of medieval manuscripts. It
is famous for its rare collection of Arabic and Persian manuscripts, including volumes
saved during the sacking of the Moorish University of Cordova.
Patna Museum is noted for its collection of statues and the world's oldest fossilized
tree, 16 m high and 200 million years old.
Close to the museum is Golghar, the 29-m-high beehive-shaped structure constructed
in 1786 following a terrible famine.
Patna Cemetery is a historically important European monument situated in what was
once a haveli (now a hospital). The cemetery is noted for an obelisk that was erected
to mark the cold-blooded murder of 47 Englishmen by Samru in 1763. A short distance
away from the cemetery is Padri-ki-Haveli, now a Catholic church with an imposing
façade.
The remains of Pataliputra, as well as the ancient capital of Ajatshatru and Ashoka
have been uncovered at Kumhrar. A few large pillars and the foundations of a Buddhist
monastery, known as Anand, are all that remain now.
At the eastern end of the city, in the Chowk area of old Patna stands the Har Mandir,
one of the holiest Sikh shrines. Built of white marble by Ranjit Singh, it marks
the place where Gobind Singh, the 10th and last of the Sikh gurus, was born in 1660.
One can still see Agam Kuan (the fathomless well), which was part of Ashoka's hell
for prisoners. The famous Mahendru Ghat in today's Patna is the reminder of Mahendru
(Ashoka's brother) who had sailed from here to preach Buddhism in Ceylon.
PLACES AROUND PATNA
Vaishali, the birthplace of Mahavira, seat of the first republic in the world, and
the place where Buddha gave his last sermon, is a one-hour drive from Patna. It
has an Ashoka pillar, a few stupas and a small museum.
Founded in the 5th century BC, Nalanda is 90 km away from Patna. It gave the world
one of the earliest great universities. The extensive remains today include the
Great Stupa, an archeological museum, and Xuan Memorial Hall, built as a peace pagoda
by the Chinese.
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