Patan Devi Temple Patna | Image Resource : en.wikipedia.org
Patan Devi Temple Patna : A visit to Patna can never be complete without a visit to the Patan Devi Temple of Patna because that is where Patna gets its name. It is one of the oldest temples of Patna. The serene ambience of this temple makes it worth a visit. We had fun and also bought some religious artefacts outside the temple.
Padri ki Haveli is the oldest church in Bihar and one of the most visited places in Patna. It is a beautiful church and was built in the year 1713 by the Roman Catholics. It is also known as St. Mary’s Church and has great historical significance. It is open from 6.00 am to 8.00 pm on all days of the week for the devotees and the tourists. It celebrated its 300th anniversary in the year 2003. I took a cab from my hotel and reached the church at 9.00 am to see that a lot of tourists were already there getting inside the church.
The church is only about 9.5 km from the city and is located in a calm and peaceful surrounding, offering a perfect ambience for the devotees to pray in peace. it had withstood many attacks in the past and now is a beautiful structure well known for its architectural excellence. The church that we see now was designed by a Venetian artist called Tirreto, who came from Kolkata to Patna for the purpose of designing the church.
Padri Ki Haveli Patna | Image Resource : xpsajeevk.blogspot.in
I saw that the church was a large building which was 70 feet long, 40 feet wide and fifty feet high. Many people visit the church to pray as well as to wonder at its marvelous architectural beauty. One of the attractions of the church is the large cathedral bell with inscriptions on it.
Mother Teressa’s Room in Padri Ki Haveli Patna | Image Resource : kalpriyanagari.blogspot.in
The church is also associated with Mother Theresa, who stayed here for three months during the year 1948. She came here at Holy Family Hospital for training and stayed in a small room. The room is still preserved by the Missionaries of Charity and has a cot, a table and many other items used by Mother Theresa. It attracts a lot of tourists who come here to see the things used by Mother Theresa.
Inside view of Padri Ki Haveli Patna | Image Resource : kalpriyanagari.blogspot.in
I got in to the large hall in the church, knelt down and prayed for a few minutes and then got up to take a look around the hall and the surrounding area. I had a wonderful time at the church and the serene atmosphere of the church filled me with inner peace and happiness, something that you will feel only at a spiritual place.
Gandhi’s Statue in Patna | Image Resource : darbhangaonline.in
Gandhi’s Statue in Patna : The Mahatma has been a powerful leader during the freedom movement who lead the people through the path of Ahimsa. A statue of this great leader in Patna is now a great tourist attraction. It is an elegant statue with a metallic finish that is definitely worth visiting on your trip to Patna.
Kargil Chowk Patna | Image Resource : skyscrapercity.com
Kargil Chowk Patna : The Kargil War in the year 1999 saw the death of great martyrs like Major Chandrabhushan Divedi and General Digambar Dixit. The Kargil War Memorial was built to honour the death of many such martyrs from Jharkhand and Bihar who gave their lives for India. You must visit this place and pay your respect to those who died for our nation.
I am a history lover and go to all historic places when I visit a place, collecting books on history and if possible, buying some souvenirs. Golghar Patna is a historically important place in the city and attracts a lot of tourists from nearby areas and from other parts of India. Lots of historians and history students visit the pace and collect a number of facts about history like its architecture, the purpose of its construction, people involved in the construction etc. It is located on the western side of Gandhi Maidan. So, as I went to Gandhi Maidan, I went to see Golghar too.
The structure is shaped like a stupa and was used as a granary in the past to store grains. It was constructed by Warren Hastings, who was the Governor-General of India. The construction of the granary began in 1770, after the famine that struck the states of Bengal, Bihar and the neighboring states and killed more than 10,000 million people. It was completed in 1786 and was large enough to contain as much as 140000 tons of grain. As I neared the granary, I saw that it was a massive structure, which stood to a height of 29 meters. The diameter of the granary was about 125 meters.
Golghar Patna | Image Resource : flickr.com
On the four sides of the granary there were four doors that opened inwards and the thickness of the wall was 3.6 meters at the base. Two spiral stairways from the base to the top of the granary took you in opposite directions and each staircase contained 145 steps. They were so constructed that the laborers can go up by one staircase, drop the sack containing the grain through the hole on the top and then descend by the other staircase.
I joined a group climbing up the staircase and on reaching the top, the view offered was so beautiful that I stood there for a long time admiring the city of Patna and the River Ganges. Plans are being taken to renovate the structure and conserve it, making it more appealing for the tourists. The granary was never filled fully as the doors opened inwards and if it was filled fully, they would not open.
Indian Tourist Blog 