Pataliputra - Revision history

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	File:Magadha Expansion (6th-4th centuries BCE).png\|Pataliputra served as the capital of the [[Haryanka dynasty]] and the [[Shishunaga dynasty]] of Magadha		File:Magadha Expansion (6th-4th centuries BCE).png\|Pataliputra served as the capital of the [[Haryanka dynasty]] and the [[Shishunaga dynasty]] of Magadha
	File:Nanda Empire, c.325 BCE.png\|Pataliputra served as the capital of the [[Nanda Empire]]		File:Nanda Empire, c.325 BCE.png\|Pataliputra served as the capital of the [[Nanda Empire]]
	File:Maurya Empire, c.~~250~~ BCE 2.png\|Pataliputra served as the capital of the [[Maurya Empire]]		File:Maurya Empire c.260 BCE.png\|Pataliputra served as the capital of the [[Maurya Empire]]
	File:Sunga map.jpg\|Pataliputra served as the capital of the [[Shunga Empire]]		File:Sunga map.jpg\|Pataliputra served as the capital of the [[Shunga Empire]]
	File:GuptaEmpire300-550.png\|Pataliputra served as the capital of the [[Gupta Empire]]		File:GuptaEmpire300-550.png\|Pataliputra served as the capital of the [[Gupta Empire]]

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	[[Claudius Aelianus\|Aelian]], although not expressly quoting Megasthenes nor mentioning Pataliputra, described Indian palaces as superior in splendor to [[Persia]]'s [[Susa]] or [[Ecbatana]]:		[[Claudius Aelianus\|Aelian]], although not expressly quoting Megasthenes nor mentioning Pataliputra, described Indian palaces as superior in splendor to [[Persia]]'s [[Susa]] or [[Ecbatana]]:
	{{quote\|"In the royal residences in India where the greatest of the kings of that country live, there are so many objects for admiration that neither [[Memnon (mythology)\|Memnon]]'s city of [[Susa]] with all its extravagance, nor the magnificence of [[Ecbatana]] is to be compared with them. (...) In the parks, tame peacocks and pheasants are kept." - [[Claudius Aelianus\|Aelian]] in "''[[~~Claudius_Aelianus~~#~~De_Natura_Animalium~~\|De Natura Animalium]]"''<ref>[https://archive.org/details/L449AelianCharacteristicsOfAnimalsIII1217 Aelian, Characteristics of animals, book XIII, Chapter 18], also quoted in The Cambridge History of India, Volume 1, p411</ref>}}		{{quote\|"In the royal residences in India where the greatest of the kings of that country live, there are so many objects for admiration that neither [[Memnon (mythology)\|Memnon]]'s city of [[Susa]] with all its extravagance, nor the magnificence of [[Ecbatana]] is to be compared with them. (...) In the parks, tame peacocks and pheasants are kept." - [[Claudius Aelianus\|Aelian]] in "''[[Claudius Aelianus#De Natura Animalium\|De Natura Animalium]]"''<ref>[https://archive.org/details/L449AelianCharacteristicsOfAnimalsIII1217 Aelian, Characteristics of animals, book XIII, Chapter 18], also quoted in The Cambridge History of India, Volume 1, p411</ref>}}

	Under Ashoka, most of wooden structure of Pataliputra palace may have been gradually replaced by stone.<ref>{{cite book \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uXyftdtE1ygC&pg=PA96 \|title=Asoka Mookerji Radhakumud \|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishing \|year=1995 \|page=96 \|isbn=9788120805828 }}</ref> Ashoka was known to be a great builder, who may have even imported craftsmen from abroad to build royal monuments.<ref>{{cite book \|title=Monuments, Power and Poverty in India: From Ashoka to the Raj \|first=A. S. \|last=Bhalla \|publisher=I.B.Tauris \|year=2015 \|page=18 \|isbn=9781784530877 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=emATBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA18 }}</ref> Pataliputra palace shows decorative influences of the Achaemenid palaces and Persepolis and may have used the help of foreign craftmen.<ref>{{cite journal \|url=http://jsr.usb.ac.ir/article_1659_265.html \|title=The Analysis of Indian Muria Empire affected from Achaemenid's architecture art \|archive-date=2 April 2015 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402144452/http://jsr.usb.ac.ir/article_1659_265.html \|journal=Journal of Subcontinent Researches \|volume=6 \|issue=19 \|year=2014 \|pages=149–174 }}</ref> Which may be the result of the formative influence of craftsmen employed from Persia following the disintegration of the [[Achaemenid Empire]] after the conquests of [[Alexander the Great]].<ref name="auto1">{{cite book \|title=The Archaeology of South Asia: From the Indus to Asoka, c.6500 BCE–200 CE \|first1=Robin \|last1=Coningham \|first2=Ruth \|last2=Young \|publisher=Cambridge University Press \|year=2015 \|page=414 \|isbn=9780521846974 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hB5TCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA414 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|url=https://archive.org/details/reportonexcavat01waddgoog \|title=Report on the excavations at Pātaliputra (Patna); the Palibothra of the Greeks \|last=Waddell \|first=L. A. (Laurence Austine) \|year=1903 \|publisher=Calcutta, Bengal secretariat press }}</ref>		Under Ashoka, most of wooden structure of Pataliputra palace may have been gradually replaced by stone.<ref>{{cite book \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uXyftdtE1ygC&pg=PA96 \|title=Asoka Mookerji Radhakumud \|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishing \|year=1995 \|page=96 \|isbn=9788120805828 }}</ref> Ashoka was known to be a great builder, who may have even imported craftsmen from abroad to build royal monuments.<ref>{{cite book \|title=Monuments, Power and Poverty in India: From Ashoka to the Raj \|first=A. S. \|last=Bhalla \|publisher=I.B.Tauris \|year=2015 \|page=18 \|isbn=9781784530877 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=emATBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA18 }}</ref> Pataliputra palace shows decorative influences of the Achaemenid palaces and Persepolis and may have used the help of foreign craftmen.<ref>{{cite journal \|url=http://jsr.usb.ac.ir/article_1659_265.html \|title=The Analysis of Indian Muria Empire affected from Achaemenid's architecture art \|archive-date=2 April 2015 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402144452/http://jsr.usb.ac.ir/article_1659_265.html \|journal=Journal of Subcontinent Researches \|volume=6 \|issue=19 \|year=2014 \|pages=149–174 }}</ref> Which may be the result of the formative influence of craftsmen employed from Persia following the disintegration of the [[Achaemenid Empire]] after the conquests of [[Alexander the Great]].<ref name="auto1">{{cite book \|title=The Archaeology of South Asia: From the Indus to Asoka, c.6500 BCE–200 CE \|first1=Robin \|last1=Coningham \|first2=Ruth \|last2=Young \|publisher=Cambridge University Press \|year=2015 \|page=414 \|isbn=9780521846974 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hB5TCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA414 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|url=https://archive.org/details/reportonexcavat01waddgoog \|title=Report on the excavations at Pātaliputra (Patna); the Palibothra of the Greeks \|last=Waddell \|first=L. A. (Laurence Austine) \|year=1903 \|publisher=Calcutta, Bengal secretariat press }}</ref>

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	{{Patna}}		{{Patna}}
	{{Patna Division topics}}		{{Patna Division topics}}
			{{Buddhist sites in Bihar}}

	[[Category:History of Patna]]		[[Category:History of Patna]]

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	==See also==		==See also==
	~~{{Portal\|India}}~~
	* [[Azimabad]]		* [[Azimabad]]
	* [[Names of Patna]]		* [[Names of Patna]]

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{{short description|Historical city in Bihar, India}}
{{See also|Pataliputra Lok Sabha constituency}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox ancient site
| name = Pataliputra
| alternate_name = Pātaliputtā (Pāli)
| image = Pataliputra6.jpg
| caption = Plan of Pataliputra, compared to present-day [[Patna]]
| map_type = India#India Bihar
| relief = yes
| altitude_m = 53
| coordinates = {{coord|25|36|45|N|85|7|42|E|display=inline,title}}
| location = [[Patna district]], [[Bihar]], [[India]]
| region = [[South Asia]]
| length = {{convert|14.5|km|mi|abbr=on}}
| width = {{convert|2.4|km|mi|abbr=on}}
| builder = [[Ajatashatru]]
| built = 490 BCE
| abandoned = Became modern Patna
| occupants = [[Haryanka dynasty|Haryankas]], [[Shishunaga dynasty|Shishunagas]], [[Nanda dynasty|Nandas]], [[Maurya Empire|Mauryans]], [[Shunga dynasty|Shungas]], [[Gupta dynasty|Guptas]], [[Pala Empire|Palas]]
| management = [[Archaeological Survey of India]]
}}
{{BuddhasHolySites}}

'''Pataliputra''' ([[IAST]]: {{IAST|Pāṭaliputra}}), adjacent to modern-day [[Patna]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/unravelling-pataliputra/articleshow/99702402.cms?from=mdr|title=Unravelling Pataliputra}}</ref> was a city in [[ancient India]], originally built by [[Magadha]] ruler [[Ajatashatru]] in 490 BCE, as a small fort ({{IAST|Pāṭaligrāma}}) near the [[Ganges]] river.<ref name="A History of India">{{Citation|last1 = Kulke |first1= Hermann|last2= Rothermund|first2= Dietmar|year= 2004|title= A History of India|publisher= 4th edition. Routledge, Pp. xii, 448|isbn= 978-0-415-32920-0}}.</ref> [[Udayin]] laid the foundation of the city of Pataliputra at the confluence of two rivers, the [[Son River|Son]] and the [[Ganges]]. He shifted his capital from [[Rajgir|Rajgriha]] to Pataliputra due to the latter's central location in the empire.{{CN|date=January 2023}}

It became the capital of major powers in ancient India, such as the [[Shaishunaga dynasty|Shishunaga Empire]] ({{Circa|413}}–345 BCE), [[Nanda Empire]] ({{Circa|460 or 420|325 BCE}}), the [[Maurya Empire]] ({{Circa|320}}–180 BCE), the [[Gupta Empire]] ({{Circa|320}}–550 CE), and the [[Pala Empire]] ({{Circa|750}}–1200 CE). During the Maurya period (see below), it became one of the [[List of largest cities throughout history|largest cities in the world]]. As per the Greek diplomat, traveler and historian [[Megasthenes]], during the [[Maurya Empire|Mauryan Empire]] ({{Circa|320}}–180 BCE) it was among the first cities in the world to have a highly efficient form of [[Self-Government|local self government]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schwanbeck |first1=E.A. |title=Ancient India as described by Megasthenes and Arrian (First published 1657) |date=4 October 2008 |publisher=Bibliolife |edition=23 }}</ref>
The location of the site was first identified in modern times in 1892 by [[Laurence Waddell]], published as ''Discovery Of The Exact Site Of Asoka's Classic Capital''.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.70450/page/n7/mode/2up Discovery Of The Exact Site Of Asoka's Classic Capital], 1892</ref> Extensive archaeological excavations have been made in the vicinity of modern Patna.<ref>"Patna". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2013 <{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/446536/Patna |title=Patna | India |access-date=2011-01-30 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111130062709/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/446536/Patna |archive-date=30 November 2011}}>.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160204/jsp/bihar/story_67304.jsp|title=Heritage wall for Metro corridor plan|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122154335/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160204/jsp/bihar/story_67304.jsp|archive-date=22 November 2016}}</ref> Excavations early in the 20th century around Patna revealed clear evidence of large fortification walls, including reinforcing wooden trusses.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/A-relic-of-Mauryan-era/articleshow/14035973.cms|title=A relic of Mauryan era|website=[[The Times of India]] |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171127032306/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/A-relic-of-Mauryan-era/articleshow/14035973.cms|archive-date=27 November 2017}}</ref><ref>[[Valerie Hansen]] ''Voyages in World History, Volume 1 to 1600, 2e, Volume 1'' pp. 69 [[Cengage Learning]], 2012</ref>

==Etymology==
In the [[Sanskrit]] language, "Pāṭali-" refers to the ''pāṭalī ''tree (''[[Stereospermum chelonoides|Bignonia suaveolens]]''),<ref name=MW2011>{{cite book|vauthors=|title=A Sanskrit English Dictionary: Etymologically and Philologically Arranged|edition=16th Reprint|chapter=Pāṭali|pages=615|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishing House|location=New Delhi|year=2011|isbn=978-8120831056|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8KFPBl9lLRcC&pg=PA615}}</ref> while "-putrá" (पुत्र) means "son".

One traditional etymology<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=HT0TAAAAYAAJ&dq=etymology&pg=PA677 Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, p.677]</ref> holds that the city was named after the plant.<ref>''Folklore'', Vol. 19, No. 3 (30 September 1908), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1254534?seq=3 pp. 349–350] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510201750/https://www.jstor.org/stable/1254534?seq=3 |date=10 May 2018 }}</ref> Indeed, according to the ''[[Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta]]'' ([[Sutra|Sutta]] 16 of the ''[[Dīgha Nikāya]]''), Pāṭaliputta was the place "where the seedpods of the Pāṭali plant break open".<ref name=DN16>{{cite web|title=Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta (DN 16), translated from the Pali by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu|work=[[Dīgha Nikāya]] of the [[Pali Canon]]|publisher=dhammatalks.org|year=2022|url=https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/DN/DN16.html|accessdate=9 October 2022}}</ref> Another tradition says that {{IAST|Pāṭaliputra}} means the son of {{IAST|Pāṭali}}, who was the daughter of a certain Raja Sudarsan.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=CbsidphI1LMC&pg=PA182 Journal of Francis Buchanan (1812), p.182]</ref> As it was originally known as {{IAST|Pāṭali-grāma}} ("{{IAST|Pāṭali}} village"), some scholars believe that {{IAST|Pāṭaliputra}} is a transformation of {{IAST|Pāṭalipura}}, "{{IAST|Pāṭali}} town".<ref>''Language'', Vol. 4, No. 2 (June , 1928), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/408792 pp. 101–105] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510201750/https://www.jstor.org/stable/408792 |date=10 May 2018 }}</ref> Pataliputra was also called ''Kusumapura'' (city of flowers).

==History==
There is no mention of Pataliputra in written sources prior to the early [[Jain]] and Buddhist texts (the [[Pali Canon]] and [[Āgama (Buddhism)|Āgamas]]), where it appears as the village of Pataligrama and is omitted from a list of major cities in the region.<ref name="Early_Buddhist_Texts">{{Citation
|last1 = Sujato
|first1 = Bhikkhu
|author-link1 = Bhante Sujato
|first2 = Brahmali
|last2 = Bhikkhu
|publisher = Oxford Center for Buddhist Studies
|title = The Authenticity of the Early Buddhist Texts
|url = https://ocbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/authenticity.pdf
|section = 1.1.5
|url-status = bot: unknown
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171120102236/https://ocbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/authenticity.pdf
|archive-date = 20 November 2017}}.
</ref> Early Buddhist sources report a city being built in the vicinity of the village towards the end of the Buddha's life; this generally agrees with archaeological evidence showing urban development occurring in the area no earlier than the 3rd or 4th Century BCE.<ref name="Early_Buddhist_Texts"/> In 303 BCE, Greek historian and ambassador [[Megasthenes]] mentioned Pataliputra as a city in his work Indika.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tripathi |first=Piyush Kumar |date=16 July 2015 |title=Realty to broaden horizon |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150716/jsp/bihar/story_31789.jsp |location=Calcutta |newspaper=The Telegraph |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716095624/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150716/jsp/bihar/story_31789.jsp |archive-date=16 July 2015}}</ref>[[Diodorus]], quoting [[Iambulus]] mention that the king of Pataliputra had a " great love for the Greeks ".<ref>[https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/2B*.html#55 DIODORUS SICULUS -LIBRARY OF HISTORY-Book II, 60]</ref>

The city of Pataliputra was formed by fortification of a village by [[Haryanka]] ruler [[Ajatashatru]], son of [[Bimbisara]].{{sfn|Sastri|1988|p=11}}

Its central location in [[North India|north eastern India]] led rulers of successive dynasties to base their administrative [[Capital city|capital]] here, from the [[Nanda dynasty|Nandas]], [[Maurya dynasty|Mauryans]], [[Shunga dynasty|Shungas]] and the [[Gupta dynasty|Guptas]] down to the [[Pala Empire|Palas]].<ref>{{Citation
|last1=Thapar
|first1=Romilak
|author-link=Romila Thapar
|year=1990
|title=A History of India, Volume 1
|publisher=New Delhi and London: Penguin Books. Pp. 384
|isbn=978-0-14-013835-1
}}.
</ref>{{page needed|date=August 2016}} Situated at the confluence of the [[Ganges]], [[Gandaki River|Gandhaka]] and [[Son River|Son]] rivers, Pataliputra formed a "water fort, or ''jaldurga''".<ref>The Pearson Indian History Manual, Pearson Education India, A94.</ref> Its position helped it dominate the riverine trade of the [[Indo-Gangetic plain]]s during [[Magadha]]'s early imperial period. It was a great centre of trade and commerce and attracted merchants and intellectuals, such as the famed [[Chanakya]], from all over India.

Two important early Buddhist councils are recorded in early Buddhist texts as being held here, the second session of the [[Second Buddhist council]] in the [[Ashoka|reign of Ashoka]], 35 years after the first session held in [[Vaisali]] and the [[Third Buddhist council]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Lwin, Phyu Mar| title=The Buddhist Councils: The Movement to Great Schism|journal=The Journal of International Association of Buddhist Universities (JIABU)|volume=11|year=2018| issue=2| pages=303–314|url=https://so06.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/Jiabu/article/download/219925/152151 |access-date=28 August 2022}}</ref>

Jain and Hindu sources identify [[Haryanka dynasty#Udayabhadra|Udayabhadra]], son of [[Ajatashatru]], as the king who first established Pataliputra as the capital of Magadha.<ref name="Early_Buddhist_Texts"/> The Sangam Tamil epic [[Akanaṉūṟu]] mentions Nanda kings ruling Pataliputra.<ref name="SangaIlakkiyam_3">{{cite book
| last = Kowmareeshwari (Ed.)
| first = S.
| title = Agananuru, Purananuru
| publisher = Saradha Pathippagam
| series = Sanga Ilakkiyam
| volume = 3
| edition = 1
| date = August 2012
| location = Chennai
| pages = 251
| language = ta
}}</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=9TULZX3SY18C&dq=pataliputra+akananooru&pg=PA99 The Song of Songs and Ancient Tamil Love Poems: Poetry and Symbolism By Abraham Mariaselvam]</ref><ref>Akanaṉūṟu Verses 261 and 265</ref>

===Capital of the Maurya Empire===

[[File:Mauryan ruins of pillared hall at Kumrahar site of Pataliputra ASIEC 1912-13.jpg|thumb|left|Ruins of the pillared hall at [[Kumrahar]] site at Pataliputra]]
[[File:Pataliputra_capital._Department_of_Archaeology,_Government_of_India.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Pataliputra capital]], discovered at the [[Bulandi Bagh]] site. 4th-3rd c. BCE]]
[[File:Mauryan remains of a wooden palissade at Bulandi Bagh site of Pataliputra ASI 1926-27.jpg|thumb|left|Mauryan remains of a wooden palissade at Bulandi Bagh site]]
During the reign of Emperor [[Ashoka]] in the 3rd century BCE, it was one of the world's largest cities, with a population of about 150,000–400,000.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Rise of Man in the Gardens of Sumeria: A Biography of L.A. Waddell |first=Christine |last=Preston |publisher=Sussex Academic Press |year=2009 |page=49 |isbn=9781845193157 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ujn2fPCwaUAC&pg=PA49 }}</ref> The city is estimated to have had a surface of 25.5 square kilometers, and a circumference of 33.8 kilometers, and was in the shape of a parallelogram and had 64 gates (that is, approximately one gate every 500 meters).<ref>{{cite book |title=Fortified Cities of Ancient India: A Comparative Study |first=Dieter |last=Schlingloff |publisher=Anthem Press |year=2014 |page=49 |isbn=9781783083497 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nVeWBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA49 }}</ref> Pataliputra reached the pinnacle of prosperity when it was the capital of the great [[Maurya dynasty|Mauryan Emperors]], [[Chandragupta Maurya]] and Ashoka. The city prospered under the [[Maurya]]s and a Greek ambassador, [[Megasthenes]], resided there and left a detailed account of its splendour, referring to it as "Palibothra":<br>
{{quote|"[[Megasthenes]] says that on one side where it is longest this city extends ten miles in length, and that its breadth is one and threequarters miles; that the city has been surrounded with a ditch in breadth 600 feet, and in depth 45 feet; and that its wall has 570 towers and 64 gates." - [[Arrian]] "The Indica"<ref>[http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/Indica.html Arrian, "The Indica"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525151841/http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/Indica.html |date=25 May 2012 }}</ref>}}
[[File:Mauryan remains of wooden palissade at Bulandi Bagh site of Pataliputra ASIEC 1912-13.jpg|thumb|Mauryan remains of a wooden palisade discovered at the [[Bulandi Bagh]] site of Pataliputra]]
[[File:Fa Hien at the ruins of Ashoka palace.jpg|thumb|[[Fa-Hien]] at the ruins of Ashoka's palace in Pataliputra in the 4th century CE (artist impression)]]
[[Strabo]] in his [[Geographia]] adds that the city walls were made of wood. These are thought to be the wooden palisades identified during the excavation of Patna.{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=42}}
{{quote|"At the confluence of the Ganges and of another river is situated Palibothra, in length 80, and in breadth 15 [[Stadion (unit)|stadia]]. It is in the shape of a parallelogram, surrounded by a wooden wall pierced with openings through which arrows may be discharged. In front is a ditch, which serves the purpose of defence and of a sewer for the city." - [[Strabo]], "Geographia"<ref>[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/44886/44886-h/44886-h.htm Strabo Geographia Vol 3 Paragraph 36] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141116055802/http://www.gutenberg.org/files/44886/44886-h/44886-h.htm |date=16 November 2014 }}</ref>}}

[[Claudius Aelianus|Aelian]], although not expressly quoting Megasthenes nor mentioning Pataliputra, described Indian palaces as superior in splendor to [[Persia]]'s [[Susa]] or [[Ecbatana]]:
{{quote|"In the royal residences in India where the greatest of the kings of that country live, there are so many objects for admiration that neither [[Memnon (mythology)|Memnon]]'s city of [[Susa]] with all its extravagance, nor the magnificence of [[Ecbatana]] is to be compared with them. (...) In the parks, tame peacocks and pheasants are kept." - [[Claudius Aelianus|Aelian]] in "''[[Claudius_Aelianus#De_Natura_Animalium|De Natura Animalium]]"''<ref>[https://archive.org/details/L449AelianCharacteristicsOfAnimalsIII1217 Aelian, Characteristics of animals, book XIII, Chapter 18], also quoted in The Cambridge History of India, Volume 1, p411</ref>}}

Under Ashoka, most of wooden structure of Pataliputra palace may have been gradually replaced by stone.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uXyftdtE1ygC&pg=PA96 |title=Asoka Mookerji Radhakumud |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishing |year=1995 |page=96 |isbn=9788120805828 }}</ref> Ashoka was known to be a great builder, who may have even imported craftsmen from abroad to build royal monuments.<ref>{{cite book |title=Monuments, Power and Poverty in India: From Ashoka to the Raj |first=A. S. |last=Bhalla |publisher=I.B.Tauris |year=2015 |page=18 |isbn=9781784530877 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=emATBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA18 }}</ref> Pataliputra palace shows decorative influences of the Achaemenid palaces and Persepolis and may have used the help of foreign craftmen.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://jsr.usb.ac.ir/article_1659_265.html |title=The Analysis of Indian Muria Empire affected from Achaemenid's architecture art |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402144452/http://jsr.usb.ac.ir/article_1659_265.html |journal=Journal of Subcontinent Researches |volume=6 |issue=19 |year=2014 |pages=149–174 }}</ref> Which may be the result of the formative influence of craftsmen employed from Persia following the disintegration of the [[Achaemenid Empire]] after the conquests of [[Alexander the Great]].<ref name="auto1">{{cite book |title=The Archaeology of South Asia: From the Indus to Asoka, c.6500 BCE–200 CE |first1=Robin |last1=Coningham |first2=Ruth |last2=Young |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2015 |page=414 |isbn=9780521846974 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hB5TCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA414 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/reportonexcavat01waddgoog |title=Report on the excavations at Pātaliputra (Patna); the Palibothra of the Greeks |last=Waddell |first=L. A. (Laurence Austine) |year=1903 |publisher=Calcutta, Bengal secretariat press }}</ref>

===Capital of later dynasties===
The city also became a flourishing Buddhist centre boasting a number of important monasteries. It remained the capital of the [[Gupta dynasty]] (3rd–6th centuries) and the [[Pala Dynasty]] (8th-12th centuries). When [[Faxian]] visited the city in 400 A.D, he found the people to be rich and prosperous; they practised virtue and justice.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Beal|first=Samuel|title=Si-Yu-Ki: Buddhist Records of the Western World|publisher=Trubner & Co|year=1884|location=London}}</ref> He found that the nobles and householders of the city had constructed several hospitals in which the poor of all countries, the destitute, the crippled and the diseased can get treatment. They could receive every kind of help gratuitously. Physicians would inspect the diseases, and order them food, drink, and medicines.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Beal|first=Samuel|title=Si-Yu-Ki: Buddhist Records of the Western World|year=1884|location=London}}</ref> The city was largely in ruins when visited by [[Xuanzang]].<ref name = Scott>{{cite journal
| last = Scott
| first = David
| title = Buddhism and Islam: Past to Present Encounters and Interfaith Lessons
| journal = Numen
| volume = 42
| issue = 2
| pages = 141–155
| date = May 1995
| doi=10.1163/1568527952598657
| jstor = 32701721
}}</ref> In a fanciful 1559 book about world geography, the Italian Caius Julius Solinus briefly mentions a powerful Indian kingdom of ''Prasia'' with a capital at Palibotra.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=iz1OAAAAcAAJ Delle cose maravigliose del mondo Tradotto da Giovan Vincenzo Belprato, Count of Antwerp], by Caius Julius Solinus (Solino), 1559, page 209.</ref> Afterwards, [[Sher Shah Suri]] made Pataliputra his capital and changed the name to modern Patna.

==Structure==
[[File:Ruins of Patliputra at Kumhrar.JPG|thumb|left|Ruins of Pataliputra at [[Kumhrar]]]]
Though parts of the ancient city have been excavated, much of it still lies buried beneath modern Patna. Various locations have been excavated, including [[Kumhrar]], [[Bulandi Bagh]] and [[Agam Kuan]].

During the Mauryan period, the city was described as being shaped as parallelogram, approximately 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) wide and 15 kilometers (9 miles) long. Its wooden walls were pierced by 64 gates. Archaeological research has found remaining portions of the wooden palisade over several kilometers, but stone fortifications have not been found.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.asi.nic.in/asi_exca_imp_bihar.asp|title=Excavation sites in Bihar|publisher=[[Archaeological Survey of India]]|access-date=13 September 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028011257/http://asi.nic.in/asi_exca_imp_bihar.asp|archive-date=28 October 2009}}.</ref>

===Excavated sites of Pataliputra===
* [[Kumhrar]]
* [[Bulandi Bagh]]
* [[Agam Kuan]]

==As dynastic capital==
{{Anchor|Pataliputra served as the capital under various Indian dynasties}}
<gallery class="center" widths="180" heights="145" caption="Pataliputra served as the capital under various Indian dynasties">
File:Magadha Expansion (6th-4th centuries BCE).png|Pataliputra served as the capital of the [[Haryanka dynasty]] and the [[Shishunaga dynasty]] of Magadha
File:Nanda Empire, c.325 BCE.png|Pataliputra served as the capital of the [[Nanda Empire]]
File:Maurya Empire, c.250 BCE 2.png|Pataliputra served as the capital of the [[Maurya Empire]]
File:Sunga map.jpg|Pataliputra served as the capital of the [[Shunga Empire]]
File:GuptaEmpire300-550.png|Pataliputra served as the capital of the [[Gupta Empire]]
File:Asia 800ad.jpg|Pataliputra served as the capital of the [[Pala Empire]]
</gallery>

==Main recovered artifacts==
<gallery class="center">
File:Masarh_lion_sculpture.jpg|The [[Masarh lion]], 3rd century BCE
Lohanipur torso.jpg|[[Lohanipur torso]].
File:Portion of Asokan pillar, found in Pataliputra, Modern Bihar - 3 A.D..JPG|Portion of pillar, found in Pataliputra.
Patna griffin.jpg|Pataliputra [[griffin]] statuette.
Winged Griffin - Chunar Sandstone - Circa 3rd Century BCE - Kumhrar - Patna - ACCN 5583-A25303 - Indian Museum - Kolkata 2014-02-14 9264.JPG|Winged griffin.
Patna Yakshas.jpg|Pataliputra [[Yakshas]], with Mauryan inscriptions.
File:Pataliputra Kumrahar coping stone with vines.jpg|Kumrahar coping stone with vines.
File:Pataliputra lotus motif.jpg|Pataliputra lotus motifs.
File:Mauryan Hall pillar.jpg|Polished pillar from Pataliputra.
File:Pataliputra pillar mason marks with rubbing.jpg|Mason marks at the base of a pillar.<ref>Foreign Influence on Ancient India, de Krishna Chandra Sagar [https://books.google.com/books?id=0UA4rkm9MgkC&pg=PA41 p.41]</ref>
Charriot wheel Bulandi Bagh Pataliputra Mauryan period.jpg|Charriot wheel, Bulandi Bagh, Mauryan period.
Bulandi Bagh female figure Sunga period.jpg|Bulandi Bagh female statuette, Sunga period.
Pataliputra Buddhist railing with coping stone.jpg|Buddhist railing, Sunga period.
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|India}}
* [[Azimabad]]
* [[Names of Patna]]
* [[History of Patna]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{Cite book |last=Kosmin |first=Paul J. |author-link=Paul J. Kosmin |title=The Land of the Elephant Kings: Space, Territory, and Ideology in Seleucid Empire |date=2014 |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9UWdAwAAQBAJ |isbn=978-0-674-72882-0}}
* {{citation |editor-last=Sastri |editor-first=Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta |editor-link=K. A. Nilakanta Sastri |title=Age of the Nandas and Mauryas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YoAwor58utYC |date=1988 |orig-year=1967 |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]] |location=Delhi |isbn=978-81-208-0465-4 |edition=Second }}

==Further reading==

* Bernstein, Richard (2001). ''Ultimate Journey: Retracing the Path of an Ancient Buddhist Monk (Xuanzang) who crossed Asia in Search of Enlightenment''. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. {{ISBN|0-375-40009-5}}

{{Patna}}
{{Patna Division topics}}

[[Category:History of Patna]]
[[Category:Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India]]
[[Category:Former populated places in India]]
[[Category:Former capital cities in India]]
[[Category:Indo-Aryan archaeological sites]]
[[Category:Ancient Indian cities]]
[[Category:Maurya Empire]]