Destination India: Patna, Bihar

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Patna, Bihar

Jalan Museum (Quila House), Patna
Originally uploaded by /jjj/.

Located on the Southern bank of Ganges, the modern city of Patna is the capital of the Indian State of Bihar. A bustling city of 1.2 million people, Patna was the famed Patliputra, the seat of power and nerve center of the sub-continent. From Patliputra, the mighty emperor Chandragupta Maurya ruled a vast empire, stretching from Bay of Bengal to Afghanistan. Early Mauryan Patliputra was mostly built with wooden structures. Emperor Ashoka, the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, transformed the wooden capital into stone construction around 273 BC.

About Me

India has always fascinated me for different reasons. The vastness of its culture, the diversity of people’s opinions and the limitations of its vision. Despite our diversity, we need to have a collective vision. India is not a country of four metropolis or a couple of high-tech cities. This nation of a billion people has 29 states and 6 union territories. We have 35 state and territorial capitals. How much do we know about each of these important cities?

Professionally I am a graphic designer from Bombay, India. In 1987, I co-authored a book on Corporate India, but my desire to throw a wider net and pick up much more information remains intact. I want my people from every city and every state to write and photograph details and information that would be interesting to the viewers around the world. We have so much to talk about and so much to share - this medium and this technology can help fulfill our collective dreams.