 Plan of Pataliputra, compared to present-dayPatna | |
  Shown within India Show map of India Pataliputra (Bihar) Show map of Bihar | |
| Alternative name | Pātaliputtā (Pāli) |
|---|---|
| Location | Patna district,Bihar,India |
| Region | India |
| Coordinates | 25°36′45″N85°7′42″E / 25.61250°N 85.12833°E /25.61250; 85.12833 |
| Altitude | 53 m (174 ft) |
| Length | 14.5 km (9.0 mi) |
| Width | 2.4 km (1.5 mi) |
| History | |
| Builder | Ajatashatru |
| Founded | 490 BCE |
| Abandoned | Became modern Patna |
| Associated with | Haryankas,Shishunagas,Nandas,Mauryans,Shungas,Guptas,Palas |
| Management | Archaeological Survey of India |
| Part of a series on the |
| History of Bihar |
|---|
 |
| Ancient regions |
| Empires & dynasties |
|
| Religion |
| Culture & language |
| Indian independence movement |
| Colonial & modern era |
| See also:Timeline of Bihar ·History of India |
| Pilgrimage to |
| Buddha's Holy Sites |
|---|
 |
The Four Main Sites |
Pataliputra (IAST:Pāṭaliputra), adjacent to modern-dayPatna,Bihar,[1] was a city inancient India, originally built byMagadha rulerAjatashatru in 490 BCE, as a small fort (Pāṭaligrāma) near theGanges river.[2][3]Udayin laid the foundation of the city of Pataliputra at the confluence of two rivers, theSon and theGanges. He shifted his capital fromRajgriha to Pataliputra due to the latter's central location in the empire.[citation needed]
It became the capital of major powers in ancient India, such as theShishunaga Empire (c. 413–345 BCE),Nanda Empire (c. 460 or 420 – c. 325 BCE), theMaurya Empire (c. 320–180 BCE), theGupta Empire (c. 320–550 CE), and thePala Empire (c. 750–1200 CE). During the Maurya period (see below), it became one of thelargest cities in the world. As per the Greek diplomat, traveler and historianMegasthenes, during theMauryan Empire (c. 320–180 BCE) it was among the first cities in the world to have a highly efficient form oflocal self government.[4]The location of the site was first identified in modern times in 1892 byLaurence Waddell, published asDiscovery of the Exact Site of Asoka's Classic Capital.[5] Extensive archaeological excavations have been made in the vicinity of modern Patna.[6][7] Excavations early in the 20th century around Patna revealed clear evidence of large fortification walls, including reinforcing wooden trusses.[8][9]
In theSanskrit language, "Pāṭali-" refers to thepāṭalītree (Bignonia suaveolens),[10] while "-putrá" (पुत्र) means "son".
One traditional etymology[11] holds that the city was named after the plant.[12] Indeed, according to theMahāparinibbāṇa Sutta (Sutta 16 of theDīgha Nikāya), Pāṭaliputta was the place "where the seedpods of the Pāṭali plant break open".[13] Another tradition says thatPāṭaliputra means the son ofPāṭali, who was the daughter of a certain Raja Sudarsan.[14] As it was originally known asPāṭali-grāma ("Pāṭali village"), some scholars believe thatPāṭaliputra is a transformation ofPāṭalipura, "Pāṭali town".[15] Pataliputra was also calledKusumapura (city of flowers).
The Pataliputra is mentioned in early Buddhist textMahaparinibbana Sutta[13] but no mention of Pataliputra in written sources prior to the earlyJain and Buddhist texts (thePali Canon andĀgamas), where it appears as the village of Pataligrama and is omitted from a list of major cities in the region.[16] 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.[16] In 303 BCE, Greek historian and ambassadorMegasthenes mentioned Pataliputra as a city in his work Indika.[17]Diodorus, quotingIambulus mention that the king of Pataliputra had a " great love for the Greeks ".[18]
The city of Pataliputra was formed by fortification of a village byHaryanka rulerAjatashatru, son ofBimbisara.[19]
Its central location innorth eastern India led rulers of successive dynasties to base their administrativecapital here, from theNandas,Mauryans,Shungas and theGuptas down to thePalas.[20][page needed] Situated at the confluence of theGanges,Gandhaka andSon rivers, Pataliputra formed a "water fort, orjaldurga".[21] Its position helped it dominate the riverine trade of theIndo-Gangetic plains duringMagadha's early imperial period. It was a great centre of trade and commerce and attracted merchants and intellectuals, such as the famedChanakya, from all over India.
Two important early Buddhist councils are recorded in early Buddhist texts as being held here, the second session of theSecond Buddhist council in thereign of Ashoka, 35 years after the first session held inVaisali and theThird Buddhist council.[22]
Jain and Hindu sources identifyUdayabhadra, son ofAjatashatru, as the king who first established Pataliputra as the capital of Magadha.[16] The Sangam Tamil epicAkanaṉūṟu mentions Nanda kings ruling Pataliputra.[23][24][25]
Girnar fifthMajor Rock Edict of Ashoka mention Patliputra:
(M).They are occupied everywhere, both inPățaliputra and in the outlying [......] and whatever other relatives of mine (there are).
(N). These Mahamatras of morality [......] whether one is eager for morality [......].
(0). For the following purpose has this rescript on morality been written [......].-Major Rock Edict No.5, Girnar,E. Hultzsch translation[26]
During the reign of EmperorAshoka in the 3rd century BCE, it was one of the world's largest cities, with a population of about 150,000–400,000.[27] 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).[28] Pataliputra reached the pinnacle of prosperity when it was the capital of the greatMauryan Emperors,Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka.
"They surpass in power and glory every other people, not only in this quarter, but one may say in all India, their capital being Palibothra, a very large and wealthy city, after which some call the people itself the Palibothri, - nay, even the whole tract along the Ganges. Their king has in his pay a standing army of 600,000 foot-soldiers, 30,000 cavalry, and 9000 elephants : whence may be formed some conjecture as to the vastness of his resources."Megasthenes, inIndica[29]
The city prospered under theMauryas and a Greek ambassador,Megasthenes, resided there and left a detailed account of its splendour, referring to it as "Palibothra":
"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"[30]
Strabo in hisGeographia adds that the city walls were made of wood. These are thought to be the wooden palisades identified during the excavation of Patna.[31]
"At the confluence of the Ganges and of another river is situated Palibothra, in length 80, and in breadth 15stadia. 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"[32]
Aelian, although not expressly quoting Megasthenes nor mentioning Pataliputra, described Indian palaces as superior in splendor toPersia'sSusa orEcbatana:
"In the royal residences in India where the greatest of the kings of that country live, there are so many objects for admiration that neitherMemnon's city ofSusa with all its extravagance, nor the magnificence ofEcbatana is to be compared with them. (...) In the parks, tame peacocks and pheasants are kept." -Aelian in "De Natura Animalium"[33]
Under Ashoka, most of wooden structure of Pataliputra palace may have been gradually replaced by stone.[34] Ashoka was known to be a great builder, who may have even imported craftsmen from abroad to build royal monuments.[35] Pataliputra palace shows decorative influences of the Achaemenid palaces and Persepolis and may have used the help of foreign craftmen.[36] Which may be the result of the formative influence of craftsmen employed from Persia following the disintegration of theAchaemenid Empire after the conquests ofAlexander the Great.[37][38]
The city also became a flourishing Buddhist centre boasting a number of important monasteries. It remained the capital of theGupta dynasty (3rd–6th centuries) and thePala Dynasty (8th-12th centuries). WhenFaxian visited the city in 400 A.D, he found the people to be rich and prosperous; they practised virtue and justice.[39] 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.[40]
WhenXuanzang visited Pataliputra in the year 637, he found the city in ruins. He wrote that the old city had been completely deserted for many years, and all that was left was a small walled town by the bank of the Ganges, home to no more than about 1,000 people. According to Rajeshwar Prasad Singh, this small town had probably been built after the old city's destruction, as opposed to being a surviving part of the old town. Xuanzang wrote that most of the city's old historic buildings had been destroyed, and only their foundation walls remained. One building he noted in particular was an old stupa that was said to be the first of the 84,000 stupas built by Ashoka. Its foundation had sunken into the ground so that only the ornamental top of the dome was visible, and even that was in precarious condition, he wrote. Of theKukkuṭārāma monastery on the southeast side of the city, only the foundation remained.[41]: 12 [42]: 53–4 [43]: 4
Pataliputra's decline had probably begun well before Xuanzang's time. At least at Kumrahar, archaeological evidence seems to suggest a gradual decline beginning in the 300s, with fewer and less elaborate structures between this period andc. 600. After that, there are no traces of human activity for a thousand years, and the site seems to have been abandoned.[42]: 53
One likely contributing factor was a shift in the course of the Ganges. As early as Faxian's visit around the year 400, he wrote that Pataliputra was oneyojana (about 10 km) south of the Ganges. TheVarāha Purāṇa, from post-Gupta times, indicates that the confluence of the Gandak and the Ganges was then about 10 km north of the present location. Since Pataliputra derived a lot of its prosperity from river-based commerce, being separated from the river probably dampened its economy. A general decline in international trade toward the end of the Gupta period would have had a similar effect.[42]: 56
A catastrophic flood likely also devastated the city at some point in the late 500s. A later Jain work, theTitlhogali Painniya, records a traditional account of a disastrous flood on the Son River destroying Pataliputra at some point. This account describes this flood as happening during the month ofBhādrapada, or September, after 17 days and nights of heavy rain. The flooding on the Son apparently caused the Ganges to overflow as well, and Pataliputra was inundated on multiple sides. The account describes widespread destruction in Pataliputra, although it also says that the city was rebuilt afterwards.[41]: 12 [42]: 56–7
A third possible contributing factor is deliberate destruction by invadingHunas in the early 500s. A thick layer of ashes found at the 80-pillar hall at Kumrahar suggests that the building may have been destroyed by fire, possibly corroborating this theory.[42]: 54, 57
Pataliputra seems to have recovered somewhat by the early Pala period. TheKhalimpur plate ofDharmapala, from the early 800s, gives a vivid description of Pataliputra as a river port and royal encampment. It describes the crowds of boats, elephants, horses, and "limitless foot-soldiers of all the kings ofJambudvīpa assembled to render homage" to Dharmapala.B. P. Sinha interpreted this inscription to mean that Pataliputra was Dharmapala's capital, butA. S. Altekar disputed this, saying that the inscription only refers to Pataliputra as askandhāvāra, or camp, where Dharmapala stayed while on a campaign or tour.[41]: 13
While Pataliputra is mentioned in contemporary sources, archaeologists have not found any evidence from the Pala period at Pataliputra. At least at Kumrahar, there are no traces of human settlement until the 1600s.[43]: 5, 8
In a fanciful 1559 book about world geography, the Italian Caius Julius Solinus briefly mentions a powerful Indian kingdom ofPrasia with a capital at Palibotra.[44] Afterwards,Sher Shah Suri made Pataliputra his capital and changed the name to modern Patna.
Though parts of the ancient city have been excavated, much of it still lies buried beneath modern Patna. Various locations have been excavated, includingKumhrar,Bulandi Bagh andAgam 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.[45]
.png)
![Mason marks at the base of a pillar.[46]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aPataliputra_pillar_mason_marks_with_rubbing.jpg)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
News from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Resources from Wikiversity
Travel information from Wikivoyage
Data from WikidataAuthority control databases: Geographic |
|---|
| Authority control databases: Geographic |
|---|
