My Visual Travel Experience: Patna and Surroundings (Bodh Gaya, Rajgir)

I visited Patna in early 2015. I had a total of 4 days for my visit, but I lost a full day because of heavy fog that delayed my train from Delhi. During my 3 remaining days, I covered Patna and the nearby towns of Bodh Gaya and Rajgir. My cousin, Kapil, made my stay very comfortable. He put me up in his company guesthouse and put a chauffeur driven car at my disposal. Even my daily breakfast and dinner were taken care of at the guesthouse. What luxury! I hadn't been sure what to expect from Patna because it is not on the tourist map for many visitors, but I enjoyed my visit, largely because of the region's very rich historical legacy, but also because of my extremely comfortable stay.

Patna is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and has a population of over 1.6 million. It is the second most populated city in eastern India after Kolkata. Patna was founded in 490 BC by the king of Magadh. Ancient Patna was called Pataliputra and was the capital of the Magadh Empire. It was a great centre of learning and education. During the Maurya and Gupta empires, Patna was the centre of the Indian subcontinent, but it lost its prominence after the Gupta empire fell. In the 12th century, Bakhtiar Khilji captured Patna and there was a lot of destruction that followed. Patna saw some revival in the 16th century under the Mughals.

In the 17th century, under the British, Patna became an important trading town. In 1912, the Bengal Presidency was partitioned and Patna became the capital of Bihar and Orissa Province, though in 1935 Orissa went on to become a separate state. The Quit India Movement against the British had its origins in Patna, and Patna played an important role in India’s freedom movement. After India became independent in 1947, Patna continued as the capital of Bihar. In 2000, Jharkhand was carved out of the state of Bihar, but Patna continued its status as Bihar’s capital.

Golghar is a large granary in the heart of Patna. The beehive shaped structure was completed in 1786, and it was part of the plan by Warren Hastings, Governor General of India, to try and tackle the famine prevailing in the region. The structure stands at a height of 29 meters.

Golghar

Gandhi Maidan is a large park covering 60 acres of land in the centre of Patna. The park features what is the world’s tallest statue of Mahatma Gandhi, standing at a height of over 20 meters. Many leaders from the freedom struggle addressed rallies from the maidan. On Independence Day and Republic Day, the flag hoisting ceremony are held at this maidan.  Gandhi Museum lies at one end of Gandhi Maidan. Christ Church is Patna’s most prominent church and it also lies adjacent to Gandhi Maidan. 

Mahatma Gandhi Statue, Gandhi Maidan

Sculpture of Secularism, Gandhi Museum

Christ Church

Harmandir Sahib is a Gurudwara built to commemorate the birth of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru, who was born in 1666. The Gurudwara was built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Harmandir Sahib

Mahavir Mandir was reputedly built around 1730. It is a very popular temple, situated next to Patna Railway Station, and it is dedicated to Lord Hanuman.

Mahavir Mandir

Linga, Mahavir Mandir

Patna Museum was built in 1917 during the British era. It is constructed in a Mughal and Rajput architectural style. It was built to display historical artifacts from the region. The museum’s collections include ancient stone and bronze sculptures, terracotta figures, paintings and thankas. It also has the fossil of a 200 million year old tree, and a relic of the Buddha.

Patna Museum

Courtyard, Patna Museum

Yakshi (3rd Century BC), Patna Museum

Shalbhanjika (2nd Century BC), Patna Museum

Buddha from Afghanistan (1st Century AD),
Patna Museum

Lord Harding Statue, Patna Museum

Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park opened as a biological park in 1969. In 1973, it became a biological park and a zoo. The zoo has a vast collection of animals, including lions, tigers, leopards, elephants, rhinos, hippos, giraffes and zebras.

Lion, Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park

Saurus Crane, Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park

Bodh Gaya is a town situated  110 km south of Patna. It has a population of almost 50,000. It is famous among Buddhist pilgrims the world over for the Mahabodhi Temple.

Mahabodhi Temple has a bodhi tree which is a sapling of the original bodhi tree under which Gautam Buddha attained his enlightenment. In 250 BC, Emperor Ashoka built a shrine at the holy spot, but it subsequently vanished. The current temple was constructed in the 6th century AD and has a tower that is 55 meters in height.

Mahabodhi Temple

Main Idol, Mahabodhi Temple

Cloister Walk, Mahabodhi Temple

Bodhi Tree, Mahabodhi Temple

Buddhist temples have been constructed in Bodh Gaya by various countries, including Japan, Bhutan, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Myanmar and Nepal. These temples reflect the architectural style of their respective countries. There is also a 25 meter tall Great Buddha Statue.

Great Buddha Statue

Japanese Temple

Thai Temple

Interior, Thai Temple

Rajgir is a town situated 105 km south east of Patna. It has a population of over 40,000. It was the first capital of the kingdom of Magadha, which went on to become the Mauryan Empire. The town is famous for the Vishwashanti Stupa, the Sulphur Springs and the nearby Nalanda University. 

Vishwashanti Stupa was built in 1969. The Peace Pagoda was one of 80 such structures built across the world to promote peace. A rope way leads to the stupa, which lies perched on a hill.

Shanti Stupa

Detail, Shanti Stupa

Cable Car, Shanti Stupa

The Hot Water Springs in Rajgir are where water from seven different springs merge. They ostensibly have healing powers, and the site is a famous Hindu pilgrimage site. Locally, the Hot Water Springs are called Brahmakund.

Laxmi Narayan Mandir, Hot Water Springs

Interior of Laxmi Narayan Mandir, Hot Water Springs

Bathers, Hot Water Springs

Nalanda University is located barely 30 km from Rajgir. It was founded in the 4th century AD, and functioned as a university for 800 years. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university flourished under the Gupta Dynasty in the 5th and 6th centuries. In the 12th century, the university was ostensibly attacked and destroyed by the Delhi Sultanate. The site was excavated in 1915. The complex has multiple monasteries and brick temples.

Nalanda University

So all in all, it turned out to be a very interesting visit for a history buff like me. Before my visit, I was a little ignorant about the historical legacy of the region and it was quite a learning experience for me. Like I always say, there's no better way of learning about history than by visiting the places where it unfolded!

My Visual Travel Experience: Perth

I spent an eventful month in Australia in 2011. In addition to covering the main towns in the eastern end of the country (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Gold Coast and Cairns), I also flew across to the western end of Australia to visit Perth, one of the most isolated big cities in the world. It turned out to be a good visit, and I enjoyed exploring Perth. The only thing that left me totally shaken was being at the receiving end of a racist gang that consisted of half a dozen youngsters. This happened while I was visiting one of the city's sites, Swan Bells, and it was bang in the middle of the day. They heckled me verbally, asked me what I was doing in their country and started following me. I picked up pace and walked briskly towards a crowd, fearing that I may be assaulted or mugged. The moment I was in the midst of other people, the gang backed off. I shudder to think what could have happened, for absolutely no fault of mine! Within the limits of my human biases, I try not to hold this against the city, because I guess these kind of unfortunate isolated acts can happen to travelers anywhere.

Perth is the capital of Western Australia, and is a city with about 2.0 million inhabitants. In 1826, British captain James Stirling arrived in what is now Perth and that set off the urbanization of the area, with convicts being called a few years later to help with development work. It was initially the administrative center of the Swan River Colony. The gold rush in Western Australia in the 1890's saw a further surge in development. Today Perth is an attractive city, with enough sites to keep a visitor busy for several days. To the south of Perth is the Swan River, and to the north lies the Northbridge district, known for its nightlife, entertainment and restaurants. The city center lies between the river and this district.

Perth's Central Business District has its towering skyscrapers, prominent among which is the Bank West Tower. Situated on St George Terrace, the building is a 50 story office building that rises to a height of 247 meters. It was completed in 1988 and till 2012, was the headquarters of Bank West. It is one of the city's tallest and best recognized landmarks.

Central Business District with the Bank West Tower

King’s Park is a large green belt rising above the city, and offering very good views. The park has a war memorial dedicated to soldiers from Western Australia who died in the world wars. There are also several other memorials and sculptures spread across the large park. The 990 acre park has a large number of varieties of plants and birds.

State War Memorial, King's Park

South African Memorial, King's Park

St George’s Cathedral dates back to 1888. There was an earlier, smaller Anglican church at the venue since 1845, but it was demolished and replaced by the present one. The cathedral is an impressive one with a red-brick exterior.

St George's Cathedral

High Altar, St George Cathedral

Lectern, St George Cathedral

St Mary’s Cathedral dates back to 1844 when it was built by Benedictines. It was modified in 1929, and today has a very modern interior with bright stain glass work

St Mary's Cathedral

Interior, St Mary's Cathedral

St George’s Terrace is the main road that cuts across the center of Perth. The central business district with the Bank West building lies along it. The road has an interesting sculpture of a group of kangaroos.

Kangaroo Sculpture, St George's Terrace

Dating back to 2000, the Swan Bells have become among the most popular tourist attractions of Perth. The tower consists of a series of 18 bells. 12 of the bells are from St Martin In The Fields in Trafalgar Square, London. The other six are from the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. The ones from London date back to the 14th century AD and were gifts given to the state during Australia’s bicentennial celebrations in 1988. The tower is 82.5 meters high and is made out of copper and glass. From the top, one gets great views of the city. In the lawns below, there are sculptures of swans.

Swan Bells

Carillon, Swan Bells

Swan, Swan Bells

Perth Mint dates back to 1899. It was under British control and was used to turn gold found in the mines of Western Australia into British coins. The mine still produces specialist metal coins, though it no longer produces coins for general circulation. The mint has a museum that has exhibits on mining. Every hour, there is an exhibition in which one can see a gold bar being made from pure molten gold.

Perth Mint

The Old Fire Station now serves as a museum, with interesting exhibits on fire fighting equipment and fire engines. Perth’s fire station moved to a new location in 1979 and a decision was taken to convert the original station into a museum.

Old Fire Station

Figure of a Fire Fighter, Old Fire Station

The Brass Monkey Hotel lies on James Street, where a lot of Perth’s night life is. The hotel is a great example of colonial architecture from the gold rush period. True to its name, the hotel has brass sculptures of monkeys near the entrance.

Brass Monkey Hotel

The Town Hall with its soaring tower is a city landmark. The Gothic building was built by convicts and completed in 1870. 

Town Hall

The Western Australian Museum is in the same complex as the Perth Cultural Center. Highlights of the museum are exhibits on natural history as well as on the history and culture of the region.

Birds Section, Western Australian Museum

Dinosaur, Western Australian Museum

Hay Street Mall is the city’s main pedestrian street, and is a vibrant street with department stores, shops, cafes and restaurants. Running parallel to Hay Street Mall, Murray Street Mall is a pedestrian street filled with shops and restaurants.

Sculpture of a Street Performer, Hay Street Mall

London Court is a charming shopping arcade opening out to one side on Hay Street Mall. Shops and restaurants line the beautiful alley between the two gateways, one on either side. There are also sculptures of St George & the Dragon, as well as figures from the Tudor period in medieval England.

London Court

Perth Zoo is a ferry ride away from the city. One of the main highlights of the zoo is an African savanna exhibit. The zoo has kangaroos and wallabies roaming around without cages, and one can touch them. For children, there are also other attractions like a carousel next to the café.

Galapagos Tortoise, Perth Zoo

Kangaroo, Perth Zoo

Rhinos, Perth Zoo

Carousel, Perth Zoo

The Aquarium Of Western Australia lies at Hillary’s Boat Harbour, a little outside Perth. It is quite a spectacular aquarium. The star feature is a transparent tunnel one walks through, in which one can see a range of marine life including sting rays and sharks. There is also a shallow touch pool, where one can touch marine animals like sting rays.

Fish in the Coral Reef, Aquarium of Western Australia

Lion Fish, Aquarium of Western Australia

Sting Rays, Aquarium of Western Australia

Sorrento Quay Boardwalk is a plush shopping centre next to the Aquarium Of Western Australia. Also close by, there's Hillary's Boat Harbour, where the rich and famous dock their boasts.

Sorrento Quay Boardwalk

Hillary Boat Harbour

I'm glad I made the effort to go all the way to Perth and explore what this isolated city had to offer. The incident I mentioned upfront left me quite shaken, but that didn't dampen my spirits much and I managed to cover large parts of the city.