Patna: the gateway to Buddhism's sacred sites

Capital of Bihar and among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Patna remains the departure point for Buddhism's sacred sites.

The center, gateway to Buddhism's sacred places, is comfortably explored by motor rickshaw.

The Golghar, a domed grain silo built by the English in the eighteenth century to prevent future famines, remains the citys most unusual architectural monument.

Minutes away, the Patna Museum displays artifacts from the Maurya empire, including the celebrated Didarganj Yakshi, a sculptural masterpiece from twenty-three centuries ago.

Heading south one can reach Nalanda, a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to the worlds oldest residential university, founded in the fifth century.

As evening falls, the Gurdwara of Takht Sri Patna Sahib, birthplace of the tenth Sikh Guru, draws pilgrimages from across India.

Nalanda, just hours from Patna, was the world's largest residential university in ancient times, hosting up to ten thousand students and two thousand teachers from across Asia before its destruction in the Twelfth century.

Patna, known in antiquity as Pataliputra, was the capital of the Mauryan Empire, one of the most extensive empires ever to exist on the Indian subcontinent under Emperor Ashoka, who from here spread Buddhism throughout Asia.