Patna — where Bihar's capital sits on the Ganges

Short answer. Patna is the capital of Bihar, on the southern bank of the Ganges, and one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the country: it was Pataliputra, capital of the Maurya and Gupta empires, and later Azimabad. Wikipedia gives the city 1,684,222 people in the 2011 census (urban agglomeration 2,046,652).

The city and its names

Pataliputra — the ancient capital, described in Wikipedia as founded in 490 BCE by Udayin. Ancient dates are approximate and sources differ, so treat this as the article's figure, not a settled year.
Azimabad — the name it carried after being renamed in 1704.
Patna — the current and official name.

These are one place under successive names, not separate cities. See our City Identity writing on similar cases such as Banaras, Varanasi or Kashi.

Rivers and setting

Patna lies on the south bank of the Ganges, with the Son, Gandak and Punpun rivers in its wider region. The city covers about 250 sq km (about 600 sq km for the metropolitan area), according to Wikipedia.

History in brief

Pataliputra: capital of the Maurya and Gupta empires; Ashoka is associated with the Maurya period.
16th century: revived under Sher Shah Suri.
1666: Guru Gobind Singh was born here; Takht Sri Patna Sahib marks the birthplace.
1704: renamed Azimabad.
1912: Patna became the capital of Bihar after the partition of the Bengal Presidency, as the article states it.

Getting around and institutions

Rail: Patna Junction.
Air: Jay Prakash Narayan Airport.
Bridge: Gandhi Setu, about 5,575 m, described as the longest river bridge in India.
Metro: the article describes Patna Metro as operational; check the operator for current lines.
Education: Patna University (1917), IIT Patna and AIIMS Patna.

PIN codes

Patna's PIN codes fall in the 800xxx range. We will link individual PIN code pages as area pages are added.

Sources

Compiled on 19 September 2026 from Wikipedia: Patna. Population, area and bridge-length figures are the article's; a second source has not yet been added, and the metro status in particular should be re-checked.