Names of Patna

Since its origin in 600 BCE, the city of Patna pronunciation^ⓘ (Hindi: पटना) has gone through many name changes.^[1] The article lists various names of Patna used throughout its history. The article could also be taken as the Toponymy of Patna.

Pataligram

One legend ascribes the origin of the city to a mythological king, Putraka, who created Patna by a magic stroke for his queen Patali, literally trumpet flower, which gives it its ancient name Pataligram. Gram is the Sanskrit word for a village.^[2]

Patliputra

Main article: Patliputra

The name Patliputra (Devanagari: पाटलिपुत्र ) is composed (sandhi) of two words, Patali and Putraka (king).^[3] The name Patliputra was given by Ajatashatru, a king of the ancient Indian state of Magadh, who created a fort in Pataligrama near the River Ganga in 490 BCE and later, King Ajatashatru shifted his capital to Patliputra.^[4]

The name Patliputra may also have been derived from Patli, a variety of tree that is found in the city.^[5][6] Indeed, according to the Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta (Sutta 16 of the Dīgha Nikāya), Pāṭaliputta was the place "where the seedpods of the Pāṭali plant break open".^[7]

Palinfou

The Chinese called the place Palinfou. This name appears in books of Chinese travelers Fa Hien & Hsuan-tsang who visited Patliputra.^[8][9]

Palibothra

This name was mentioned by Megasthenes (350 BCE-290 BCE), the Greek historian, (calling it 'Palibothra'(Devanagari: पलिबोथरा) or 'Palimbotra' (Devanagari: पलिम्बोत्र), in his writings during the 4th century.^[10][11]

Azimabad

Main article: Azimabad

Prince Azim-us-Shan, the grandson of Aurangzeb became the Governor of Patliputra in 1703. Earlier to that, Sher Shah Suri had moved his capital from Bihar Sharif to Patliputra. It was Prince Azim-us-Shan who gave it the name Azimabad.

See also

• Azimabad
• Magadh

References

1. "The history - Patna". patna.bih.nic.in. Archived from the original on 13 April 2011. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
2. "History of Patna". Patna: Agriculture Technology Management Agency. Archived from the original on 10 October 2007. Retrieved 26 February 2011. Adapted from an article in The Hindu by Shahid Akhter Makfi
3. "Patna (Bihar): The Story of Pataliputra". Archived from the original on 2 April 2008. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
4. • Kulke, Hermann; Rothermund, Dietmar (2004), A History of India, 4th edition. Routledge, Pp. xii, 448, ISBN 0415329205
5. "Patna losing floral wealth to concrete jungle". The Times of India. 15 October 2014. Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
6. London Swaminatham (3 October 2014). "Plants in Mahavamsa". tamilandvedas.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
7. "Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta (DN 16), translated from the Pali by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu". Dīgha Nikāya of the Pali Canon. dhammatalks.org. 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
8. Fa-Hien (2010). A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms Being an Account by the Chinese Monk Fa-Hien of his Travels in India and Ceylon (A.d. 399-414) in Search of the Buddhist Books of Discipline. Trans. Legge, James. eBooks. Archived from the original on 24 January 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
9. Chaoudhoury, P. C. Roy. "Patan Devi". Hindu Books. Dharma Universe. Archived from the original on 15 February 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
10. Of the city PataliputraArchived 10 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine Indika, Book II, Frag. XXV, Strab. XV. i. 35-36,--p. 702. Frag XXVI.Arr. Ind. 10. Of Pataliputra..." the greatest city in India is that which is called Palimbothra, in the dominions of the Prasians, where the streams of the Erannoboas and the Ganges unite,--the Ganges being the greatest of all rivers, and the Erannoboas being perhaps the third largest of Indian rivers, though greater than the greatest rivers elsewhere; but it is smaller than the Ganges where it falls into it. Megasthenes informs us that this city stretched in the inhabited quarters to an extreme length on each side of eighty stadia, and that its breadth was fifteen stadia, and that a ditch encompassed it all round, which was six hundred feet in breadth and thirty cubits in depth, and that the wall was crowned with 570 towers and had four-and-sixty gates...."
11. Ancient Library Archived 18 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine

Further reading

• Bernstein, Richard (2001). Ultimate Journey: Retracing the Path of an Ancient Buddhist Monk (Xuanzang) who crossed Asia in Search of Enlightenment. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-375-40009-5.
• Watters, Thomas (1996). On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India (Reprinted ed.). Hesperides Press. ISBN 978-1406713879.
• Legge, James 1886. A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms: Being an account by the Chinese Monk Fa-Hien of his travels in India and Ceylon (A.D. 399-414) in search of the Buddhist Books of Discipline. Oxford, Clarendon Press. Reprint: New York, Paragon Book Reprint Corp. 1965. ISBN 0-486-21344-7