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Home , Haryanka dynasty, Mahapadma Nanda, Nanda Empire, Pataliputra, Rakshasa (amatya), Udayin

Notion Press

Old No. 38, New No. 6 McNichols Road, Chetpet Chennai - 600 031

First Published by Notion Press 2016 Copyright © Navneet Sahay 2016 All Rights Reserved.

ISBN 978-1-946204-53-0

This book has been published with all efforts taken to make the material error-free after the consent of the author. However, the author and the publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

No part of this book may be used, reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Factual errors & ommissiions if any in this book are always open to corrections if substantiated with factual evidence. CONTENTS

A Touching Blog on the Pain of by Sri Arun singh xi Acknowledgment xvii Preface xix Message xxi 1. Shifting of of magadh from rajgriha to pataligram (village of roses) 1 2. Patna during the maurya&gupta 11 3. Period of obscurity 30 4. The sikh connection 31 5. Age of reconstruction 37 6. Patna during the reign of moghuls 43 7. Mir quasim and end of nawabs rule over patna and 46 8. Religious places mosques churches temples of patna 50 9. How patna grew as an important business and trading centre for french dutch and the english 59 10. Evolution of civil & criminal courts in patna 62 11. Old ’s life 66 12. Fairs & melas of patna: 68 13. Prices of commodities in those times 70 14. Decline of the old patna city area and westward growth of the city 75 15. Emergence of principal localities from 1765 onwards in british 78 16. Opium saltpetre & calico silk & dutch connection 92 17. Story of the mutiny in patna 1857 and pir ali 95 Contents

18. Municipal developments 101 19. History of important buildings 104 20. Hotels & restaurants of the bygone era 119 21. Important avenues of patna & the history behind them 121 22. Places of cultural & literary importance: 124 23. Establishment of railway link of patna with ranchi howrah gaya benares 126 24. Patna at the time of independence 130 25. Emergence of higher education under british rule in patna: 132 26. Old schools of patna 148 27. Libraries of patna 158 28. Emergence of new colonies in 18th & 19th centuries 162 29. Kadam kuan new area an abode of eminent personalities 173 30. Advent of cinema halls and subsequent death nails on the single screen halls in patna 187 31. Lawyers judges scholars poets doctors of eminence 190 32. Steamer service to pahleja 195 33. Student unrests 197 34. Batagunj dawn of a new era 201 35. Colonies that emerged in post world war era 203 36. Iconic eating houses that vanished in the waves of time 206 37. Entertainment 210 38. First interim govt of formed 214 39. Patna the centre stage of political turmoil of mid 1970s & call for sampoorna kranti 216 40. The deluge 219 41. Ganga bridge and transformation of patna into a megacity 221

x Chapter 1 SHIFTING OF CAPITAL OF MAGADH FROM RAJGRIHA TO PATALIGRAM (VILLAGE OF ROSES)

ot many cities of the world can boast of a legacy of a continuous Ninhabitation of more than 2500 years If you start counting the 4 lines on the little fingers will be enough Rome Instanbul Jerusalem Athens Alexandria &Gaya Patna which has down the ages , got different names like Pattan, Kusumpur, Pataligram, , to present day Patna along with these great Cities has seen continuous habitation for close to 2500 years History of Patna as a port hamlet spans at least three thousand years It is said when Gautam Buddha also called Sidharth Gautama Sakyamuni Budhdha (B563BCDied 483BC) embarked on his journey to seek salvation he crossed the River from Gandak estuary and got down near a Fort made of mud Brick on the southern bank ,when he asked about the name of the village it was told to him that the village was Pattan or Pataligram. The credit goes to , the son of Ajatsatru to actually build Patliputra to a famous city and to use it as his capital of Magadh. The Gargi-Samhita, Yug Puran, Vayu Puran mentions that Udayin magnificently built Kusumpur. connection. On his way to Gaya to seek salvation Budhha arrived at Pattan ( an old name of Patna ) a place where a mud fortification existed & stayed for a day or two before proceeding to Gaya via Rajgrih ,where he met King Buddha passed from this city a second time in the last years of his life, and he had prophesized a great future for this Patna: A Paradise Lost!

place, but at the same time, he predicted its ruin from flood, fire, and feud. Prior to that Vardhhmann Mahavir(B 599BC D 526 BC) also touched the port of Pattan while he embarked on a southward Journey from

The chronicle of Pataliputra For a Chronicle of Pataliputra (now Patna) we must begin from the beginning &start this story with the valiant & very powerful Magadh king Ajatshatru Son of the Bimbisara (Not to be confused with Bindusar Maurya ) 544-492 BC of Haryankas the 3rd dynasty of Magadh with the Capital at Rajgrih. Under the Rule of , the Haryank dynasty of Magadh reached its largest extent. Both Bimbisar &Ajatashatru were contemporary with (599– 527BCE) and Gautama Buddha (563–483 BCE).Bimbisar had constructed a pond with a garden on all sides which exists till this day for Gautama Buddha for his comfortable stay at It is also a folklore that Bimbisar built a mysterious cave treasury filled with huge treasures with its gate sealed by huge thick yellow stone There is a code written on stone But not deciphered as yet None could open this treasure stone This sealed stone at the opening of treasure on the cave mouth exists till this day in Rajgrih as it was during his reign Ajatshatru imprisoned & killed Bimbisar in 491 BC But Jain texts have a different story Once Ajatashatru was eating his meal with his newborn son in his lap, his son suddenly urinated, of which some drops fell onto his plate but due to affection for his child he did not change the plate but wiped the drops with his own patta (cloth on the shoulder) and continued to eat from the same plate. After eating a morsel he asked his mother Chelna, who was sitting in the same dining room, whether she had ever seen a father as loving and caring as he was, to which his mother narrated the story of King Bimbisara’s affection for him when he was a child and one such emotional night when little Ajatshtru was ill his father held him on his lap standing & pacing around the room all night. This touched Ajatashatru’s heart and his affection for his father was aroused. At once he picked up his axe and hurried to the prison to free his father by breaking all the iron chains himself. But when Bimbisara saw him coming with an axe in his hand he thought,... so, he is coming to kill me. It is better that I end my life with my own hands. At once he removed the Talaputa poison from his ring, closed his eyes and chanted”Kevli pannato Dhammam saranam pavajyami”(I seek refuge in the taught by the kevlins or omniscient) and swallowed the poison and ended his life.

2 Navneet Sahay

Ajatashatru repented a lot but repentance was of no use. Ajatashatru then shifted his palace to Champa and made it his capital as the previous palace reminded him of his atrocious mistake. Recorded of Pataliputra begins in the year 490 BCE when great Magadhan King Ajaatshatru wanted to shift his capital from the hilly Rajgriha(the present day Rajgir) to a more strategically located place to combat the Licchavis of the Confederacy of Vaishali. Ajatshatru was always in war with the Lichhavis of Vaishali which lay on the other side of

Amrapali Bimbisar Buddha & Ajatshatru The Magadh Connection: The life of ageless beauty Amarapali( a Royal Courtesan in Vaishali )& Lord Budhdha is closely linked with the Magadh Kings Bimbisar & his son Ajatshatru of . Both king Bimbisara and his successor sonAjatshatru mentioned in several Buddhist Sutras, being lay disciples, great friends and protectors of Gautama Buddha On the other hand ’s life has been a life of strange Paradox where love of motherland reigned supreme over her love for the 2 men from an enemy country in her life.Magadh & Vajji confederates were always at war Amrapali belonging to the vajji confederate was courted both by King Bimbisar & son Ajatshatru.Ajatshatru like Bimbisar was also infatuated by the beauty of Amrapali the most astonishing Beauty of the subcontinent of her time Nagarwadhu(Courtesan) of Vaishali.In Text of 5th century BC ;Story goes like this: after his initial defeat at the hands of the Wounded, lost, and on the run from enemy soldiers, Ajaatshatru donned the guise of a soldier of Lichchavi clan and took shelter in the palace of Amrapali. When Ajatshtru recovered from his wound both found that they are in love with each other. Ajatshatru had a gameplan to avenge his defeat He found an ally by the name of Senapati Badbadhra who was also aggrieved with the Janapad and both started to plot against the Lichchwi Janapad - This time by reducing the number of soldiers, making them addicted to alcohol, poor training methods, and poor pay ; thus reducing them to a demoralized force , and paving the way for an easy victory for Magadh. When Vaishali’s chief Manudev got to know from his people that magadh King was given shelter in her Palace he was so infuriated that a Royal courtesan of vaishali had a relationship with Ajatshatru the biggest enemy of Vaishali that he imprisoned her & ordered to be kept in a dungeon of for the rest of her life. Hearing this Ajatshatru razed with

3 Patna: A Paradise Lost! anger burnt the entire city of Vaishali & let loose a spree of violent vengeance , killing almost everybody& freed her from prison This sounded the death knell for the republic for ever. Amrapali however was not impressed to see her liberty at the cost of her city and an end to a glorious era of Lichchwi republic & the vajji confederate lost in pages of history for ever , and so she renounced her love for Ajatashatru.& So disgusted was she at the irreparable loss of the republic due to the beauty that she possessed ;that she renounced everything & went to Budhha who was staying with hundreds of Bhikkhus nearby & said to him that the real life is at your feet. I want to give all my possessions my Palace my Mango Garden to the commune of your monks."& said, "You can make it a place where ten thousand monks can stay in any rainy season." Amrapali became a devotee of Buddha. She proposed The Buddha to take her in his Sangha as a Bhikkhuni With Chants of Budhdham Sharanam Gacchami”Dhammam sharanam gacchami Sangham Sharanam gacchami “she ultimately travelled to the realm of Buddhist faith just as Ajatshatru like a winning king but a defeated lover watched.Buddha frequently stayed at her mango grove, Ambapali vana, which she later donated to his order and & from this place Budhdha preached the famous Ambapalika sutta

Why Pataligram was Chosen as Capital Rajgrih was 100 miles to the south of Ganges.For a win over the Lichchvis Ruled Vajji Clan (One of the 4 clans of Vajji Confederacy of 5th century BC) of Vaishali & to protect the Kingdom it was important to have a fortification on the confluence of Ganga Gandak & Son rivers After the death of his father he began a bloody war against Vajji, , and conquered the republic of Vaisali. Ajatashatru followed policies of conquest and expansion. He defeated his neighbors including the king of ;( area of UP), He then went to Kashi, which had been given to Bimbisara as dowry but after the news of imprisonment & eventual killing of Bimbisar reached Kashi they took it back. This led to a war between and Kosala. Ajatashatru occupied Kashi and captured the smaller kingdoms. Magadha under Ajatashatru became the most powerful kingdom in . He chose a site on the south bank of the Ganges the at that time was bordered by river on the south and east and river Sone River which flowed close by at that time (Probably the river bed of Sone at that time was near Dakbungalow Chowraha) and fortified the area with a fort of which no trace remains now This fort city later developed into Patna.

4 Navneet Sahay

After Ajatshatru the city was built under the guidance of Ajatsatru’s trusted ministers Sunidh and Vaskar.Ajatshatru built a fortification at Pataliputra but he kept the capital at Rajgir where his large fortification wall exists to this day The credit of laying the foundations for a at Pataligram at the strategic location of Confluence of 4 Rivers Sone Gandak Ganga& Punpun goes to Udaybhadra(Udayin )(460 BC to 440 BC)the son of Ajatshatru who named it Pataliputra The Buddhist Text Mahavamsa states that Udayabhadra (Udayin) eventually succeeded his father, Ajatshatru. King Udayin shifted his capital from Rajgriha to Patliputra because of the latter’s central location in . Moving the capital to Pataliputra, was a gigantic affair which, under the later Mauryan dynasty, was going to become the largest city in the world. After Udayin’s son ruled for 16 years there was a civil war in Pataliputra which eventually saw the emergence of Shishung dynastyEstablished in the year 413 BC For a brief period Pataliputra was abandoned as a capital city & capital once again moved to Rajagriha The last of the Haryank ruler wasNagadasak , the founder of the dynasty, who was initially an amatya or “minister” of the last Haryanka dynasty ruler Nagadasak and ascended to the throne after a popular rebellion in 413 BC again shifted capital to Pataliputra, near the present day Patna.After a brief lull this dynasty was succeeded by the in c. 385 BC

Pataliputra under The last Shishunaga ruler, Kalasoka, was assassinated by Mahapadma Nanda in 385 BCE, the first of the Nine Nandas who ruled from 385 to 324 BC,A barber by caste Mahapadma Nanda. was the son of Mahanandin, a father from the Sisunaga dynasty and a mother. Other Sons of Mahanandin from his Khatriya wives opposed the rise of Mahapadma Nanda, on which he eliminated all of them to claim the throne. R. K. Mookerji fixes Nanda’s coronation to 385 BCE,. Nanda Dynasty of Magadha retained with the Capital in Pataliputra And from now on it was Pataliputra which was going to be the Capital of Magadh or Later kingdoms Nanda Empire was one of the famous Ancient Indian Dynasties. It ruled in India for most part of 4th century BC close to 61 years. During the peak of his glory ruled over a region from in the west to Bengal in the east, and in the distant south upto the Vindhya Mountain Range. Nandas Ruled

5 Patna: A Paradise Lost! for close to 61 years from 385BC to 224.Mahapadma Nanda had a very able minister Mudrarakshas who managed the affairs of the Kingdom efficiently by clever imposition of shulk (fee or tax)so much so that Pataliputra & Nanda empire got very very rich Mudrarakshas Built a temple of Chitragupt near Nauzar ghat in Patna city of Black stone Nandas conquered the dynasties of , Aikshvakus, Haihayas, Kasis, , Kalinga, Maithilas, Kuru, and Sursenas and added these provinces to Magadha. Mahapadma Nandais also refered as Samarat (King with wide territory and acceptance) (Terribly strong) or Mahapadmapati (Most magnanimous Conqueror). Mahapadma Nanda, defeated the Panchalas. Panchalas was an ancient region of northern India, Called Doab by Moghuls lying between Ganges River and River, Haihayas( region) includes districts of western Madhya Pradesh and parts of south-eastern Rajasthan), Kalingas, which comprised most of the modern state of OdishaThe Nandas are also described as the first empire builders in the recorded . The Nanda Kings made the collection of taxes methodical, by regularly appointed officials. They had a strong administrative system. Their treasury was continuously supplemented to match the government expenditure. Nandas had large Pile of Crown’s treasures Gold Silver &copper coins they used it to support a very large of approx 2 lac. The Nanda kings also built canals and in land water ways to establish an effective irrigation system by digging new canals.Some Canals dug in Pataliputra could be seen till 1970s On this, basis rotation crop cultivation-system of Agriculture infrastructure developed in a big way. The possibility of an imperial structure based on an essentially agrarian economy began to take firm roots in the Indian mind set. The people enjoyed freedom of following the religion of their faith without any fear. The people largely followed , , and . But the rulers of the Nanda Empire embraced Jainism. Revered Jivasiddhi, the Digambar saint, was adopted as master by DhanaNanda. Panini, the eminent linguist& Grammer genious , was born during this era. The Nanda dynasty kings were great builders too. The majority of the stupas of Rajgir and at other major Hindu religious holy places were constructed during their 64 year Rule The last Nanda Dynasty ruler. Dhananada was despotic and autocratic ruler The Nanda Empire was at its greatest extent under Dhana Nanda (340 to 323 BC) The Nandas were a dreaded Kingship Even the Great conqueror

6 Navneet Sahay

Alexander the Great (356 –323 BCE), did not dare to cross over present day to intrude into Nanda kingdom territory when he heard of the military might stories of of Nand Army from the natives. While planning to hit Magadh in 325 BC Dhananad (Enjoyer of wealth)is recognized as very autocratic & arrogant ruler who amassed huge revenue for the state by levying taxes on all they could see as of any use to people like wood Charcoal Stone &sand Rulers of this dynasty Ruled Over Pataliputra from in 324BC. Nanda dynasty was over run by the Chandergupta (B340BCDied 298BC) of Moria clan the founder of Maurya Dynasty.The end came for the tyrant Ruler Dhananda who was defeated by Chandragupt only when 21 years of age under the guidance of a former student & then a Teacher from Takshshila (kautilya Muni) or Vishnugupt. After Dhananad was defeated and assassinated by the young in the court of Nandas in 324 B C the great Mauryan Empire was established to bathe in glory for 180 years to come and the grandiose capital of Nandas , Pataliputra became the not only the capital of the Mauryas but one of the greatest cities of its time also. They; the Mauryas Shaped Patliputra (Patna) as a Beautiful Capital

Chanakya (B 363 BC Died 282BC) & his Pataliputra connection No chronicle of Pataliputra is complete without the story of Chanakya He lived all through the Rule of Chandragupt & for 14 years in Bindusar Maurya’s reign Chanakya was both a student and a Teacher at Takshshila (now ) Believed to have been named after King Taksha an ancient King who ruled north west part of Indian Peninsula He learnt about a possible invasion by Greeks & was visibly disturbed He wanted to be in Patalputra to consolidate Magadh from within & without to be able to fight the invading Greeks. He arrived at the court of Pataliputra unnoticed by the indifferent rather intoxicated Gurads at the Gates of the city Dhanananda heard that a great scholar from Takshsila has arrived Dhanand draftet him to a committee for charities By his able ways he soon became the President of the Sungha(trust)Which helped the King to Distribute money as charity among different sections of the society. In his discharge of fuctions

7 Patna: A Paradise Lost! the President(Koshdhyaksh) had to meet the King.When Chanakya came face to face with King Dhananada the King was visibly annoyed by his appearance with saved head & a lock of hair swinging on the bachk of his face; his dark complexion & thin & look. Since Chanakya was a thorough professional in managing the Trust & was forthright ; spoke hard truth ; almost blunt in his explanations & did not falsely praise the King or gave salutations as given by other courtiers as time passed the King developed contempt for Chanakya The King disliked the bold manners of Chanakya that bordered sometimes on arrogance There was no refinement in King’s conduct or words for the Scholar who hailed from a University with stalwarts like Panini Charak Jivak Vishnu Sharma(writer of Panchtantra) A war of words followed in a meeting & Chanakya was removed from his post of Koshadhyaksh of charities without any reason cited Chanakya was enraged at the actions of a King; whom he considered less knowledgeable He came to Kings Court, erupted like a Volcano. He said to Dhananand “your manners your Arrogance & false pride has eroded the respect I had for you. You have removed me without a reason because I speak truth This act of yours does not suit a worthy king You cant act in a manner detrimental to the demeanor of a King of Magadh If you think there is none to question you, here I am & one day I will dethrone you. Chanakya was shouted out of the Court. As he was shouting at the King one courtier pulled his lock of hair & dragged him out of Court To this he unlocked his Choti & declared I am not going to bind this lock of hair this will remain like this till I dethrone Dhananada. Feeling humiliated he was passing the pathway when he stumbled on a bunch of wild grass which had cropped on the pathway & was about to fall to the ground. He sat down & one by one started uprooting all strands of grass from the ground As he finished removing every blade of grass a young man of 18 watched from a distance Intrigued by his appearance & what he was doing. This man was grand son of a Court Dasi Muradevi He was impressed at the determination of Chanakya He wanted to talk to him He went ahead talked to him courteously & took him to his abode. Chanakya asked “who you are & how come you are in Kings premises? You seem to be a worried man? ” The boy said “yes I am. Iam the grandson of a King sarwathasiddi a forest King of Pippaliwan. Of his two wives Sunandadevi & Muradevi there were 10 sons nine from Sunanda & one from Muradevi that was my father The Nand King got all of them Killed We were 100 brothers & cousins now only I survive I am in hiding I just roam around in disguise nearby

8 Navneet Sahay of the Palace & itching to get revenge Chanakya ,already infuriated by Kings behaviour was visibly moved by the tale of the young boy Chandragupt He assured the boy & vowed that he would make him the King of Magadh one day From that day on both worked in tandem towards their goal which was to finish the autocratic, unkind Nanda Ruler In this war of revenge Chandra was the Instrument & Chanakya was the think tank

Excerpts from a book on Chanakya Before defeating the Nandas, Chanakya had to employ various strategies before victory. Chanakya firstly tested the policy of attacking the coreof the city. The policy met with defeats again and again. With the change in strategy, Chanakya and Chandragupta began the attack on the borders of the Magadha Empire. Again there were mistakes. The troops were not stationed in the areas conquered. So when they marched forward, the people of the conquered areas joined together again and encircled their army. Thus those who had been defeated had to be fought again and again Chandragupta and Chanakya learnt lessons from these mistakes. They now stationed troops in the conquered regions. So those enemies would not raise and cause any trouble. Chanakya with his cleverness had earlier won the friendship of king Parvataka (or Second). Now Parvataka, his brother Vairochaka and son Malayeketu came with their to help them. The Nanda king had the support of a big army. The other equally important support was the guidance of his very able minister, Amatya . This minister was very intelligent and had unlimited loyalty to the king. Chanakya knew that getting Amatya out of his way was the only way of defeating King Nanda. Chanakya devised a plan which involved planting of spies in the enemy camp. In a very short span of time, the weaknesses of the Nandas became visible. Parallely, the Nandas and Amatya Rakshasa made plans to counter any attacks by Chanakya. Details are not available regarding the war between the Nandas on the one hand and Chandragupta and Chanakya on the other. But it was a keen and bitter fight. The Nanda king died.

The true aspect of Chanakya The momentous life of Chanakya reminds us of a revengeful saga where the individual is obsessed by the idea of taking revenge. But personal revenge

9 Patna: A Paradise Lost! was not the aim of Chanakya. He wanted that the kingdom should be secure and that the administration should go on smoothly, bringing happiness to the people. He thought that there were two ways of ensuring the happiness of the people. Firstly, Amatya Rakshasa had to be made Chandragupta’s minister; Secondly, a book must be written, laying down how a king should conduct himself, how he should protect himself and the kingdom from the enemies, how to ensure law and order, and so on. By writing “” and “Nitishastra”, Chanakya has become a never ending phenomena. He has truly guided the generations with his wisdom. It would ideally suit the closing of the life of Chanakya with acouple of quotations by Chanakya “The secret task of a king is to strive for the welfare of his people incessantly.The administration of the kingdom is his religious duty. His greatest gift wouldbe to treat all as equals.” “The happiness of the commoners is the happiness of the king. Their welfare is his welfare. A king should never think of his personal interest or welfare, but should try to find his joy in the joy of his subjects.” Words said 2350 years ago but true to this day

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