Riteish Deshmukh on his relationship with paparazzi: I have never refused a pap pic till date because…Actor Riteish Deshmukh shares insights on his relationship with paparazzi, highlighting the effort they put into their work. Published on: May 09
WFI issues show-cause notice to Vinesh Phogat, accuses her of multiple breaches; grappler barred from competingWFI declares Vinesh Phogat ineligible to compete till June 26. A show-cause notice has also been issued. Updated on: May 09, 2026 2:38 PM IST By Vishesh Roy Share via Copy link The
The image of a doctor has traditionally been a professional grounded in anatomy, pharmacology, pathology, and clinical skill. For decades, this depth of knowledge has defined medical excellence. But healthcare in the 21st century is no longer a closed clinical ecosystem; it is shaped by artificial
Flood hazard assessments for Uttarakhand have routinely underestimated the danger to its towns and villages because they have leaned on long-term average rainfall figures rather than the extreme downpours that actually trigger disasters, according to a study in Current Science
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing () and Corp., on Friday, announced plans to establish a joint venture in Kumamoto, Japan, to develop and produce next-generation image sensors.According to a report by Focus Taiwan, the two companies signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) to
HistoriCity: How Patna’s importance continued across centuries
Patna, one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities, is named after a trumpet-shaped yellow flower (Patali). Over 2,000 years ago, it transformed from a village (Pataligrama) into an imperial capital. Puranic legends ascribe its founding to King Putraka, who named it after his queen Patali, following the birth of their firstborn son.
Historical evidence suggests Ajatshatru (5th century BCE), the patricidal son of Bimbisara of the Haryanka Dynasty, likely founded the city. Ajatshatru, believed to have been a contemporary of Mahavira and the Buddha, shifted his capital from Rajgir to Pataligrama, and its name changed to Pataliputra.
The relevance over centuries
Patna remains important in today's politics as the capital of Bihar. It was the setting for one of the most significant events in independent India—socialist leader Jayprakash Narayan's student-led movement against corruption. The movement evolved into a challenge to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's government in the 1970s.
Ashoka, India's first emperor (268 BCE-232 BCE), and the greatest until Akbar (16th century), emerged from the same region, known as Magadh, for most of its over 2500-year history. Born to King Bindusara and Subhadrangi, Ashoka unified kingdoms and regions. He brought a large swathe of the subcontinent under Magadh's domination.
Historian Romila Thapar writes in her seminal work, ‘Asoka and the Decline of the Mauryas', that the impetus to crafts was one of the more important results of the political unification of India under the Mauryas, and the control of a strong centralised government. “With the improvement of administration, the organisation of trade became easier and the crafts gradually assumed the shape of small-scale industries.”
The Shungas, Kanvas, Mitras, and Mahameghavahanas followed in quick succession after the decline of the Mauryas around 185 BCE. The Guptas (3rd- 6th CE) matched the Mauryas in scale and size. Bengal's Palas (8th-12th CE) managed to maintain some of Pataliputra's importance. It was one of several important cities within their kingdom. The others were Gauḍa, Vikramapura, Munger, and Tāmralipta.
Loss of political centrality
Bakhtiar Khilji's campaign hastened the Pala Empire's disintegration (12th century) as Patna slipped away from the political centre stage into the fringes. North India's power centers shifted to Allahabad, Agra, and Delhi. But Patna remained a provincial centre of river and land trade due to its strategic location near the confluence of the Ganga, Son, Gandak, and Punpun rivers.
Afghan noble Sher Shah Suri chose Patna in the 16th century as he sought to establish the capital of his fledgling and ultimately short-lived kingdom. He revived its fortunes. Patna's peak had passed long ago in the 7th century. But its location still afforded it the status of a market town or a Pattana.
Patna remained an important regional center through the Sultanate (13th-16th CE) and the Mughal (16th-19th CE) periods. In 1704, Emperor Aurangzeb's son, Azim-us-Shan, renamed it Azimabad as the provincial governor.
The Colonial Patna
The British East India Company, its French, Portuguese, and other European counterparts, were vying for Bihar's cotton, calico, saltpetre, and other goods in less than a century. The British eventually prevailed before their authority was challenged. The British retook Patna after a massacre in 1763. Their presence was cemented after the 1764 Battle of Buxar.
William Fullerton, a surgeon who eventually returned to Scotland with over 30,000 pounds as his personal fortune, was, by all accounts, the sole British survivor of the massacre of British captives at Patna on October 5, 1763. He had survived the Black Hole tragedy in which dozens of Britishers died of suffocation in Calcutta in 1756.
The Patna massacre (at least 45 Britishers and over 200 Indians were killed) remained a marginal footnote in both Patna's and the general colonial history. J M Bulloch and C O Skelton write in their monograph, Lieutenant John Gordon of the Dundurcus family Massacred at Patna 1763, that the trouble arose through their interference with the local conditions in the sacred name of civilisation. “In 1761, we replaced the famous Mir Jaffir [Jafar], Nawab of Murshidabad, by his son-in-law, Mir Kassim [Qasim], who, we imagined, would prove more pliable for our purpose,” they wrote. “But so far from being grateful, he declined to play the puppet or to let the strings be pulled by us. He soon let us see that he had a will of his own, and that he cherished dreams of independence.”
A British deserter, Walter Reinhardt (nicknamed Sombre due to his dark complexion), led the assault against the British captives. He is held responsible for it along with Qasim in a commemorative inscription in Patna. The inscription notes, “In the memory of [names of the dead Englishmen follow], who with many other captives were on the nights of the fifth or sixth, and the eleventh of October 1763 brutally massacred near this spot by the troops of Mir Kasim, Nawab Subadar of Bengal under command of Walter Reinhardt, alias Samru, a base renegade”.
Reinhardt joined the British forces in the first half of the 18th century. He deserted the British in Madras and joined the French. Reinhardt left them and worked for the Swiss in Calcutta before entering the army of Nawab Safdarjung of Awadh. A skilled military man proficient in artillery and modern techniques, Reinhardt, whom the Indians called Sumroo, was never short of work. The Muslim chiefs of Purnea employed him in the aftermath of the Battle of Plassey.
The British and their collaborators deposed Siraj-ud-Daulah of Bengal after this battle in 1753. They replaced him first with Jafar and then with Qasim, who ultimately became their arch-enemy. Qasim and his other allies, Raja Balwant Singh (Banaras), Shuja-ud-Daulah (Awadh), and Shah Alam II, the Mughal emperor, lost to the British East India Company. Qasim died in obscurity in 1773, and Reinhardt a year later, after working for the Jat king Jawahir Singh and receiving the rights to Sardhana, a small principality near Meerut, from emperor Shah Alam.
HistoriCity is author Valay Singh's column narrating the story of a city in the news, going back to its documented history, mythology, and archaeological digs. The views expressed are personal.
Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines
to 100 year archives.
Source: HindustanTimes
Related Posts: Need to continuously update public services to achieve goal of Speeding SUV kills one in Patna Archer named in England T20 World Cup squad Mitchell Marsh named captain as Australia go spin-heavy for T20 World Cup 2026 Logistics giant DP World replaces chairman named in Jeffrey Epstein documents Gattuso named Italy coach as the Azzurri aim to avoid missing out on a third straight World Cup Nandamuri Balakrishna Named In World Book of Records UK For 50 Years In Films FIDE Chess World Cup trophy named after Viswanathan Anand Hyderabad's Iconic 'Fish Building' Named Among World's Strangest Buildings Goa likely to be named Chess World Cup host
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday took oath as the chief minister of West Bengal. He became the first BJP leader to hold the post. Adhikari was sworn-in five days after the BJP defeated the Trinamool Congress in the Assembly elections
1 days ago
Delivering for your nation at a World Cup brings heightened pressure, and doing so at a home tournament takes the expectation up to a whole new level. Red Roses prop Maud Muir did just that last September, winning a home Rugby World Cup with England in front of a record women's rugby crowd of 81
1 days ago
India and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) discussed expanding and diversifying regular migration pathways. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh met with IOM Director General Amy Pope on Friday (May 8, 2026) on the sidelines of the second International
1 days ago
The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday conducted searches at five locations in Delhi, Gurugram and Chandigarh linked to Punjab Cabinet minister Sanjeev Arora and his company on suspicion of alleged money laundering, The Hindu reported. The searches were conducted at the office premises of Hampton
1 days ago
IIT Kharagpur students make mango pickle using storm-fallen raw mangoes, internet says ‘sarv gun sampann’An IIT Kharagpur student showed how fallen raw mangoes were turned into pickle inside a hostel. Published on: May 09, 2026 4:19 PM IST By Mahipal Singh Chouhan Share via Copy link A student
1 days ago
A now-viral post on Reddit has triggered a debate on why more men seemingly want marriage and children, while more women are increasingly choosing to remain childfree. The post, originally shared on the Reddit community r/childfree, quickly spread across social media platforms and drew thousands of
1 days ago
University of Surrey GREAT Scholarships India Offered by the University of Surrey, the U.K., in partnership with the British Council under the GREAT Britain Campaign. Eligibility: Indian citizens with a valid passport who have an unconditional offer to pursue a full-time postgraduate course from
1 days ago
Who is Suzy Lamb? Joni Lamb's daughter-in-law opens up about anger, loss after her death: 'I really hate...'Joni Lamb's passing brings attention to her family, particularly son Jonathan and wife Suzy, who have a complex relationship with Daystar TV. Updated on: May 09
1 days ago
The sky’s blue is due to Rayleigh scattering — when molecules in the air scatter light of shorter wavelength (bluer) much more efficiently than that of longer ones. On hotter days, however, there can be other things in the air and which can affect how light is scattered
1 days ago
A cyber attack hit several universities and schools in the US, Canada and Australia, causing chaos, confusion and major disruptions amid the high stakes end-of-year season. The hacking group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the attack
1 days ago
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nisith Pramanik on Saturday took oath as a cabinet minister in the new West Bengal government to be helmed by chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, days after the saffron party stormed to power in the state. Pramanik
1 days ago
Hantavirus infections have come under renewed global scrutiny following a recent outbreak aboard the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius, which was travelling across the southern Atlantic with multiple port stops. As of Friday, Health authorities have reported confirmed and suspected cases among
1 days ago
Vladimir Putin has used his annual Victory Day speech in Moscow's Red Square to justify his war in Ukraine and denounce Nato. Speaking in front of hundreds of military personnel and flanked by a few world leaders, the Russian president said he was fighting a "just" war and called Ukraine an
1 days ago
The U.S. announced Project Freedom on May 4 to end the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. It was suspended the next day even as merchant ships and U.S. Navy craft came under attack. Though U.S. President Donald Trump cited progress in negotiations with Iran as the reason for calling off the
1 days ago
The United States said on Friday (May 9, 2026) it was organising an evacuation flight for Americans on a hantavirus-struck cruise ship that has sailed to the Canary Islands, which are part of Spain. “The Department of State is arranging a repatriation flight to support the safe return of American
1 days ago
Samsung launches fifth edition of Solve for Tomorrow, raises winning grants to ₹2 croreLaunching Solve for Tomorrow 2026, Samsung increases grants to ₹2 crore for youth innovation in tech solutions. Updated on: May 09, 2026 12:59 PM IST By Aditi Anand Share via Copy link Samsung has launched
1 days ago
Indian Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta has approached the Sports Ministry seeking intervention over alleged non-payment of prize money from the organisers of the Odisha Open 2026. Gupta says he was assured the winnings would be released within a month of his victory in January this year
1 days ago
Indian cricketers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shafali Verma have received notices from the National Anti-Doping Agency. This follows their failure to be available for scheduled dope tests last year. Both players are part of NADA's Registered Testing Pool
1 days ago
Editorial independence is core to our work. Some links may earn us a commission, without influencing our opinions.These stunning kurta pant sets are now up to 80% off: Picksfrom top brands for womenAmazon Great Summer Sale 2026 brings up to 80% off on stylish kurta pant sets
1 days ago
Editorial independence is core to our work. Some links may earn us a commission, without influencing our opinions.Still using a single-door fridge? These side-by-side refrigerators may fix summer storage problemsRunning out of fridge space this summer? These side-by-side refrigerators offer
1 days ago
Thalapathy Vijay’s bodyguard, Aroon Suresh, recently took to the stories section of his Instagram handle and penned down a positive cryptic note. Though Suresh did not mention TVK Chief’s name, he shared a message that read, “Beautiful outcomes come after hard battles
1 days ago
Frontier Airlines flight hits pedestrian on runway, leads to engine fire: What we knowThe Frontier Airlines flight, an Airbus A321, was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members at the time of the incident. Updated on: May 09, 2026 4:59 PM IST Written by Majid Alam Share via Copy link A flight
1 days ago
For the longest time, global gourmet culture carried a certain predictability. Luxury was associated with imported cheeses, European techniques, exotic berries flown across continents, and ingredients that sounded sophisticated simply because they were foreign. Meanwhile, some of the most layered
1 days ago
National Commission for Women Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar on Friday said that the panel will recommend to the Union government a complete ban on parole for those convicted in cases of rape, aggravated sexual assault and other serious offences against women and children, PTI reported
1 days ago
Newly sworn-in West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari held a crucial meeting with top officials. He reviewed the state's law and order situation. Discussions also covered the smooth continuation of schemes from the previous government. Progress on Writers' Buildings renovation was also a key
1 days ago
After almost eight months away from competition, Neeraj Chopra is finally inching closer to a return — but not before completely rebuilding his body first. The 28-year-old from Panipat hasn’t competed since finishing eighth at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo last September
1 days ago
NPF farmers' wing to undertake statewide inquiry tour across NagalandNPF farmers' wing to undertake statewide inquiry tour across Nagaland Published on: May 09, 2026 5:30 PM IST PTI Share via Copy link Kohima, The ruling Naga People's Front's farmers' wing on Saturday announced a statewide tour to
1 days ago
