Why Pataliputra (now Patna) was so important in Indian History?

The name comes the original Sanskrit “Patan”, which means port. Pataliputra was the capital of the ancient Magadha kingdom and two of the most famous empires in ancient India,i.e. the Mauryan Empire and the Gupta Empire.

Since it was the capital of two of the greatest Indian empires, along with several other empires in Indian history like the Nanda Empire, Shunga Empire, and all the way to Palas, it is a very important city in Indian history. Even Sher Shah Suri made it his capital and gave its modern name, Patna. 

The location of Pataliputra was a strategic one and that is why it was the capital of so many empires in history. It is located right in the center of North-Eastern India.   

During the time of Alexander’s invasion of India, pataliputra stood as the base of the Magadha/ Nanda empire, which makes Patliputara to be so popular in ancient Greek texts.

During the life of Buddha, Patna had been central in the development of the Buddhist movement. Thus, following the death of Buddha, the first council was held here. Much of the life of Buddha and his quest and success in obtaining enlightenment were written down in the form of Buddhist texts in Patna.