Golghar – Yesteryears Granary in Patna, Bihar

Golghar, a large granary from yester years is a tourist attraction in Patna, the capital city of Bihar. This granary, built in 1786 during the British rule is situated to the west of Gandhi Maidan and is not far away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the city.

 
A steep flight of about 150 steps takes one to the top of Golghar. This top presents one with a wonderful panoramic view of the city and the Ganges flowing nearby.


The devastating famine of 1770 is what led to the construction of this granary for the purpose of storing grains for the British army.


This beehive like structure built in the native Stupa architecture has a foundation of 125m and a height of 29m. It is pillar less with a wall of thickness of 3.6m at the base. This granary was conceived and built by Captain John Garstin, an engineer with East India Company.


This is a great place to visit if getting a Patna cityscape is on your agenda. Locals tell me that right after the monsoons one gets brilliant views of the Ganges when the mighty river is flowing to its limits.

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Bird’s Eye View of Ranchi City

Cityscapes always fascinate me and the best way to get a holistic cityscape is to climb to a vantage point or go aerial. In this case, I climbed my way up to a vantage point from where I got amazing views of Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand.


This vantage point was on top of Pahadi Mandir, a Shiva temple situated on top of a small hill. This Pahadi Temple is situated close to the heart of the Ranchi city.


On a typical day, this temple was not crowded, but locals say that on festival days, devotees make a beeline to this temple to seek the blessings of the lord.


I would have climbed at least 1000 steep steps if not more to reach the top of the temple. During the ascent, I hardly got any views as the steps are bordered by dense trees on both sides. But, once I reached the temple and made my way to the top, the views were amazing.


And it was even better as the day was bright and the skies were clear blue. Now, Ranchi may not be a city of skyscrapers, but this developing city is sure growing at a rapid pace.


Since Ranchi is situated right in the heart of the Eastern Ghats, the entire cityscape is dotted with greenery and has hills in the background. I could even see a couple of pristine looking lakes from my vantage point.

 
The views that were presented to me were sure worth the steep climb that I had to endure. This overall experience was a panoramic workout for me.

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