Pāṭaliputra (Devanagari: पाटलिपुत्र), modern-day Patna, was a city in ancient India, originally built by Ajatashatru in 490 BC as a small fort (Pāṭaligrama) near the River Ganges, and later the capital of the ancient Mahājanapadas kingdom of Magadha. Its key central location in north central India led rulers of successive dynasties to base their administrative capital here, from the Nandas, Mauryans, Sungas and the Guptas down to the Palas. In the Lord Buddha's day it was a village known as Pataligrama. He visited it shortly before his death and prophesied it would be great but would face destruction either by fire, water, or civil war. Two important councils were held here, the first at the death of the Buddha and the second in the reign of Asoka. During the reign of Emperor Asoka in the 3rd century BCE, it was one of the world's largest cities, with a population of 150,000-300,000. Pataliputra reached the pinnacle of prosperity when it was the capital of the great Mauryan Emperors, Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka the Great. The city prospered under the Mauryas and a Greek ambassador Megasthenes resided there and left a detailed account of its splendour. The city also became a flourishing Buddhist centre boasting a number of important monasteries. It remained the capital of the Gupta dynasty (3rd–6th centuries CE) and the Pala Dynasty (8th-12th centuries CE). The city was largely in ruins when visited by Hsüan-tsang, and suffered further damage at the hands of Muslim raiders in the 12th century. Afterwards Sher Shah Suri made Pataliputra his capital and changed the name to modern Patna.

Paṭnā is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second most populous city in Eastern India. Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world. Ancient Patna, known as Pataliputra, was the capital of the Magadha Empire under the Haryanka, Nanda, Mauryan, Sunga, Gupta,  Pala and during the Islamic period the seat of power for the Suri dynasty.

Pataliputra (Sanskrit: पाटलिपुत्र, Pāṭaliputra; Pali Pataliputta, griech. Palimbothra) war eine am Südufer des indischen Flusses Ganges gelegene Stadt, das heutige Patna im Bundesstaat Bihar. Im Altertum war es die Hauptstadt des indischen Königreiches Magadha und später des Maurya-Reiches.

Patna (Hindi: , ) ist die Hauptstadt des Bundesstaates Bihar, im Nordosten Indiens. Es war früher bekannt unter den Namen Kusumpura, Pushpapura, Pataliputra und bei Muslimen Asimabad. Patna liegt an den südlichen Ufern des Ganges, hat 1.458.800 Einwohner, als Agglomeration 1.808.900 (Stand jeweils 1. Januar 2004) und ist ein wichtiges Landhandelszentrum (Reis, Getreide, Zuckerrohr, Sesam).

Patna est la capitale de l’État de Bihar, dans le nord-est de l’Inde. La ville était auparavant connue sous les noms de Kusumpura, Pushpapura, Pâtaliputra, et Azeemabad. Située sur la rive sud du Gange, sa population, en augmentation rapide, estimée aujourd'hui à près de 2 millions d'habitants, était en 1991 de habitants.

Patna, belägen på en höjd vid Ganges högra strand mittemot Gandaks mynning, är huvudstad i den indiska delstaten Bihar. Befolkning 1 376 950 (2001). Den egentliga staden är omgiven av en mur, utanför vilken flera förstäder ligger. Förstaden Bankipur är delstats- och distriktsstyrelsens säte.

Patna - (hindi पटना, trl. Paṭnā, trb. Patna; ang. Patna; nazwa historyczna: Pataliputra) miasto w północno-wschodnich Indiach, na Nizinie Hindustańskiej, nad Gangesem, przy ujściu rzeki Gandak, stolica stanu Bihar. Około 1,2 mln mieszkańców.