Bankipur is a residential area in Patna in the Indian state of Bihar. It is located on the bank of the river Ganges. The prime attraction is the Golghar granary that was built by Captain John Garstir in 1786. Patna Dental College and Hospital is also located here.
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Until the early twentieth century, Bankipore (or Bankipur) was the administrative centre of the Patna Division of Bihar, which came under the rule of the East India Company following the battle of Buxar in 1764. Bankipore lies along an east-west axis on the south bank of the Ganges, some four kilometers west from the medieval Patna City, or Azimabad. Among the principal remains of the colonial period in Bankipore are the District Collectorate, the Civil Court, and mansions such as the impressive Darbhanga House (now the Patna Arts College), built in the late 19th century by the great philanthropist, the Maharaja of Darbhanga, Lachmaneshwar Singh. The Bankipore cemetery, which has the graves of minor Company officials and indigo planters, the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, founded by the Maulvi Khuda Bakhsh in 1891, and the Catholic Mission, are among the other historic sites of Bankipore. Bankipore is also notable for its several ghats, which include the old Jahaz Ghat, from where plied the daily ferry across the river, and the Darbhanga Ghat.
In 1912, Indian National Congress held its 27th session at Bankipore (Patna) under the Presidentship of Rao Bahadur Raghunath Narasinha Mudholkar from Amravati of Central Provinces and Berar.[1]
The name of this place goes to Islamic invader Mir Banki who attacked Bengal in 15th century and came to Patna in his campaign.
It is believed that E. M. Forster based the city of Chandrapore in his novel A Passage to India on this town.. The Marabar Hills of the novel corresponds to the Rajgir hills, a few miles away from Patna and the site of hoary Buddhist-Mauryan remains.