Patna Collectorate

Government building in Bihar, India

Patna Collectorate

Location within Patna

Alternative names| Patna district Collector Office
General information
Type| Government
Architectural style| Dutch architecture & British architecture
Location| Patna, Bihar
Country| India
Coordinates| 25°37′17″N 85°8′53″E﻿ / ﻿25.62139°N 85.14806°E﻿ / 25.62139; 85.14806
Elevation| 58 m (190 ft)
Current tenants| Chandrashekhar Singh, IAS, District magistrate of Patna
Construction started| 1857
Completed| 1867
Inaugurated| 1938
Owner| Government of Bihar
Website
patna.nic.in

Patna Collectorate or Patna district Collector (District Collectorate, Patna) is administrative head office of Collector of Patna district in Patna, Bihar, India (district headquarters). It is on the bank of river Ganges, close to Gandhi Maidan. It is in the style of Dutch architecture and British architecture[1] and is over 200-year-old building complex. In 2008, the Collectorate was listed as heritage building by the Government of Bihar.[2] In 2016, the government proposed its demolition and replacement with a new office complex. The Indian Supreme Court dismissed petitions from the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, a heritage organisation, to stay the demolition in May 2022, and the complex began to be razed the following day.[3]

## History[edit]

The Dutch first came to Patna in the early 17th century. The building was constructed by the Dutch East India Company and it was used as a godown during the Dutch period.[4] During the British Raj, the British reused this building as Collectorate. The Collectorate started functioning from its present premises from 1857.[5] In 1938, the District Board building was added, which is built in the British architecture.[6]

In 2016, the Bihar government decided to dismantle the old buildings and replace them with a new complex. This led to widespread voiced protests and criticism by historians[6] and different organisations, most notably; the New Delhi based Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage[7] and the London based Gandhi Foundation.[8] In April 2016, Ambassador of the Netherlands to India Alphonsus Stoelinga in a letter to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar appealed to spare Collectorate.[2] Legal challenges to the demolition were dismissed by the Indian Supreme Court in May 2022, and by June, several parts of the complex, including the District Magistrate's office, were destroyed.[3]

A 1920s-vintage coal-fired steamroller built by John Fowler & Company of Leeds and used to smoothen roads in India during British rule was discovered in one of the buildings of the Collectorate. After campaigns by locals, Patna Museum acquired it for display.[9]

## Overview[edit]

The Collectorate is headed by the District collector (also called magistrates), an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer. Offices of The Additional District Magistrate & Deputy Collector (General), Deputy Collector (Land Acquisition), Deputy Collector (Revenue Recovery), Deputy Collector (Disaster Management), Deputy Collector (Election), Deputy Collector (Land Reforms) and office of the Senior Finance Officer are also functioning in Collectorate Building.

## External links[edit]

* Successor list of Patna District Magistrate & Collector Patna.bih.nic.in

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Bihar FM supports saving Dutch-era Collectorate, linking culture, heritage with tourism". The Indian Express. 19 June 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
2. ^ a b "Dutch govt appeals to Nitish Kumar to spare Collectorate demolition". Deccanchronicle.com. 17 April 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
3. ^ a b "British-era Patna DM office building featured in 'Gandhi' razed". The Deccan Herald. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
4. ^ Kalikinkar Datta. The Dutch in Bengal and Bihar 1740-1825 A.D. University of Patna, 1948.
5. ^ Vivek Kumar Singh, Sudhir Kumar Jha, Bihar (India). Youth, Art, and Culture Department (2008). Patna: A Monumental History. Department of Art, Culture and Youth, Government of Bihar.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
6. ^ a b "Patna Collectorate unique, as important as Golghar: Historians". The Hindu. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
7. ^ PTI (14 February 2016). "Patna's historic Collectorate faces demolition; INTACH opposes - The Economic Times". Economictimes.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
8. ^ "London-based Gandhi Foundation appeals Nitish Kumar to preserve Patna Collectorate". The Indian Express. 10 July 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
9. ^ Amrit Dhillon. "Preserving last of the steamrollers that powered the Raj". The Times. Retrieved 15 July 2022.

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Patna

Patna, Bihar, India

History of Patna|

* History of Patna
* Pataliputra
* Azimabad
* Ajatashatru
* Chanakya
* Chandragupta Maurya
* Ashoka
* Aryabhata
* Magadha
* Maurya Empire
* Haryanka dynasty
* Nanda Empire
* Sur Empire
* Nalanda
* Mṛcchakatika
* Bankipur Central Jail
* Alliance Air Flight 7412
* 2013 Patna bombings
* 2014 Patna stampede
* Siege of Arrah

Civic|

* Government
* Legislative Assembly
* Patna Municipal Corporation
* Patna Police
* Patna High Court
* Nagar Parishad Danapur Nizamat
* Patna Regional Development Authority

Economy|

* Bihar State Power Holding Company Limited
* Magadh Stock Exchange
* Patna rice

Satellite town|

* Bihta
* Sonpur

Localities/
neighbourhoods|

* Neighbourhoods in Patna

Buildings
and landmarks|

* Patna Collectorate
* Shaheed Smarak Patna
* Sabhyata Dwar
* Bihar Secretariat
* Samrat Ashok International Convention Centre
* Raj Bhavan
* Kargil Chowk
* Bihar Museum
* Shrikrishna Science Centre
* Sadaqat Ashram
* Nagholkothi
* Patna Museum
* Golghar
* Maurya Lok
* Wheeler Senate Hall
* Indira Gandhi Planetarium
* Shri Krishna Memorial Hall

Transport|

| Air|

* Jay Prakash Narayan Airport
* Bihta Air Force Station

|

Rail|

* Patna Junction
* Rajendra Nagar Terminal
* Patliputra Junction
* Patna Saheb
* Gulzarbagh Station
* Phulwari Sharif railway station
* Danapur Station
* Fatuha Junction railway station
* Patna Metro

Road|

* Loknayak Ganga Path
* Mahatma Gandhi Setu
* Digha–Sonpur Bridge

Hospitals|

* PMCH
* NMCH
* AIIMS
* Jay Prabha Medanta Super Specialty Hospital, Patna
* Mediversal Multi Superspecialty Hospital
* Mahavir Cancer Institute and Research Centre
* Ford Hospital and Research Centre
* Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences

Education|

| Universities
& colleges|

* Patna University
* Aryabhatta Knowledge University
* Chanakya National Law University
* Nalanda Open University
* Maulana Mazharul Haque Arabic and Persian University
* Magadh University
* Central University of South Bihar
* IIT Patna
* National Institute of Technology, Patna (NIT-P)
* National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT Patna)
* All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna
* Chandragupt Institute of Management
* Patna Women's College
* Patna Dental College
* Patna College
* Bihar National College
* St. Xavier's College, Patna
* A N College
* Birla Institute of Technology, Patna
* R.P. Sharma Institute of Technology
* Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences
* Magadh Mahila College
* Maulana Azad College of Engineering and Technology

|

Schools|

* St. Xavier's High School
* Don Bosco Academy
* St. Michael's High School
* Loyola High School
* Delhi Public School, Patna
* DAV BSEB

Sports complex|

* Moin-ul-Haq Stadium
* Patna Golf Club
* Patliputra Sports Complex
* Urja Stadium

Shopping complex|

* Maurya Lok
* P&M Mall
* The Mall
* List of shopping malls in Patna

Clubs|

* Patna Golf Club
* Bankipore Club
* Rotary Club
* Lions Club

Culture|

* 350th Prakash Parv
* Patliputra Natya Mahotsav
* Patna Sahib Mahotsav
* Bhartiya Nritya Kala Mandir
* Kalidas Rangalaya
* Premchand Rangshala
* Rabindra Parishad

Parks & grounds|

* Eco Park
* Patna Zoo
* Buddha Smriti Park
* Funtasia Water Park
* Gandhi Maidan
* Hardinge Park

Constituencies|

| Lok Sabha|

* Patna Sahib
* Pataliputra

|

Vidhan Sabha|

* Kumhrar
* Digha
* Bankipur
* Danapur
* Patna Sahib
* Phulwari

Other topics|

* Patna Film Festival
* Patna Book Fair
* People from Patna
* Tourist attractions
* Bihar Regiment
* Media in Bihar
* Tarumitra
* Super 30
* Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Patna

See also|

* Rajgir
* Bodh Gaya
* Nalanda University
* Rajgir Mahotsav
* Sonepur Cattle Fair

* Category
* WikiProject

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