Patna College
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Established | 1863 |
| Principal | Dr. S.M. Ashok |
| Location | Patna, Bihar, India |
| Campus | Urban |
| Sports | Cricket, Hockey, curling |
| Website | Patna College |
Patna College, established in 1863 during the British Raj, is one of the oldest college in Patna, in the state of Bihar. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in science, arts and commerce. The college is affiliated to Patna University. It is also considered to be the oldest institution of higher education in Bihar.
Since its inception in 1863 Patna College functioned as a Government College. It became a constituent college of Patna University on January 2, 1952. The college celebrated its 150th year in 2012.
The College is also associated with E. M. Forster's novel, A Passage to India. According to Adwaita P. Ganguly, the institution known as Chandrapore College in the novel is "a replica of Patna College". Forster met Charles Russell and V. H. Jackson, who were professors of the college, in the course of writing his novel, A Passage to India. Forster had collected Hiuen Tsang's Indian Diary from Russell before he made his visit to Barabar Caves that appear as an important location in the novel. A hostel in the campus of the college is named after Jackson.
The administrative block of the college is the oldest of all the buildings. It used to be the site for an opium store-house and a Dutch factory in the 17th century, much before the college was started. Other buildings were constructed gradually over a period of time.
Some of these are the western wing (1871), the eastern (1880), the portico and the present BA lecture theatre (1882) connected with the main building by the long western corridor named after principal Ewbank. Later the hostels like Jackson, Minto, New and Iqbal and quarters for the principal and professors were constructed.
The college building has been declared to be a heritage site by the Archaeological Survey of India.
A number of celebrations are being organised during 2012 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the college. Coinciding with the anniversary is the centenary of the Bihar Legislative Council, which held its first session in the seminar hall of Patna college in 1913 and returned there to mark the occasion on 20 January 2012.
...
Wikipedia