GOLGHAR PATNA BIHAR

Alarmed by the famine of 1770, captain John Garstin built this huge granary for the British army in 1786. The massive structure is 29 m high and the walls are 3.6 m wide at the base. The winding stairway around this monument offers a brilliant panoramic view of the city and the Ganga flowing by. For a dome with a view, climb the Golghar, an imposing landmark in the city of Patna, which lies to the west of the Gandhi Maidan. The monument is spherical in shape, which gives it the name ‘Golghar’, meaning ‘Round House’. The British army built this massive peculiar shaped granary in 1786, to serve as a storehouse during the times of famines.
After the vicious famine of 1770, which killed nearly 10 million people in the region, Warren Hastings, the then Governor-General of India, ordered the construction of this dome-shaped structure for the purpose of storing grains for the British. However, it was Captain John Garstin, an engineer in the British East India Company who got it constructed. The construction of Golghar was completed on July 20, 1786.

The base of the edifice is 125 meters in width and its walls are 3.6 meters thick. It has a dual spiral stairway, with 145 steps on each side, designed so that workers could climb up one side and descend the other. The staircase winds around and leads to the top of the structure, offering a panoramic view of the city and the River Ganges. Golghar with its architectural wonder continues to entice tourists in Patna.