Bharat Virasat-Gol ghar Granary

Gol ghar Granary

Historical Monuments.

Patna, Bihar, India

About

The Golghar is a massive granary devised by Captain John Garstin of Bengal Engineers and constructed in 1786 in Patna, the capital city of Bihar. The depository, having a capacity of 140000 tonnes, was built after the orders of Warren Hastings who was the Governor-General of India at that time. It was just part of a plan to store grains in case of famines with the idea of building a chain of storehouses, but ultimately only one was made, the Golghar.

It is a dome shaped structure reaching up to a height of 29 metres. The top of the Golghar can be reached using one of two 145-step spiral staircases. The access to the apex is made spiral in order to make it easier and faster for workers to reach there. There is only one door to the building, on the south.

The structure was constructed using brick and lime mortar. It stands on a platform about 40cm in height. The wall thickness at the base is 3.6m. The pillar-less beehive-shaped structure was designed by John Garstin of the Bengal Engineers, part of the East India Company's Bengal Army.

Apart from being a repository, this simple yet stunning structure presents an amazing panoramic view of the entire city and the nearby Ganges.

Constructed in:

18th century CE

Height:

29 m

Base:

39.9m x 39.9m

History

Bengal and Bihar have been subject to frequent famines and droughts from the eighteenth century through to the mid twentieth century, with the famine of 1943 being the most recent crisis.

A devastating drought, followed by an outbreak of smallpox in 1768, decimated the population of the Bengal and Bihar provinces by an estimated ten million. The situation was exacerbated by the prevailing taxation policies and customs restrictions.

The granary was constructed under the General Plan ordered by the Governor-General and Council on 20th of January, 1784.

The intent was to develop a series of such granaries, but only one was ever built.

Trivia

Ticketing

Indian Citizens

30 /-

Time required

2 hours

Nearby

4.5

Getting There

Patna Airport (8 kms, 25 mins):The Loknayak Jaiprakash Narayan Airport in Patna is connected to several cities in India and overseas

Patna Junction Railway Station (2 kms, 10 mins):The railway station is about 2km away and is serviced by the East Central Railway. It is connected to Howrah (547km) on the East and Delhi (994km) on the West

Magadh Mahila college Bus Stop (0 kms, 7 mins):The Magadh Mahila Bus Stop is serviced by bus No. 222 and is about five hundred meters from the granary

Gallery

Image

Gol Ghar Granary, Patna

There are two sets of spiral stairs leading up to the top. The spiral staircase ensures that there are no awkwards landings to handle. One set is for ascending and the other for descending so that the ascending workers do not get in the way of the descending workers.

Image

Gol Ghar Granary, Patna

Details of staircase with its foot on the south. Access is closed to the general public.

Image

Gol Ghar Granary, Patna

View of the granary from the south, showing the door at the foot of the granary