# Patna to Become Pataliputra Again? Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary Makes Big Announcement, and the 3,000 Year Old Story Behind It

> Bihar's Samrat Choudhary has announced that the state capital Patna will be renamed Pataliputra, reviving its ancient identity. Here is the full story of the city's roughly three thousand year journey and how its name kept changing.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Bihar · **Published:** 2026-06-17 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/bihar/patana-phira-banega-pataliputra-cm-samrata-chaudhari-ka-bara-ailana-janen-tina-h-1458 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Patna name change, Pataliputra, Samrat Choudhary, Bihar politics, Bihar township, Magadh empire, Sher Shah Suri, Patna history

A major announcement has come regarding Bihar's capital, Patna. CM Samrat Choudhary has declared that the city will now be renamed Pataliputra. In other words, there is a move to hand the city back the very same ancient and historic identity by which it was known centuries ago.

Alongside this, he also laid out a vision for the state's growth. According to him, Bihar will truly change only when townships are built in the state. He further gave an assurance that no one will be caused any kind of harm during the construction of these townships.

## A City That Is Three Thousand Years Old
Patna is no ordinary city. Its history stretches back roughly three thousand years. In ancient times it was the foremost centre of education, culture and politics. There was an era when this very city served as the capital of the Magadh empire. It was from this soil that great rulers such as Chandragupta Maurya and Samrat Ashok ran their reigns.

## From Pataligram to Pataliputra
The city's beginnings were extremely humble. Earlier it was just a small village, where the trees of a medicinal plant called Patali grew in large numbers. It was because of the abundance of these very trees that it came to be called ‘Pataligram’. As development took place here, the village transformed into a town and acquired the name ‘Pataliputra’.

## A Trade Hub on the Banks of the Ganga
Being settled along the river Ganga proved to be a great advantage for the city. It grew into a major centre of commerce, where goods were transported by ships. There was also a man-made port here, which is why it began to be referred to as ‘pattan’, giving the city the name ‘Patalipattan’. Experts believe that as time passed, the word ‘pattan’ gradually got distorted and eventually became ‘Patna’.

## How Sher Shah Suri Changed the Name
The story of the name change reaches all the way into the medieval period. In the 16th century, that is between 1538 and 1545 AD, the ruler Sher Shah Suri officially changed the city's name from Pataliputra to ‘Patna’. From that point right up to today, the city has been identified by this very name. But now, once again, the demand to restore this historic city's old identity of ‘Pataliputra’ has begun to gather strength.

## What this means for you
- **In Bihar:** If Patna is renamed Pataliputra, residents may have to deal with updating the name on official documents, addresses, signboards and records.
- **Across India:** Travellers, students and businesses across the country would need to watch out for the city's new name on rail and air tickets and in correspondence.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. What will Patna's new name be?
According to CM Samrat Choudhary's announcement, Patna will be renamed Pataliputra.

### 2. Who made this announcement?
The announcement was made by CM Samrat Choudhary.

### 3. When was Patna's name changed earlier?
In the 16th century, between 1538 and 1545 AD, the ruler Sher Shah Suri changed its name from Pataliputra to Patna.

### 4. What did the CM say about townships?
He said Bihar will change only when townships are built in the state, and that no one will be harmed during their construction.

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