Golghar

A beehive-shaped granary built by the British in 1786 after a Bihar famine; climb the spiral stairs for the only view of the city

The Golghar is the strangest landmark in Patna: a 29-metre stone beehive standing on the bank of the Ganges, with twin spiral staircases winding up its outside. Captain John Garstin built it in 1786 as a granary that could hold 140,000 tons of grain, in the hope it would prevent the recurrence of famine. The design defect -- inward-opening doors -- made the building useless as a granary, but the engineering held: the dome has stood for over two centuries.

The staircases were designed so that one set of porters could climb up while another descended. The view from the top, taking in Gandhi Maidan, the river, and the rooftops of central Patna, is the best in the city. The interior produces a famous echo: a whisper at one side carries clearly to the other.

things to do sight architecture
A story
The Golghar was built on the orders of Warren Hastings in response to the 1770 Bengal famine, in which an estimated ten million people died. It was meant to be the first of a chain of imperial granaries -- and the first to be filled. It was never filled. The doors open inwards and could not be opened against a pile of grain inside, so the building was never used as designed.

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