Khuda Bakhsh Khan, a Patna lawyer, founded the library in 1891 with the 4,000-volume collection of Arabic, Persian, and Urdu manuscripts he had inherited from his father, plus several thousand he had acquired himself. He stipulated in his will that the library should be open to the public free of charge. It is now an institution of national importance, holding more than 21,000 manuscripts and over 200,000 printed books.
The library is on Ashok Rajpath, near Patna College. Visitors can see a permanent display of the most important manuscripts: illustrated Mughal histories, Tipu Sultan's correspondence, Persian poetry with miniatures, and the famous miniature Qur'an. Open weekdays. Even for visitors with no interest in old books, the building and its quiet reading rooms are a welcome contrast to the chaos of the city outside.