Kumrahar Park, situated in the middle of town, is the ancient heart of the city. Excavations around Patna have uncovered remains of the ancient city of Pataliputra – and the most significant findings were in Kumrahar, where an 80-pillared-hall with a wooden platform and a monastery-cum-hospital was discovered. While the hall was initially thought to be a royal durbar, later archaeological findings revealed that it was an assembly hall for Buddhists built during the time of Ashoka. The monastery-cum-hospital in the park, known as Arogya Vihar, dates to the 4th-5th century CE. A small potsherd with ‘Dharvantareh’ inscribed on it was found at the site.

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