Where poets wandered and politicians met: The evolution of Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, now Patna Zoo
With a fresh name cleared by the Bihar cabinet, the 153-acre green expanse traces its journey from a 1969 botanical garden to a sprawling zoo — a space shaped as much by politics and memory as by wildlife.
For years, it has been a favourite of Patna residents — from politicians, bureaucrats and litterateurs to the average morning walker. While former chief minister Karpoori Thakur would take walks here, his successor Lalu Prasad Yadav even held a cabinet meeting on its grounds. “We have often heard accounts of the famous poet Sachchidanand Hiranand Vatsyayan ‘Agyeya’ visiting the grounds and sharing his deep admiration for the place, especially for the tree house,” Prem Kumar Mani, a reputed Hindi critic and writer, said.
This week, the Bihar cabinet officially changed the iconic park’s name from Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park to Patna Zoo — a 153-acre open space in the heart of the capital long known as the city’s lungs. Named by former chief minister Jagannath Mishra after Sanjay Gandhi, the younger son of former PM Indira Gandhi, following his death in a 1980 plane crash, the park — earlier called Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park (Sanjay Gandhi Jaivik Udyan) — is a protected wildlife sanctuary under the state’s Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. It houses over 100 species and is regarded as one of Asia’s largest zoos.
It sees an average daily footfall of over 6,000 visitors.
The park’s origins date back to 1969, during the tenures of chief ministers Harihar Singh and Bhola Paswan Shastri, when a 34-acre botanical garden was developed on land acquired from the Governor’s House. It opened in 1973 and was later expanded to 153 acres using additional land from the Public Works and Revenue departments.
“Patna Zoo, which is separated from the Patna airport by a single road, has often been at the centre of discussions on land concessions for airport expansion. However, such requests have not been granted. Instead, we prune the height of certain trees within the zoo to ensure the safe landing of flights,” a government official said.
Because it is located near the official bungalows of ministers and legislators, the zoo remains a popular haunt for the political elite. “Thakur often visited the zoo during his time as both a legislator and as chief minister. A particular tree house, which no longer exists, used to be the park’s central attraction,” a political observer said.
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For years, it has been a favourite of Patna residents — from politicians, bureaucrats and litterateurs to the average morning walker. While former chief minister Karpoori Thakur would take walks here, his successor Lalu Prasad Yadav even held a cabinet meeting on its grounds. “We have often heard accounts of the famous poet Sachchidanand Hiranand Vatsyayan ‘Agyeya’ visiting the grounds and sharing his deep admiration for the place, especially for the tree house,” Prem Kumar Mani, a reputed Hindi critic and writer, said.
This week, the Bihar cabinet officially changed the iconic park’s name from Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park to Patna Zoo — a 153-acre open space in the heart of the capital long known as the city’s lungs. Named by former chief minister Jagannath Mishra after Sanjay Gandhi, the younger son of former PM Indira Gandhi, following his death in a 1980 plane crash, the park — earlier called Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park (Sanjay Gandhi Jaivik Udyan) — is a protected wildlife sanctuary under the state’s Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. It houses over 100 species and is regarded as one of Asia’s largest zoos.
It sees an average daily footfall of over 6,000 visitors.
The park’s origins date back to 1969, during the tenures of chief ministers Harihar Singh and Bhola Paswan Shastri, when a 34-acre botanical garden was developed on land acquired from the Governor’s House. It opened in 1973 and was later expanded to 153 acres using additional land from the Public Works and Revenue departments.
“Patna Zoo, which is separated from the Patna airport by a single road, has often been at the centre of discussions on land concessions for airport expansion. However, such requests have not been granted. Instead, we prune the height of certain trees within the zoo to ensure the safe landing of flights,” a government official said.
Because it is located near the official bungalows of ministers and legislators, the zoo remains a popular haunt for the political elite. “Thakur often visited the zoo during his time as both a legislator and as chief minister. A particular tree house, which no longer exists, used to be the park’s central attraction,” a political observer said.
