The modern-day town of Patna, capital of Bihar is one of the oldest riverine cities. The heritage of Bihar dates back to the Vedic age. A number of these have been mentioned in the Buddhist and Jain literatures, dating as back as the 1000 BC. Magadh started from here, which is the most prominent of all. The center of the kingdom was the Ganges in Bihar The first capital was Rajagriha (modern Rajgir), then Patliputra (now Patna). Magadh flourished and acquired most of Bihar and Bengal with its conquest of Licchavi and Anga respectively and thereafter much of eastern Utter Pradesh and Odisha. Bihar expanded under the rule of Mauryans. Chandragupta Maurya and his son Bindusara held control over a significant empire, which stretched from Bengal to Afghanistan. The Ganges, navigable throughout the year, was the main river highway from Delhi to Bengal. Through the banks of Patliputra (Patna) and Champa (near Bhagalpur), Mauryan vessels sailed a...