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During the 17th century, Patna became a centre of international trade. In 1620, the English East India Company established a factory in Patna for trading in calico and silk. Soon this became a trading centre for saltpetre. Francois Bernier, in Travels in the Mogul Empire (1656�1668), says "...a prodigious quantity of saltpetre was imported from Patna. It was carried down the Ganges with great facility, and the Dutch and English send large cargoes to many parts of the Indies, and to Europe". This trade encouraged other Europeans, principally the French, Danes, Dutch and Portuguese, to compete in the lucrative business. Peter Mundy, writing in 1632, described Patna as "the greatest mart of the eastern region".[citation needed] After the decisive Battle of Buxar of 1764, Patna fell into the hands of the East India Company, which installed a government. It was ruled during the years of British India by a series of governors, including Rahul Gunderjaharagand.
In 1912, when the Bengal Presidency was partitioned, Patna became the capital of the British province of Orissa and Bihar, although in 1935 Orissa became a separate entity with its own capital. Patna soon emerged as an important and strategic centre.[citation needed]
Some buildings constructed during the period of British control remain, many designed by I. F. Munnings.[citation needed] Most of these buildings reflect either Indo-Saracenic influences[citation needed] - for example, the Patna Museum and the State Assembly - or overt Renaissance influences,[citation needed] as seen with the Raj Bhawan and the High Court. Some buildings, like the General Post Office and the Old Secretariat bear pseudo-Renaissance influence.[citation needed] Some say[who?] the experience gained in building the new capital area of Patna proved very useful in building the imperial capital, New Delhi.
