ABSTRACT
The system of education introduced by the British had received acceptance as a result of conscious governmental and voluntary efforts. The government had set the ball rolling by opening the Patna Collegiate School, Patna College and Temple Medical School. Patna was fortunate to have been provided with a complete infrastructure of modern educational system by the end of the nineteenth century. Bihar had a predominantly agrarian economy despite the development of mining industries in the Chotanagpur region during the second half of the nineteenth century. The growth in the number of English-educated Biharis and their awareness that wider opportunities for employment and enhancing socio-economic status existed, contributed to the rapid growth of political consciousness. Patna became the nerve-centre of political life in the state and also carved a niche for itself in the national politics. Under the impact of changing modes of life, the Patna School of Painting which had existed for about a century and a half withered away.
