Raj Bhavan (from Hindi: Government House) is the official residence of the governor of the Indian state of Bihar. It is located in the state capital of Patna. Construction started in 1912 and was completed in 1917. It was designed by New Zealand-born architect Joseph Fearis Munnings. Prior to the Independence of India, the building was known as Government House and was the official residence of the lieutenant governor of Bihar and Orissa from 1917 to 1920 and then the governor of Bihar and Orissa from 1920 to 1936. Later on with the division of Bihar and Orissa in 1936, it became the official residence of the governor of Bihar. It is currently known as Raj Bhavan or Governor's House. History Bihar and Orissa were part of the Bengal Presidency till 1912. At the Delhi Durbar of 1911 King George V announced the creation of a new province of Bihar and Orissa under a lieutenant-governor. The capital for the new province was chosen as the city of Patna. An old city already existed, but the British government decided to build a new city west of old Patna. The new city was to be known as New Patna and covered an area of approximately three square miles. The site chosen was above an abandoned meander of the Son River. Mr. Munnings was appointed as Consulting Architect to the Government of Bihar and Orissa in the year 1912 and was tasked with the planning and development of New Patna. He planned and oversaw the construction of several buildings in the area - notable buildings being - Government House, Patna Secretariat, General Post Office, Patna, Commissioner's Court and Patna University campus. Lord Hardinge laid the stone of new buildings in Patna on 1 December 1912. The construction of Government House started in 1912 and was completed in 1917. The building was placed opposite the secretariat and the two buildings were connected by a 200 ft wide road known as King George's Avenue. The avenue was 1 km long and is currently known as Desh Ratna Marg. Building and architecture The building is a three storied building set out in Palladian form and is constructed in a stripped neo-classical style of architecture with its longitudinal axis running north and south directions. It is constructed in brick and then plastered and also features a hipped Allahabad tiled roof. The ground floor accommodates the offices and