Bihar Museum

Bihar Museum
Bihar Museum is located in Patna
Bihar Museum
Location within Patna
Established15 August 2015 (2015-08-15)
LocationPatna, Bihar, India
Coordinates25°36′29″N 85°07′16″E / 25.6081°N 85.1210°E / 25.6081; 85.1210
TypeArt, archaeology, and children's museum
Key holdingsDidarganj Yakshi
Collections
  • Archaeology
  • regional art
  • contemporary art
FounderNitish Kumar
DirectorAnjani Kumar Singh
CuratorsVishi Upadhyay
Ravi Shankar Gupta
Shankar Jai Kishan
ArchitectsMaki and Associates + Opolis Architects
OwnersYouth Art and Culture Department, Government of Bihar
ParkingAvailable
Websitebiharmuseum.org

Bihar Museum is the state museum of Bihar, located in Patna. The 13.9-acre museum complex, conceived as an idea by Nitish Kumar, the then Chief Minister of Bihar, despite of several obstrucles and objection by political parties. It was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki, lead architect of Maki and Associates, and Mumbai-based Studio Opolis. Its design comprises interconnected low-rise buildings, landscaped courtyards and exhibition spaces. In October 2026, it was listed as ninth among world's 100 best museums and as Asia's best museum.

The museum opened in stages, with its inaugural section unveiled in August 2015. The children's museum, the main entrance area, and an orientation theatre were the sections opened to the public in the maiden phase. In October 2017, the remaining galleries were also opened, and over 100 artefacts were transferred to Bihar Museum from Patna Museum.

Envisioned as a history museum for the state of Bihar, construction of the Bihar Museum commenced at Bailey Road in Patna in October 2013, with an estimated budget of ₹498 crore (US$52 million).

Overview

Didarganj Yakshi with fly-whisk (chauri) is held in the right hand whereas the left hand is broken, in the Bihar Museum.

The concept of establishing the Bihar Museum was conceived by Nitish Kumar, who was serving as the Chief Minister of Bihar, in 2009 while opposition Parties Bhartiya Janta Party opposes Nitish Kumar's idea . The initiative aimed to create an international-standard museum dedicated to preserving and showcasing the historical, archaeological and cultural heritage of Bihar. Following the conception of the project, the state government engaged international museum consultants, including Canada-based Lord Cultural Resources, to assist with its planning and development.

In July 2011, the Bihar Government signed a Memorandum of understanding with Canada-based consultancy firm Lord Cultural Resources, appointing them as the museum planning consultants for the project. In January 2012, following an international architectural competition, Japan-based Maki & Associates and its Indian partner OPOLIS, based out of Mumbai, were appointed the primary consultant architect for the project.

The completed museum is spread over 5.6 hectares, having 24,000 square meters of built area.

Lord Cultural Resources designed the exhibitions in the museum's nine permanent galleries. Artefacts ranging from periods such as ancient India to the Battle of Buxar of 1764 are on display in Bihar Museum's permanent gallery, whereas those of the post-1764 period are on display at the older Patna Museum. The 2300 year old Didarganj Yakshi is among the highlight exhibits in the Bihar Museum.

Location

It is located in Patna, the capital city of the East Indian state of Bihar. Its exact location is on the southern flank of Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Bailey Road, in Patna. It is spread over an area of 13.9 acres. The site of the museum was earlier occupied by seven old bungalows between LN Mishra Institute and Hartali Mor in Bailey Road. In March 2013, the building construction department of the state government demolished all the bungalows.

Exhibits

The Bihar Museum has several galleries. These include the Orientation gallery, the children gallery, the regional gallery, the contemporary gallery, the historical art galleries, the Bihari Diaspora gallery and the visible storage gallery. The exhibits on different subjects are displayed in separate galleries. Each gallery is huge and has many artefacts on display including ones dating back to the fourth century.

Orientation Gallery

The gallery gives an overview of the Museum and a theatre is located at the end of the gallery. A brief film introducing the museum and its collections is screened in the auditorium regularly. Film shows on Bihar's timeline and Bihar's history are also shown.

Bihar Museum Children and Wildlife Section

Its collection of artefacts and exhibit items is divided into six domains: the Orientation Room, the Wildlife Sanctuary, the history sections on Chandragupta Maurya and Sher Shah Suri, the Arts and Culture section and the Discovery Room. Among the exhibits are a simulated Asian paradise flycatcher, the Indian giant flying squirrel, animals, birds, trees and plants native to the state of Bihar. The gallery's focus is family learning; most exhibits are designed to be interactive, allowing children and families to actively participate.

History galleries

The gallery has various artefacts from the Harappan Civilization also known as Indus Valley Civilisation, the second urbanisation and Haryanka. The whole collection of this gallery represents the advanced technology and sophisticated lifestyle of the Harappan people. The gallery has objects from the fourth century BCE to the first century BCE. It has objects spanning three major dynasties of India; the Mauryas, the Nandas and the Shishunagas. The gallery also houses fragments of railings from various ancient Stupas that are carved with episodes from Buddha's and Mahavira’s life.

This gallery exhibits artefacts from the Gupta Dynasty (4th-6th centuries CE).

The gallery has curated exhibitions of Crafts, folk culture and traditions of Bihar.

Historical Art

The gallery’s main attraction is the Didarganj Yakshi.

Apart from the galleries, there is publication and education section, sales counter, cafeteria etc. There is a restaurant for authentic Bihari cuisine, named as The Potbelly inside Bihar Museum.

Heritage tunnel to Patna Museum

In January 2023, the Government of Bihar appointed Delhi Metro Rail Corporation as consultant for the construction of a 1.4-km-long proposed subway (heritage tunnel) between Bihar Museum and Patna Museum. In August 2023, the cabinet of Bihar Government approved the construction of heritage tunnel at the revised cost of ₹542 crore.

Accolades

Bihar Museum's branding and wayfinding signage consultants Lopez Design Pvt. Ltd received multiple awards for their design for the museum's brand identity, including the iF Design Award, German Design Award and the Kyoorius Inbook Award 2016 in the Writing for Design category for its booklet I am Bihar Museum.

In December 2019, the museum received the GRIHA Award along with a five-star rating. GRIHA stands for Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment.

In October 2026, the travel guide Worth a Journey ranked the museum ninth in its list of the world's 100 best museums for 2026 and first among museums in Asia.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "कैसा होगा बिहार का नया museum?, iconic museum in Patna, New Bihar Museum in Patna | Biharplus". Biharplus.in. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  2. ↑ "'Who says museum's incomplete?'". Telegraphindia.com. 14 September 2015. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  3. ↑ S, Priyadershini (16 May 2018). "The grand sweep of history at Bihar museum". The Hindu.
  4. ↑ Raaj, Neelam (30 October 2026). "Bihar Museum in world top 10, ahead of Met, Louvre". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
  5. ↑ "The Bihar Museum / Maki and Associates + Opolis". ArchDaily. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
  6. ↑ "The Bihar Museum, Patna". Maki and Associates. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
  7. ↑ "Bihar Museum ranks ninth globally, placed first in Asia". The Times of India. 25 October 2026. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 3 November 2026.
  8. ↑ "Bihar Museum a big draw for children, youngsters | Patna News - Times of India". The Times of India. 18 August 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  9. ↑ "Museum galleries in bihar: Opening of 4 Bihar Museum galleries deferred to October | Patna News - Times of India". The Times of India. 24 February 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  10. ↑ "Nitish Kumar inaugurates 'Bihar Museum'". Jagran Post. 8 August 2015. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  11. ↑ "Now, Bihar Museum to reopen on October 2 | Patna News - Times of India". The Times of India. 27 July 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  12. 1 2 "BIHAR MUSEUM — Lord Cultural Resources" (PDF). lord.ca. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  13. ↑ Our Correspondent (10 July 2013). "First brick for heritage home". Telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2014. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  14. ↑ "Seal on culture museum design". Telegraphindia.com. 14 July 2011. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  15. ↑ "Japan firm to design Bihar Museum". The Times of India. 17 February 2012. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  16. ↑ "The Bihar Museun, Patna Photo". Maki and Associates (Tokyo) Japan. 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  17. ↑ "The Bihar Museum, Patna". Maki and Associates. 14 November 2017.
  18. ↑ "Bihar Museum". www.lord.ca. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  19. ↑ "CM for expansion of old Patna Museum | Patna News - Times of India". The Times of India. 24 October 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  20. ↑ "This museum in Bihar houses a 2300-year-old sculpture carved out of a single stone". India Today. 13 October 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  21. ↑ "Patna heritage bungalows dismantled for museum". Zeenews.india.com. 24 March 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  22. ↑ "Galleries". biharmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  23. ↑ "Orientation". biharmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  24. ↑ "Bihar Museum a big draw for children, youngsters - Times of India". The Times of India. 18 August 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  25. ↑ "Children's Gallery". biharmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  26. ↑ "History Gallery A". biharmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  27. ↑ "History Gallery B". biharmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  28. ↑ "Regional Art". biharmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  29. ↑ "Historical Art". biharmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  30. ↑ "New museum a huge hit with pilgrims". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  31. ↑ "DMRC named consultant for tunnel between Patna museums". The Times of India. 24 January 2023.
  32. ↑ "Nitish Kumar asks officials to develop proposed subway between Bihar Museum and Patna Museum as a 'world-class heritage tunnel'". The Times of India. 17 November 2021.
  33. ↑ "Rs 542cr for 1.5-km-long tunnel to connect 2 museums in Patna". The Times of India. 9 August 2023.
  34. ↑ "IF - Bihar Museum Identity". ifdesign.com. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  35. ↑ "Bihar Museum Identity - Winner - Brand Identity - German Design Award". www.german-design-award.com (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  36. ↑ "I am the Bihar Museum | Kyoorius Design Awards". Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  37. ↑ "बिहार म्यूजियम को फाइव स्टार रेटिंग संग गृहा अवार्ड". Hindustan (in Hindi). 20 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  38. ↑ "Bihar Museum ranks ninth globally, placed first in Asia". The Times of India. 25 October 2026. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
  39. ↑ "The World's 100 Best Museums". Worth a Journey. Retrieved 26 October 2026.