Bihar museum seeks to restore state’s place in history: Art and culture secretary Pranav Kumar

The government expects the museum’s recognition to strengthen cultural tourism and encourage collaborations

Patna’s Bihar Museum has emerged as an important destination for tourists, researchers, students, and art enthusiasts, with an annual visitor footfall exceeding 503,000. It combines contemporary architecture with a collection spanning over 5,000 years of history. As the state government expects the museum’s global recognition to strengthen cultural tourism and encourage collaborations in showcasing a rich civilisational legacy, HT spoke to Bihar’s art and culture secretary Pranav Kumar about its major attractions and the contributions of artists and architects. Edited excerpts:

Bihar Museum has an annual visitor footfall exceeding 500,000.

.What is the main attraction of the museum?

While every gallery, from the Orientation and History galleries (A, B and C) to the Regional Art, Diaspora and Children’s galleries, offers an immersive journey through over 5,000 years of history, the undisputed crown jewel is the Didarganj Yakshi. Sculpted from a single block of polished Chunar sandstone during the Mauryan era, this masterpiece epitomises the peerless aesthetic finesse of ancient Indian art.

Rare antiquities such as the third-century BCE terracotta Dancing Girl, the Kurkihar bronzes, Kushan-period sculptures depicting the birth of the Buddha and exquisite Gupta gold coins, as well as the seamless integration of modern architectural spaces, draw universal acclaim.

Do you think that artist Subodh Gupta gets credit for this?

It will also elevate Bihar’s global soft power, shifting cultural narratives from stereotypes to a celebration of its ancient intellectual and civilisational legacy. We expect accelerated growth in academic exchanges, global museum collaborations and local economic opportunities centred around heritage hospitality and tourism.

Former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar conceived the idea of a world-class museum to restore Bihar’s rightful place in global history. The museum was conceived to meticulously house and celebrate the state’s expansive historical repository. Construction commenced in October 2013. It was progressively opened to the public, beginning with its partial opening on August 15, 2015, and was fully operational across all galleries by October 2017.

Under the guidance and continuous monitoring of the current chief minister, Samrat Choudhary, the museum has continued to receive vital administrative backing, financial support and policy encouragement.

Special recognition is due to the building construction department, which executed the complex, sprawling 13.9-acre architectural blueprint with extraordinary precision, engineering expertise and quality management. Coupled with the administrative oversight of the department of art and culture, the seamless conversion of vision into reality stands as a benchmark for public infrastructure projects in India.

To sustain this momentum, the museum has recently transitioned to functioning as an independent society, the Bihar Museum Society, empowering professional governance, agile management and creative autonomy.

Credit also belongs to the international architects, curators, staff and every visitor who treats this space as a living cultural home.How many people visit the museum annually and monthly?

The museum has experienced a phenomenal surge in public engagement, reflecting a vibrant reconnection of society with its roots. The institution records annual visitor footfall of more than 500,000, drawing tourists, art lovers, students, foreign visitors and researchers every month, with peak travel seasons bringing record numbers

What response have you received from people?

There is often an outdated perception, shaped by historical bias, that associates Bihar solely with its ancient past rather than modernity. When people witness a globally benchmarked, architecturally stunning, and technologically advanced institution like the Bihar Museum emerging from the heart of Patna, that element of surprise quickly transforms into profound awe.