Bihar Museum

Bihar Museum is a museum located in Patna.[3] It was partially opened in August 2015.[4] 'The children's museum', the main entrance area, and an orientation theatre were the only parts opened to the public in August 2015.[5][6] Later, in October 2017 remaining galleries were also opened. More than 100 artefacts were transferred here from Patna Museum.[7]

Bihar Museum
Location within Patna
Established15 August 2015 (2015-08-15)
LocationPatna, Bihar, India
Coordinates25.6080702°N 85.1209921°E / 25.6080702; 85.1209921
TypeArt and archaeology museum
Key holdingsDidarganj Yakshi
Collections
  • Archaeology
  • regional art
  • contemporary art
DirectorDeepak Anand
Curator
  • Moumita Ghosh
  • Ranbeer singh Rajput
  • Nandgopal Kumar
  • Vishi Upadhyay
  • Ravi Shankar Gupta
  • Shanker Jaikishan
[1]
OwnerYouth Art & Culture Dept., Government of Bihar[2]
Nearest car parkavailable
Websitebiharmuseum.org

It was planned as a history museum for the state of Bihar,[8] and began construction in Bailey Road, Patna in October 2013 with an estimated budget of ₹498 crore (US$70 million).[9]

Overview
Didarganj Yakshi in the Bihar Museum.

A 25,000 square meters museum and marketplace concept was to be developed, with "G+1" structure and with a very small portion being "G+4". It is six-storey building spread over 5.6 hectares, having 24,000 square meters of built area.[10]

Japan's Maki & Associates along with Mumbai's Opolis Architects was to develop the architectural design of the Bihar Museum. The proposal included four core exhibition galleries, educational, lobby, administrative and permanent gallery[11]

The government had signed a Memorandum of understanding with Canada-based consultancy firm Lord Cultural Resources in July 2011[12] to appoint them consultant for the project. In January 2012, the state cabinet approved the selection of Japan-based Maki & Associates and its Indian partner OPOLIS, Mumbai as the primary consultant architect for the project.[13][14]

In October 2017, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi visited Bihar Museum with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.[15] 2300 year old Didarganj Yakshi is also in Bihar Museum.[16] The artefacts from ancient India to 1764 are kept in Bihar Museum and those of the post-1764 period are kept at Patna Museum.[17]

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.[8] The site of the proposed museum was earlier occupied by seven old bungalows between LN Mishra Institute and Hartali Mor in Bailey Road. Later in March 2013, the building construction department demolished all the bungalows.[18]

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 artifacts on display including ones dating back to the 4th century.[19]

Orientation Gallery

The gallery gives an overview of the Museum and a theatre is located at the end of the gallery.[20] 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.[21]

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 the 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.[22]

The gallery has various artefacts from the Harappan Civilization also known as Indus Valley Civilization, the second urbanization 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 4th century BCE to the 1st 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 on with episodes from Buddha's and Mahavira’s life.[23]

This gallery exhibits artefacts from the Gupta Dynasty (4th-6th centuries CE).[24]

The gallery has curated exhibitions of Crafts, folk culture and traditions of Bihar.[25]

Historical Art

The gallery’s main attraction is the Didarganj Yakshi.[26]

The Bihari Diaspora Gallery explores the contribution of Bihari people in making indelible imprints in the history and culture of other lands where they settled. The gallery provides the historic context of how Biharis were relocated to countries like Mauritius, Bangladesh and beyond. Some were recruited as labourers in the early days of the East India Company and others explored foreign lands on their own initiative. Activate an interactive map to learn about the origins of Bihari culture, trade routes and how the population has relocated in foreign lands. Aside of the past movements, also discover recent stories of the people of Bihar, their accomplishments and their involvements, to understand the influence Bihar has had around the world. Battling extremely adverse conditions, many common Biharis along with Bihari greats have impacted the destiny of history, culture and society of India.

Apart from the galleries, there is publication and education section, sales counter, cafeteria[27] etc. There is a restaurant for authentic Bihari cuisine, named as The Potbelly inside Bihar Museum.

Accolades

The Bihar Museum had received the Kyoorius Inbook Award 2016 in the Writing for Design category for its booklet I am Bihar Museum. The same has been selected for the iF Design Award in international branding and corporate communications categories in February 2018.[28]

In December 2019, the museum received the GRIHA Award along with a five-star rating. GRIHA stands for Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment.[29]

See also

References
  1. "'Kohbar' painting at Bihar Museum wows PM - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  2. "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.
  3. "'Who says museum's incomplete?'". Telegraphindia.com. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  4. "Bihar Museum a big draw for children, youngsters | Patna News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  5. "Museum galleries in bihar: Opening of 4 Bihar Museum galleries deferred to October | Patna News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  6. "Nitish Kumar inaugurates 'Bihar Museum'". Jagran Post. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  7. "Now, Bihar Museum to reopen on October 2 | Patna News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  8. "BIHAR MUSEUM — Lord Cultural Resources" (PDF). lord.ca. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  9. Our Correspondent (10 July 2013). "First brick for heritage home". Telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  10. "Sister Act: Patna Museum is in stellar company with the newly minted Bihar Museum". 14 November 2017.
  11. "Japan firm to design Bihar Museum - Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  12. "Seal on culture museum design". Telegraphindia.com. 14 July 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  13. "Japan firm to design Bihar Museum — Times of India". Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  14. "The Bihar Museun, Patna Photo". Maki and Associates (Tokyo) Japan. 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  15. "CM Nitish Kumar his guide, PM Modi 'experiences history' at Bihar museum". 14 October 2017.
  16. "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.
  17. "CM for expansion of old Patna Museum | Patna News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  18. "Patna heritage bungalows dismantled for museum". Zeenews.india.com. 24 March 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  19. "Galleries". biharmuseum.org. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  20. "Orientation". biharmuseum.org. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  21. "Bihar Museum a big draw for children, youngsters - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  22. "Children's Gallery". biharmuseum.org. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  23. "History Gallery A". biharmuseum.org. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  24. "History Gallery B". biharmuseum.org. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  25. "Regional Art". biharmuseum.org. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  26. "Historical Art". biharmuseum.org. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  27. "New museum a huge hit with pilgrims". The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  28. "Bihar Museum to get 2 awards - Times of India". The Times of India. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  29. "बिहार म्यूजियम को फाइव स्टार रेटिंग संग गृहा अवार्ड". Hindustan (in Hindi). 20 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
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