History of Patna Museum
Bihar was separated from Bengal in 1912. After the separation, it was decided by authorities that a museum should be constructed in Patna, the capital city of Bihar. Finally, in 1915, a decision was made to start the museum informally with the collection of antiquities at the commissioner's bungalow.
Bihar Museum or Patna museum, as it is more commonly known, was formally set up in 1917 by Edward Gait, who was the then lieutenant governor of Bihar & Orissa. This place soon became insufficient to store all the artefacts found. Hence, in 1925-26, a piece of land on Patna-Gaya Road was chosen as the site of the new Patna Museum. This museum was declared open to the public on March 7, 1929. This museum in Patna was constructed in the Indo-Saracenic style.
Patna Museum Collections
Didarganj Yakshi-Belonging to the Ashoka's period, this huge statue got its name because it was founded near a place called Didarganj, on the banks of river Ganga in Patna in 1917. The upper part has been built with great finesse. It depicts a woman holding a Chauri (Fly whisk) in her right hand while her left hand is missing. The statue has been appreciated worldwide during exhibitions due to its architectural beauty.
Buddha Relic Casket-It is most admired by the Buddhist tourists. The Holy Relic Casket, made of soap-stone, was founded in 1958-59 in Vaishali. It is believed that the casket contains the ashes of Lord Buddha. The casket is situated in the Buddha Relic Gallery on the first floor of the building. You need to buy a ticket to see the casket.
Tree Fossil-The 53-feet tall tree fossil, the estimated age of which is 200 million years, was founded near Asansol in West Bengal by the Eastern Railways in 1927 and was gifted to the museum. It is situated in the corridor of Natural History Gallery.
Galleries of Patna Museum
1. Natural History Gallery-Situated on the right side of the ground floor, this gallery contains a variety of preserved animals like tigers, crocodiles, panthers, birds and a large bison stands in the middle of the hall.
2. Stone Sculpture Gallery-Situated on the left side of the ground floor, it has the fascinating statue of Didarganj Yakshi right in the middle. The hall also contains some other beautiful artefacts, and it opens into one more hall which the statues of Lord Buddha in different posture belonging to the Pala Period (800-1200 AD). Indian artefacts from the Gupta period and most exquisite specimens of Pala arts are housed in the museum.
3. Terracotta Gallery-Situated on the midway to the first floor, this gallery has magnificent terracotta items from the Mauryan period, Sunga period, Kushan period and Gupta Period.Bronze Gallery, Rahul Sanskritayayana's Gallery, Weapon Gallery, Painting Gallery, Patliputra Gallery and Rajendra Gallery are some of the other galleries on the first floor.
Patna Museum Timings and Entry Fees
The museum remains open from 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM on all days except Mondays.
The entry fee is INR 15 for Indians and INR 250 for foreigners.For photos and videos, you have to take tickets. The rates are- INR 20 for a mobile camera, INR 100 for Flash Camera, INR 500 for Video Camera, INR 5,000 for Commercial Recording.
Guides are also provided by the museum. For one person, the fee is INR 25, for 2 to 5 persons, the fee is INR 50 and for 6 to 10 persons, the fee is INR 100.
How to Reach Patna Museum
The nearest airport to Patna Museum is the Lok Nayak Jaya Prakash Narayan Airport, which is located only 5 km away from the Patna Museum. The nearest railway station to the museum is the Patna Train Station which is a single km away. Road Transportation like private taxis, autos or cars can be used to reach the museum.
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