Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday inaugurated three major additions to the historic Patna Museum: the newly constructed Ganga Gallery, Patali Gallery, and an auditorium. The event marked a significant milestone in the state’s ongoing efforts to modernise its cultural infrastructure and enhance public engagement with its rich heritage.
After unveiling the plaques and cutting the ribbon, Kumar toured the new facilities, praising the standard of construction and exhibit curation. “This is an old and significant museum,” he said. “With these expansions, we aim to better preserve and showcase Bihar’s invaluable archaeological and historical collections to both local visitors and international tourists.”
The Patna Museum—locally known as Jadughar—was first established in 1915 and later moved to its current Indo-Saracenic building, designed by Rai Bahadur Vishnu Swaroop, which opened in 1929. With over 60,000 artefacts once in its possession, 28,470 were transferred to the newly built Bihar Museum in recent years. However, Patna Museum remains home to a broad range of collections, including sculptures, coins, miniature paintings in the Patna Kalam style, and personal items of India’s first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad.
The Ganga Gallery, spread across 10,000 square feet, uses projection shows and artefacts to narrate the 376-km journey of the Ganges through Bihar’s seven cultural regions. Highlights include a 53-foot-long, 200-million-year-old fossil tree and displays of local dance forms and traditional art such as Madhubani, Manjusha and Tikuli painting.
Adjacent, the Patali Gallery offers an immersive experience tracing the history of the Magadh region. From the ancient capital of Rajgir to the grandeur of Mauryan Pataliputra, the gallery features archaeological models, rare manuscripts, and a holographic AI representation of Chanakya, which responds to visitor questions on governance and ethics.
Two open-air sculpture gardens—dedicated to Buddhist and Hindu traditions—have also been developed. The Buddhist garden centres around a replica of the Manauti Stupa and various depictions of Tathagata Buddha, while the Hindu section showcases divine representations from Vaishnava, Shaiva, Shakta, Surya and other traditions.
The development marks the completion of the first phase of the museum’s expansion project, envisioned in 2017 under Nitish Kumar’s leadership. Spearheaded by the Departments of Art, Culture and Youth, along with the Building Construction Department, the new structure comprises three interconnected blocks. Facilities include a 105-seat auditorium, galleries, administrative offices, a conservation laboratory, and a cafeteria.
The project’s second phase will focus on revamping the original museum building, introducing nine new thematic galleries on topics ranging from natural history and arms to contemporary art and the life of Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan.
Following the inauguration, the Chief Minister also visited the Bihar Museum, inspecting its galleries and reviewing the under-construction tunnel intended to connect it with Patna Museum. Emphasising the need for speedy completion, he instructed officials to ensure the tunnel can accommodate both pedestrians and electric vehicles. “This will significantly enhance visitor experience,” he noted, adding that the initiative would further boost tourism in the capital.
Kumar also called for the construction of an overhead bridge on Nehru Path and a park to serve as a leisure space for museum-goers.
Among those present at the event were Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, Ministers Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Jayant Raj, Deputy Speaker Narendra Narayan Yadav, Bihar Museum Director General Anjani Kumar Singh, and other senior bureaucrats and public representatives.
