Museums in Bihar

Patna Museum, Budha Marg, Patna

Jananayak Karpoori Thakur Memorial Museum, 1-Deshratna
Marg, Patna
Chandra Dhari Museum, Darbhanga
Maharaja Lakshmishwar Singh Museum, Darbhanga
Bhagalpur Museum, Bhagalpur
Ramchandra Shahi Museum, Muzaffarpur
Sitaram Upadhayay Museum, Buxar
Chandra Shekhar Singh Museum, Jamui
Chapra Museum, Chapra
Gaya Museum, Gaya
Bihar Sharif Museum, Bihar Sharif (Nalanda)
Nardaha Museum, Nawada
Bihar is as old as civilisation itself. It is a glorious, colourful and
ancient land. This is the land that has seen the mythological king
Janaka of Videha, Rishi Yangyabalka of vedic period, Maharshi
Valmiki of Ramayan fame and Kautilya, the author of
Arthashastra, the first treatise on modern economics. This had
been the land where great religious leaders like Buddha, Mahavir
and Nanak were born and great kings like Chandragupta Maurya,
Ashoka and Sher Sah ruled. The ancient seats of learning Nalanda and Vikramshila flourished here. `Ahimsa' was
propagated from here and Gandhiji launched his civildisobedience movement against the mighty British.
A glimpse of all this can be seen by visiting the museums in
Bihar. The famous Patna Museum is the oldest establishment
among them and it came into existence in 1917. The museum
houses about 42,000 items of archeological importance including
22,000 old coins. The museum unveils a long history of the
region. The sculpture of a Yakshni and Lord Buddha Relic is a
special attraction for visitors.
irectorate of

Museum
In the State of Bihar, there are museums of different categories
such as:
Museums owned by the State Govt.
Museums owned by Central Govt.
Museums owned by Universities/Semi-Govt. Organisations
Museums owned by Non-Govt. Organisations (Trust, Society,
etc.)
Museums run by private individuals
Sri Parvez Akhtar
Director (B.E.S., Class I)
Phone : 92342-26009 (M)
Regional Dy. Director, Museums, Bihar
Sri Parvez Akhtar, B.E.S. Class-I
Phone: 92342-26009.
Details of museums owned by the State Government is as
follows:
1.
Patna Museum, Patna
Established in the year 1917, the Patna Museum is one of the
best museums in India. With its presentation, Patna museum is
committed to impart a scientific vision to understand the
evolution of history, culture and art tradition of the land. As a
repository of ancient Indian glory, Patna Museum is, however,
truly the cultural pride of Bihar. Built in the Indo-Sarcenic style,
the Patna Museum building was constructed in the year 1928
within its own land measuring 700x500 ft.
Patna Museum has thousands of exhibits of varied nature in its
possession, which includes Pre & Proto historic objects, stone
sculptures, bronzes, terracottas, paintings miniature and thanka
paintings, coins, miscellaneous art-objects and so on. Besides,
there are numerous very rare collections in the museum and one
can not appreciate the Indian art history and cultural heritage of
the land without going through the collections. Patna Museum
has pride previlege of preserving the holy relic casket of Lord

Buddha containing his ashes and other associated materials

discovered during excavation of a stupa belonging to 6th Century
B.C. at Vaishali.
The Patna Museum is a multipurpose museum. The collections of
varied nature can be classified into several sections. Presently,
there are altogether eleven classified sections.
The pre-historic objects include palaeoliths, microliths and
neoliths from different parts of Bihar, India and from foreign
countries as well. The Paleolithic tools from Bariar (M.P.) and
Lalitpur (U.P.) and also chellean and acheulean implements from
Attirampakkam (Tamilnadu) are very important. Besides, there
are some very fine neoliths from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and U.K.
kept in the museum.
The Patna Museum possesses the biggest collection of copper
hoards discovered from different parts of Jharkhand and Bihar,
viz.: Palamu, Ranchi, Singhbhum, Hazaribagh, Munger, Dhanbad
and Santhal-Pargana. They represent the casting technique and
the high skill in the metallurgy of the period. The
anthropomorphic copper object found from Dhanbad district is
unique and very important.
The museum has the honour to preserve a few of the important
finds from the classical Harappan sites like Mohenjedaro and
Harrapa which include terracotta figurines, potteries, copper and
bronze objects, seals-sealings and weights.
Amongst the stone sculptures a special mention must be made
about the famous female chawar Dharani figure of the Mauryan
period, i.e. 3rd Cent B.C. Discovered at Didarganj (Patna), the
magnificent statue is popularly known as Didarganj Yakshi. It is
made of pink chunar sand stone and bears the typical Mauryan
polish. With a Chawar in her right hand and slight forward
inclined posture, the charming figure demonstrates a modest
apparance and also reflects her humble submission toward the
spectators. The highly lustured stone torso of a jain Tirthankar
from Lohanipur (Patna) is the earliest example of Jaina art. The
earliest Mauryan lion head from Masarh (Bhojpur) and the bull
capital from Hajipur of Mauryan period are also worth to mention.

A bi-facial Shalabhanjika, carved on stone slab in high relief, is a

fine specimen of craftsmanship of late Mauryan-early Sunga
period. The figure is in her full youthfull posture, twisting the
branch of tree with one of her hands.
Few beautiful sculptures of the Saaga period like Medallion from
Bodh Gaya and Bihar, nut and couple figure from Patna City are
also preserved in this museum.
The museum has a fairly good number of sculptures of the
Gandhara and the Mathura art which is chronologically
synchronized with the age of Kushans. The Gandhar specimens
also known as Graeco-Buddhist Art are made of blue-schist of
Swat valley and the collection includes figures of Buddha,
Bodhisattavas and narrative panels as well. The panel depicting
the birth scene of Siddhartha is undoubtedly important one
among the narrative panels. There are also a few specimens of
stucco figures. The sculptures of Mathura School depict Buddha,
Bodhisattavas, Hariti, Jatak scenes and so on. Amongst Kushana
sculptures from Bihar, special reference may be made of the
famous trio from Devangarh in the Nawada district. Having
obvious regional variation, the trio consists of the figures of
Ekanamsa, Balarama and Vasudeva. Unlike conventional one,
images of Patna Museum trio are separately sculptured.
A female figure in stone from Sakarigalighat, Rajmahal is a fine
example of classical Gupta art skill. Tilted as shuka kridarat nari
the figure is shown feeding a bird. The sculpture depicts a
sensuous and delicate beauty of womanhood. It virtually portrays
a happy janapada life of the period. Among other stone images of
the Gupta and the late Gupta period, the figures of Karitikeya,
Agni, Ganesha from Mundeshwari (Kaimur) are worth mentioning.
The bi-facial dancing figure of Kartikeya, belonging to post-Gupta
period from Mahrawan (Nawadah), is unique as it is one of a few
sculptres discovered so far from North-India which represent the
dancing figures on the both sides of a wheel.
The Museum preserves a good number of sculptures of the PalaSena school of art dated in between 8th & 12th century A.D.
These sculptures in general, are made of black basalt stone. The
sculptures in this group are varied in nature and comprise
Brahmnical, Buddhist, Jaina and several miscellaneous sculptures.

Particular mention may be made of a group of three images of

Avalokitesvra, Maitreya and Buddha in bhumisparsh posture
discovered from Vishnupur (Gaya). One fine example of the Pala
craftsmanship may be seen in a spout ending gargoyle (makara
mukha-pranal). Some beautiful door frames with the figures of
Ganga and Yamuna are worth watching. There are also several
other interesting sculptures discovered from different regions.
The Museum possesses the best collection of bronze, better
known as astadhatu, images in India. These bronzes were
discovered from Chausa (Buxar), Kurkihar (Gaya), Nalanda, Belwa
(Saran), Aluara (Bokaro), Sonepur (Orissa) and Nagapattam
(Tamilnadu).
The eighteen jain bronzes from Chausa are one of the most
important collections of this Museum. These consist of
Dharmachakra, Kalpavriksha and sixteen images of Jain
Tirthankaras. These are the earliest known Jain bronzes in India
and first known bronze hoard from Gangetic valley.
Patna Museum preserves a good number of bronzes from
Nalanda. These depict the deities of all major religions; i.e.
Buddhism, Jainism and Brahmanism prevalent at that period. The
figures are dated from post Gupta to Pala period. The bronzes
from Kurkihar numbering 163 are regarded as the best collection
of bronzes from any part of India. The Kurkihar collection includes
some of the very marvelous bronzes in India, such as figures of
Buddha, Bodhisattavas, Tara, Balarama and so on. These art
pieces represent the high quality of the metal art that flourished
during the Pal period. A few of these images are plated with gold.
For the study of Jaina iconography, besides bronzes from Chausa,
metal images from Aluara belonging to 11th-12th cent. A.D. are
very important. Out of twenty nine, one depicts the Jain Ambika
and rest the Jaina Tirthankaras.
The Museum also preserves a good number of bronzes
discovered from Sonepur (Orissa), Negapattam (Tamilnadu) and
Nellore (Andhra Pradesh).
The terracotta collection of the Museum is superb and famous
world wide. Majority of these terracottas are from different parts

of Bihar, such as Patna, Vaishali, Belwa, Bodh Gaya, Nalanda,

Chausa and so on. A good number of terracottas are brought from
Mathura, Varanasi and Paharpur (Bangladesh) as well.
The terracotta figurines from Patna, mostly of the Maurya age,
are of great importance. The three dancing damsels, the laughing
boy and the smiling girl from the ancient city of Pataliputra are
very rare and technically superb. Besides, there are numerous
terracotta specimens which represent the artistic excellence of
the period. Female terracotta heads from Buxar, belonging the
Mauryan period, are highly elaborate in their head dress and
coiffure. Terracottas from Vaishali, Bodh Gaya, Mathura are
examples of local craftsmanship. The museum has some very
good collection of Gupta terracottas from Kausambi. A beautiful
plaque depicting Ramayan scene from Chausa is an example of
excellent classical Gupta art. The large size plaques from
Paharpur (Bangladesh) depict the technical skill of the Gupta-Pala
period. There is a good collection of terracotta seals and sealings
from Vaishali, Nalanda and Dharawat. The Patna Museum in its
art repository has miniature paintings, thankas and numerous
decorative and miscellaneous art objects. The collection consists
of painting on paper of different schools; such as the Rajastahni,
Mughal,Pahari, Delhi School and Patna Qalam. These paintings
range in date from the beginning of the 16th to the end of the
19th century A.D. The classical miniature paintings are varied in
theme and they cover a broad spectrum of content. Mention may
be made of the paintings related to the divine love of Radha &
Krishna, scenes of Ramayana, asthanayika bheda, barahmasa,
rag-ragini themes. Three illustrated manuscripts of Jain
Uttaradhayayan Sutra on paper are also very important. The
paintings of Delhi School are both on paper and ivory.
The Patna Museum has in its possession a fairly good number of
Patna School or Patna Qalam paintings which flourished in the
city of Patna itself for about two centuries right from 1760 A.D. to
the early decades of 20th century. The paintings are painted on
paper, mica and ivory. The Museum has pride privilege of having
the collection of Tibetan scroll paintings on silk which were
presented by Rahul Sankrityayan. These Thankas are dated from
17th to 19th century A.D. The Tibetan scroll paintings mainly
depict Buddha, Bodhisattva, Lamas, different Tantrayani deities,
Chakrasamvar and so on.

The Patna Museum has got a very good collection of coins which
are quite representative of different periods and dynasties
ranging from earliest punch marked coins to modern
commemorative coins. There are a good number of gold coins of
the Kushanas, Guptas and Mughal rulers in the coin cabinet of
Patna Museum. The museum also preserves the gifts of late Dr.
rajendra Prasad, the first President of Indian Republic, which he
had received during the tenure of his Preseidency. Besides the
above and so many undescribed ones, there are a few very rare
collections housed in the museum. Two small gold repousse of
caparisoned couchant Humped bulls from Vaishali are important
for the study of metal art. A male standing figure with a turban on
the head and holding a chamar, discovered from Vaishali
excavations, is an example of fine craftsmanship. A gold repousse
from Sultanganj displays a female figure within an oval plaque.
This piece of art can be dated to Gupta period. In the category of
rare collection mention may also be made of a group of 23 stone
discs from Murtaziganj (Patna). The intricacy of ivory engraving
and exquisite finish of jewellery making technique represent the
high aesthetic taste of the people of the Maurya-Sunga period.
Besides the historical and archaeological objects, Patna Museum
has some other interesting exhibits : such as a 53 feet long
fossilized tree of Pine family discovered near Asansol in 1927. The
old-arms like swords, daggers, shields, bagnakha, guns belonging
to medieval period and cannon of First and Second World Wars
create special interest in every visitor. Some stuffed wild life
specimens, in which some are extinct, attract children and elders
alike.
Details of officers in charge of the museum are as follows:
Sri Panchu Chaudhari
Curator (B.E.S., Class I)
Phone : 0612-2235731 (O), 94309-96509 (M)
Dr. Arvind Mahajan
Assistant Curator-cum-Guide Lecturer (B.E.S., Class-II)
Phone : 0612-2235731 (O), 94314-57349 (M)
1.
Chandradhari Museum, Darbhanga
With the private collection of Sri Chandradhari Singh, a Zamindar

of Madhubani, the state Government established a museum in

the year 1957 at Darbhanga naming it Chandradhari Museum
after the name of its donor. This museum has numerous artifacts
and art-objects of different periods including terra-cottas, coins
and paintings of artistic excellence. Besides art-objects made of
metal, wood clay and ivory; the museum possesses different
kinds of beads, old arms and furnitures, specimens of precious
stone, gold objects, jewellary, costumes and dresses, musical
instruments and so on. The entire collection of the museum has
been housed in its own building.
Details of officer in charge of the museum is as follows:
Sri Shamsa Abrar
Curator (B.E.S., Class II)
Phone : 06272-222537 (O), 95463-67672 (M).
1.
Gaya Museum, Gaya
The private collection belonging to Late Shri Baldeo Prasad of
Gaya was taken over and declared as Gaya Museum by the
Directorate of Archaeology & Museums., Govt. of Bihar in the year
1970. Presently, the museum is housed in its new building. In its
new building, the museum is proposed to be developed as the
Gaya Museum-cum-Magadh Cultural Centre with the view to
collect, display and make available all the relevant information
regarding living cultural heritage of the Magadh region under one
roof. The Gaya museum has the privilege to have a very good
collection of some very important art specimens of bygone days
in its art repository. The museum preserves more than 3000
antiquities, art-pieces and objects of public interest. The rich
collection of stone sculptures especially of Pal period is very
important and it consists of some rare examples of artistic
excellence of the period. In its possession, Gaya museum has
also a good collection of coins of different period (from punch
marked to medieval coins), manuscripts, terracotta figurines
ranging right from Mauryan (3rd Cent B.C.) to Gupta period (4th
5th Cent A.D.), Pal bronzes and other art-objects.
Details of officer in charge of the museum is as follows:
Dr. Parshuram Pandey
Curator (B.E.S., Class II)
Phone : 94304-70302 (M).

1.
Naradah Museum, Nawada
In the year 1974, with the initiative of the then District Magistrate
of newly created district of Nawada Shri N. P. Singh, I.A.S. the
Naradah Museum was established. Almost all the exhibits were
collected and made over to the Deptt. of Art, Culture & Youth,
Govt. of Bihar by Shri Singh himself. Naradah Museum is a multipurpose museum and the mention-worthy artifacts and artobjects include Pal stone sculptures, coins and manuscripts.
Besides, contemporary painting, metal and stone art-pieces have
also been preserved in the museum. The entire collection is
housed in a magnificent building of its own.
Details of officer in charge of the museum is as follows:
Dr. Awadh Kishore Prasad Singh
Curator (B.E.S., Class II)
Phone : 94312-34398 (M)
1.
Maharaja Lakshmishwar Singh Museum, Darbhanga
There is one more govt. museum in the city of Darbhanga named
Maharaja Lakshmishwar Singh Museum. The main collection of
the museum comprises the donation made over to the Govt. of
Bihar by the family of Darbhanga Raj in the year 1979. In the
same premises, just beside the Chandradhari Museum, the
collection of Maharaja Lakshmishwar Singh Museum is housed in
its own building. The museum has got such priceless art-objects
which can not be found in any other museums. The art-pieces
made of ivory are very important so far the artistic excellence of
carving on ivory is concerned.
Details of officer in charge of the museum is as follows:
Sri Shamsa Abrar
Curator (B.E.S., Class II)
Phone : 06272-222537 (O), 95463-67672 (M)
1.
Bhagalpur Museum, Bhagalpur
To collect and display the artifacts and art objects belonging to
the region of Bhagalpur, a state museum was started in the year
1976. Recently, the collection of museum has been shifted to its
own building. There is a very good collection of stone sculptures
of Pal period (8th12th A.D.) The State Govt. has the proposal to
develop this museum as Bhagalpur Museum-cum-Anga Cultural
Centre and the work is in progress.

Details of officer in charge of the museum is as follows:

Srikant Bhagat
Curator (B.E.S., Class II)
Phone : 9304950572 (M)
1.
Chandra Shekhar Singh Museum, Jamui
In the year 1983, a museum at Jamui was taken over by the State
Govt. to preserve the antiquities of the region. It was renamed as
Chandra Shekhar Singh Museum after the name of late Shri
Chandra Shekhar Singh the ex-Chief Minister of Bihar in the year
1986. This museum is known for its rich collection of stone
sculptures of transitional phase between Gupta and Pal period.
Details of officer in charge of the museum is as follows:
Shri Sunil C Chunni
Curator (B.E.S., Class II)
Phone : 99347-38819 (M)
1.
Biharsharif Museum, Biharsharif
The Biharsharif Museum was created in the year 1979. The
museum has recently been shifted to its own building named
Virasat Bhawan at Biharsharif, the district headquarter of
Nalanda. The stone sculptures housed in this museum mostly
belong to Magadhan School of Indian Art, i.e., Pal period. A few
good examples of stone sculptures, medieval coins and stone
inscription are the pride collection of the museum.
Details of officer in charge of the museum is as follows:
Dr. Awadh Kishore Pd. Singh
Curator (B.E.S., Class II)
Phone : 94312-34398 (M)
1.
Sita Ram Upadhyay Museum, Buxar
In the year 1979, Buxar Museum was established with a few good
stone sculptures and coins. Hundreds of very good Terracottas
collected by a local resident late Shri Sita Ram Upadhyaya was
donated to the Buxar Museum and in the year 1993, the Govt. of
Bihar, on request, renamed it as the Sita Ram Upadhyaya
Museum after the name of the donor. The museum is famous for
magnificent terracotta collections, especially the terracotta
figurines belonging to the Mauryan and Shunga period (3rd2nd

Cent B.C.). Besides, there are a few stone sculptures and coins
preserved in this museum as well.
Details of officer in charge of the museum is as follows:
Dr. Arvind Mahajan (Additional Charge)
Curator (B.E.S., Class II)
Phone: 94314-57349 (M)
1.
Ram Chandra Shahi Museum, Muzaffarpur
Ram Chandra Shahi Museum at Muzaffarpur was established in
the year 1979. It has got its own building in the campus of Jubba
Sahni Park. The museum possesses a very good collection
including artifacts and numerous art-objects of varied nature. The
museum is famous for its rich collection of rare postage stamps.
Details of officer in charge of the museum is as follows:
Dr. Vijay Kumar
Curator (B.E.S., Class II)
Phone: 93083-52645 (M)
1.
Begusarai Museum, Begusarai
With the artifacts and art-objects collected within and the
adjoining area of Begusarai district, a museum named as
Begusarai Museum was established in the year 1981. The main
collection of this museum consists of some very good specimens
of Pal period stone sculptures and coins.
Details of officer in charge of the museum is as follows:
Dr. Jaiprakash Narayan Singh (Additional Charge)
Curator (B.E.S., Class II)
Phone: 94310-34172 (M)
1.
Chapra Museum, Chapra
The Chapra museum was established in the district headquarter
of Saran. The exhibits collected from the region have been
displayed in the Chapra Museum. Recently, with the transfer of
antiquities unearthed during the excavations of famous
archaeological site of Chirand (Saran), the regional museum has
been shifted in its own building named Dhai Aakhar Bhawan.
The Chirand materials include a very rare Kushana teracotta
mask, bone tools and artifacts of Neolithic and Chalcolithic
periods. Amongst stone sculptures, a few excellent Pala stone

sculptures are also kept in the museum.

Details of officer in charge of the museum is as follows:
Dr. Vijay Kumar
Curator (B.E.S., Class II)
Phone : 93083-52645 (M)
1.
Jana-Nayak Karpoori Tahkur Smriti Sangrahalay,
Patna
The Govt. of Bihar has declared the official residence of ex-Chief
Minister of Bihar late Shri Karpoori Thakur as the memorial
museum in the year 1990 to commemorate the life,
achievements and philosophy of late Shri Thakur. Since the Jananayak Karpoori Thakur Smriti Sangrahalaya is a personalia
museum, it displays and preserves the articles of daily-use,
dresses, documents, letters, diaries, writings and several other
things belonging to late Shri Karpoori Thakur.
There is a very good library having a very good collection of
Hindi, English, Bangla and a few Urdu books on various subjects
and topics which had been collected and preserved by the lateCM.
The Govt. has a plan to develop this museum as research
institute on social issues. A village-complex depicting the life,
customs, environment and ecology of rural Bihar, has also been
proposed in the campus of the Smriti Sangrahalaya.
Details of officer in charge of the museum is as follows:
Dr. Sudhir Kumar Yadav
Curator (B.E.S., Class II)
Phone: 0612-2370217 (R), 93343-96691 (M)
1.
Babu Kunwar Singh Smriti Sangrahalay, Bhojpur
In the year 1972, the Govt. of Bihar declared the paternal
residence of Babu Kunwar Singh as the Babu Kunwar Singh Smriti
Sangrahalaya at Jagdishpur (Bhojpur) with the view to
commemorate the first war of independence of 1857. Under the
financial assistance of the 11th Finance Commission, the plan to
develop this museum as a martyrium of freedom struggle is in
progress.

Details of officer in charge of the museum is as follows:

Dr. Arvind Mahajan (Additional Charge)
Curator (B.E.S., Class II)
Phone: 94314-57349 (M)
1.
Deep Narayan Singh Museum, Hajipur
It is a district museum named after Late Deep Narayan Singh, a
famous freedom fighter of the district. He is at present running
Gandhi Ashram at Hajipur.
Details of officer in charge of the museum is as follows:
Dr. Sudhir Kumar Yadav
Curator (B.E.S., Class II)
Phone : 93343-96691 (M)
1.
Mithila Lalit Sangrahalaya, Saurath (Madhubani)
This museum depicts the traditional Mithila culture of Madhubani
District.
Details of officer in charge of the museum is as follows:
Sri Satyendra Kumar
Curator (B.E.S., Class II)
Phone : 93345-49264 (M)
1.
Gandhi Smriti Sangrahalaya, Bhitiharwa (West
Champaran)
This ashram which was established by Mahatma Gandhi in 1917
is being preserved by Directorate of Museum. Kasturba Gandhi
was the first teacher in this ashram.
Details of officer in charge of the museum is as follows:
Dr. O. P. Pandey
Curator-in-Charge
Phone : 94304-25828 (M)
1.
Suraj Narayan Singh Museum, Patna
This museum has been established with the personal belongings
of the great socialist freedom fighter Late Suraj Narayan Singh at
the Birchand Patel Path, Patna.
1.
Baba Karu Khirhar Pramandaliya Museum, Saharsa
A small museum namely Baba Karu Khirhar Museum has been
opened in the campus of famous Matsya Gandha tank at Saharsa.

There are stone sculptures of Pal period, different types of coins

and many other popular articles of public interest displayed in
this museum.
Details of officer in charge of the museum are as follows:
Srikant Bhagat
Curator (B.E.S., Class II)
Phone : 9304950572 (M)
Besides the aforesaid museums, there are Bettiah Museum,
Bettiah and Lakhisarai Museum, Lakhisarai which display and
preserve the rich heritage of the respective regions. Attempts are
being made by the State Government to enrich these regional
museums.
Apart from the museums governed by the Deptt. of Art, Culture &
Youth, there are also a few other museums of different disciplines
controlled by the other departments of Govt. of Bihar.
1.
Small Scale Industrial Museum, Patna
Under the Department of Industries Govt. of Bihar established a
Small Scale Industrial Museum with the view of displaying the
different objects collected and prepared as representatives of
Small Scale Industries and thereby promoting the interest of the
concerned industry among the concerned artisans.
1.
Bihar Police Museum, Patna
The Police Museum is located by the northern side of the
Jawaharlal Nehru Marg (old Bailey Road) near the Golf Club,
Patna. Efforts have been made to equip the museum with the
maximum possible old arms and ammunitions, dresses and other
concerned objects handled and used by the contemporary Police
officials.