Bihar's Museum Beats Paris's Louvre, New York's The Met To Rank In World's Top 10 List: Ticket Cost, Timings And More

Patna's Bihar Museum has been ranked in the ninth spot on a list of the world's 100 best museums in 2026. It is the only museum from India on the list, published by travel guide Worth a Journey.

Mexico City's Museo Nacional de Antropología, Madrid's Museo del Prado, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk, Denmark, Saint Petersburg's State Hermitage Museum and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna make up the top five. The Bihar Museum beat the Louvre in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to reach the top five. It is also the only Asian museum in the top 10.

Located on Patna's Bailey Road, the museum houses remarkable collections of historical artefacts, sculptures, coins, manuscripts and folk art.
 

A Visitor's Guide To Bihar Museum

The museum was inaugurated in 2015. It was actually constructed so that the artefacts kept in the older Patna Museum could be displayed properly. Japanese Pritzker Prize-winning architect Fumihiko Mak designed the structure in collaboration with Mumbai-based Opolis Architects. The museum features artefacts from ancient India to the year 1764. The galleries are arranged according to different historical periods, from the Mauryans to the Mughals and the Sur Dynasty.

A Children's Gallery also exists, with displays featuring animals, folk art, culture and science. The Diaspora Gallery of the museum highlights Bihar's presence beyond its geographical boundaries.

One of the highlights of the collection is the Mauryan-era Didarganj Yakshi, which is one of the best-known pieces of ancient Indian sculpture. It was found near Patna in 1917.

The museum also houses a rectangular slab with a sculpture called the ‘Birth of the Buddha' from the Kushan period. The Kurkihar Buddha bronze sculpture from the Pala dynasty, an illustrated manuscript of the Quran, and coins from the Sur dynasty are also on display.

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Bihar Museum: Timings, Ticket Prices

• The main galleries are open from 10 am to 5 pm. The restaurant inside the building is open till 9 pm.
• The Bihar Museum is closed on Mondays.
• Regular tickets for Indian adults cost Rs 100 per person. International tourists pay Rs 500 per ticket.

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