BIHAR MUSEUM – An Epic, Untold and Unknown to the World

I vividly remember gripping my father’s fingers as he would walk me through the Prince of Wales Museum, in Mumbai (now named Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya).
He would slowly walk me through the different halls and patiently read out and explain all that was under display.
Somehow, visiting museums became a childhood habit. During summer vacations in Kolkata, I had made many attempts to cover all the floors in the Indian Museum in one go, but could never do so.

Last year, when I was on a day’s trip to Patna (Capital city of the State of Bihar), I had never expected that my One day trip would be so momentous and enriching.
Interestingly, the word Bihar comes from Vihar (Abode), place of refuge given to monks. Bihar had large number of abodes for monks, estimated to be in thousands at one time in the region.
Some Viharas such as Odantapuri and Nalanda were also used as institutions of higher learning which attracted scholars from across Asia.

I had reached Patna early morning and completed my meetings with the Department of Tourism, Government of Bihar by 2 pm.
I was very keen to visit Takht Sri Patna Sahib, a Gurdwara (place of worship for Sikhs) built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh to commemorate the Birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh, who was born in Patna in December, 1666.
I was advised by the Officials that I would need atleast half a day for a fulfilling visit and would otherwise get delayed to reach the airport to catch the evening flight.
They were able to read the disappointment writ on my face, and promptly came a suggestion – “Why don’t you visit Bihar Museum”. Nostalgia took over my unhappiness and I thanked the Officials for the suggestion and went straight ahead towards the Museum.

It was a hot, summer afternoon and the taxi driver worriedly told me that I should be back in 3 hours to be able to reach airport on time.
Without any hesitation, I assured him that I would be back before time.

As I walked towards the Ticket counter under that blazing sun, I was overwhelmed with the feeling of being part of Pataliputra, modern day Patna, which was built during the Magadha dynasty.

Pataliputra was the capital city of many powerful Empires such as the Shishunagas, Nandas, Mauryas, Guptas and Palas and has witnessed some of the greatest rulers of ancient India.
And I was expecting a reflection of this grandeur which existed in Pataliputra at the Bihar Museum.

Bihar Museum Logo

The Museum ticket became my first souvenir. The Ticket bears a picture of an ancient sculpture of Vardhamana Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism. The beautiful logo of Bihar Museum comprises of a Tree visual (resembling the Bodhi tree) with Bihar Museum and the Hindi rendition, Bihar Sangrahalay written in the Shirorekha line of the Devanagari script.

DID YOU KNOW?

There is evidence of human habitation in Bihar from 400,000 years ago.

HISTORY GALLERY : A, B, C and D

The History Galleries in a broad timeline with Pre-History, marches ahead with appearance of copper in this region, captures the peak of Magadhan power and the influence from the Mauryan through Gupta and post Gupta eras, continuing through the medieval and Mughal era to the 18th century.

Masterpieces from 300 BCE and thereafter, in materials like Gold, Copper, Bronze Alloy, Blackstone, Sandstone, Grey Sandstone, Schist Stone, Ivory, Ceramics and Terracotta is the Museum’s treasured collection across all the History Galleries.

HISTORY GALLERY A : From Stone Tools to Empire

Dancing girl in Terracotta from Mauryan period

The exhibits in this gallery is placed in a chronological order – Prehistory, Protohistory, Indus Valley civilization, the Rise of Mahajanapadas, Nanda and Mauryan Dynasty and Emperor Ashoka’s journey from the Kalinga War to pacifism.

Palaeolithic tools from Old Stone age

What is in store here leaves you spell bound – from Stone tools from early human civilization used for hunting and farming, to traces from the Harappan civilization, an exquisite collection of coins from different eras and more. The Punchmarked Silver coins on display were the earliest coins that existed in pre Maurya and Maurya dynasty.

Punchmarked earliest Silver coins – Pre & during Mauryan period

GALLERY SURPRISE

Looking closely at the restored pieces of Harappan pottery, it is amazing to see the indigenous motifs that were drawn in that period to decorate their wares.
Check the Circular design in black on red earthenware and Fish design in black on red earthenware.
These motifs which are approximately 5000 years old, continue to be used in modern times to decorate our household wares and Rangolis (traditional decoration) during our festivals. Intriguing isn’t it?

Circular design in black on red Harappan earthernware

Fish design in black on red Harappan earthernware

TERRACOTTA or the clay art making tradition existed in Bihar since the Mauryas and some say, even to pre historic age in Bihar. Terracotta objects in the Mauryan era were sun baked, as these objects are seen to have a lighter colour, than the usual colour of terracotta items.

GALLERY TRIVIA

Don’t miss the Terracotta objects from the Mauryan period of the Smiling Girl and the Smiling Boy.
Smiling, Yes they are, yet their different expression says it all. Read it.

Smiling Girl and Boy in Terracotta from Mauryan period

There is a special section on Buddhism with stone and bronze sculptures which depicts Gautam Buddha, his key disciples and global expansion of Buddhism. The section on Jainism also has a similar display of stone and bronze Tirthankaras which depicts the philosophy of Jainism and Vardhamana Mahavira.

Gautam Buddha in Blackstone,9th & 10th Century Gautam Buddha in Gandhara style

HISTORY GALLERY B : A Millennium of Cultural Patronage

This Gallery gives an insight into the art and culture of Magadh region with various sculptures and terracotta exhibits during the Sungas and the Kushanas which also includes the Gupta empire and the Pala period.

Lakshmi on Gold coin(front side) from Gupta period, Couple on Gold coin (rear side) from Gupta period

The Kurkihar Bronze sculpture of Gautam Buddha from the Pala period depicts the workmanship style that existed in 10th and 11th century AD.Their work on bronze was so evolved that defined the body form with fine line carvings.

Kurkihar Bronze of Gautam Buddha , Pala period

HISTORY GALLERY C : Shifting Boundaries and Identities

Silver coins during Sher Shah Suri period in Gallery C

This Gallery is a journey post Pala period, with Paintings, sculptures and coin exhibits from the Moghul era to the British period. There is a rare collection of paperwork and manuscripts from late 18th and 19th century. Interesting Ivory artefacts from late Moghul period are displayed here.

Elephant with Rider in Ivory from Late Moghul Period

18th Century Painting on Ivory base from Moghul period

HISTORICAL ART GALLERY D :

This gallery showcases masterpieces of Art history and craftsmanship.

PATNA QALAM :

There existed distinct school of paintings in Patna, called Patna Qalam. These paintings illustrate the daily life, festivals, rituals in Patna and surrounding areas and have indigenous features.

Making of Hookah stand depicted through Patna Qalam

DANIELL PRINTS :

One of the most outstanding works outlining Indian life, landscapes, architecture, heritage buildings and costumes were of The Daniells from England.
Thomas Daniell (1749 to 1840) and his nephew William Daniell, (1769-1837) travelled extensively in India, sketching and drawing over the Ganges from Calcutta to Srinagar, around Mysore from Madras and visiting sites in Bombay on their return journey to England. On their return, the Daniells turned their huge collection of sketches to water colour finishing and oil paintings. They later produced aquatint prints of this collection and named it the Oriental Scenery.
Bihar Museum has a few Daniell prints from the Oriental Scenery collection showcasing the scenery of Bihar.

THE STUNNING DIDARGANJ YAKSHI

DIDARGANJ YAKSHI in Chunar Sandstone

DIDARGANJ YAKSHI is the Showstopper at the Bihar Museum which is believed to have been crafted in third century BCE.
The Yakshi, is the most prized artefact which was excavated from the riverside of Ganga in Didarganj near Patna in 1917. The statue, carved out of a single Chunar sandstone with a polished finish, stands at 5 feet and 2 inches tall. The sculpture is believed to be 2300 years old and is one of the finest examples of Mauryan art.
Didarganj Yakshi’s poise and beauty will leave you fascinated and it is now for the world to discover this timeless mystery.

With time almost running out, I decided to spend some moments in the Regional Art Gallery and the Contemporary Art Gallery

REGIONAL ART GALLERY

This Gallery displays visual arts, crafts and performing arts of the diverse ethnic groups of Bihar.
There is an incredible line up of wall mounted canvas with different Art forms of Bihar- Kohbar, Godhana, Tikuli, Madhubani, each painting depicting a popular folklore.

This gallery’s pride is the Terracotta installation by the eminent artist, Shri Rajat Ghosh from Patna who is the 1984 National Award winner for his sculptures and terracotta work. This installation is inspired by the folklore of Sama Chakeba, Hindu festival celebrated in Bihar.

Terracotta Installation by Shri Rajat Ghosh in Regional Art Gallery

There is also a special display of Sikki grass craft which is also an ancient craft form of Bihar. Sikki grass is a golden coloured grass grown in Bihar and used by locals to make baskets, dolls and various decorative items.

Sikki Grass exhibit in Regional Art Gallery

CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY

DAY&NIGHT by Arpana Caur, First Art object in Contemporary Art Gallery

The Contemporary Art gallery presents the domain of modern and contemporary art practices in India. The gallery has artworks from world renowned artists like Anjolie Ela Menon, Jatin Das, Paresh Maity, T. Vaikuntam, Jogen Chowdhury, Arpana Caur and many more.
This gallery has been designed to showcase masterpieces by Indian legends and create awareness of modern-day art forms and trends.

MANDALA Art installation by Shri Subodh Gupta

Must visit : The Museum Shop

Take home some of Bihar’s art and handicraft from The Museum Shop which has a varied collection of paintings and handicrafts made by tribals and villagers of Bihar.

Bihari Cuisine at Main Cafetaria

Managed by Potbelly (Delhi), this place offers authentic Bihari cuisine.
Traditional vegetarian dishes like Litti Chokha and Dal Pitha are favourites here. For the non vegetarians, the popular delicacies are Champaran style Mutton curry prepared in earthen pot, Ahuna Mutton curry and more. Top it up with Makhana Kheer .
For the younger generation, there is a range of Fusion sandwiches and burgers with different styles of sauce and bread.

Bihar Museum, is India’s flagship project post Independence and truly world class in design and structure.
Maki and Associates & Opolis, the architects behind the Bihar Museum, designed it like a campus and not like a building structure which is how Museum structures are seen across the world.

With a simple, ground floor plus one structure, interspersed with Niranjana Courtyard, Orientation Amphitheatre, Peepal Court, Children’s Gallery and wide corridors, the Museum “campus” creates a rich, unique experience with each visit, one that changes with the time and seasons.

Buddha Courtyard inside the Museum

The Museum stands testimony to Bihar’s rich history and heritage, a Symbol reflecting Bihar’s pride.
While speaking to Ms.Moumita Ghosh who is involved as a Curator with this Museum since its inception in 2014, she says with a deep sense of pride “This is an experiential museum that connects each at his or her level. The Museum captures endless fascinating stories of the human past and transforms it into an interactive, immersive experience. The key to edutainment in the museum is to make learning fun and expand knowledge in an informal way. For me, this is such a rare opportunity to be a Curator of this prestigious museum and manage the same.”

Promising myself to comeback soon, I walk towards my cab and from a distance, I could see my taxi driver frantically waving at me so that I could pace faster. Airport was not very far and I had reached well on time.
Waiting to board the flight, I penned down a few lines in my travel diary :

This Journey was about of Timelessness
Of experiencing History
Of greatest Empires and Rulers
Of Saints, Monks and Mentors
Of Dharma Chakra and Arthashastra
An Abode of Learning
Discover India at the Bihar Museum

BIHAR MUSEUM BIENNALE
25 March to 25 June, 2021

Block your calendar, 25 March to 25 June, 2021 and plan your trip to be part of the First ever Museum Biennale showcasing the Treasures of Indian Museums across 13 Cities of India – all at the Bihar Museum.
These Museums will display their exhibits on the theme : Unity in Diversity.

How to reach :
The museum is around 4 kms from Patna International Airport and around 2.5 kms away from the nearest railway station, Patna Junction.

Visitor information :
Bihar Museum
Bailey Road
Patna
www.biharmuseum.org

Bihar Museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday
Closed on 14 State and Central holidays.
Timings : 10.30 am to 5 pm.

Ticket price :
Rs. 100/- for Indian visitors, Rs. 500/- for Foreign tourists.
Additional Rs. 100/- for professional photography, no charges for mobile photography.
Video shooting will require prior permission from the Museum authorities.
Email : bmpatna2014@gmail.com & info@biharmuseum.org

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Unique design of Bihar Museum Tickets