Patna Museum

Patna Museum is a state museum located on Buddha Marg in central Patna, Bihar. Established in 1917 during British rule, it is housed in an Indo-Saracenic style building and is one of the oldest museums in Bihar. It is notable for its extensive collection of Mauryan and Gupta artefacts, stone and bronze sculptures, terracottas, paintings and relics, including the Didarganj Yakshi and the holy relic casket of the Buddha.

Visitors can expect a two-storey heritage building with galleries displaying stone sculptures, bronze images, terracottas, coins, paintings and archaeological finds from Patna and surrounding regions. The museum is organized by period and material, with central halls featuring large Mauryan and Gupta sculptures, glass cases with smaller artefacts, and informative labels. The surroundings are urban with gardens on the premises, and visitors can explore indoor exhibition halls at a leisurely pace.

Established on 3 April 1917 during British rule to house artefacts discovered in Patna and Bihar. The building was designed in Indo-Saracenic style by Rai Bahadur Bishnu Swarup and constructed to preserve archaeological finds from Mauryan, Gupta and later periods. It served as the principal museum of Bihar before the creation of Bihar Museum and holds relics excavated from sites such as Pataliputra, Vaishali and Nalanda.

Houses one of the most important collections of ancient Indian art in eastern India, including Buddhist, Hindu and Jain sculptures. The Didarganj Yakshi and Buddha relic casket are considered masterpieces of early Indian art and are significant for understanding Mauryan culture and Buddhist heritage of Bihar.