Bihar Museum in Patna has ranked ninth globally and first in Asia in the World’s 100 Best Museums 2026, published by Worth a Journey. Perched at the ninth position, the Bihar Museum beat the Paris Louvre and New York’s Metropolitan Museum. Notably, the museum is the only Indian museum on the list. The now fames museum houses historical artefacts, coins, manuscripts, regional folk art, a Children's Gallery, and the famed Mauryan-era Didarganj Yakshi.


Bihar Museum leaves Paris Louvre behind, makes it to global top 10 

<p>The Patna museum in India's Bihar features amongst the best in the world. It is in fact placed above New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Paris’s Louvre in the World’s 100 Best Museums 2026 list published by Germany-based travel guide Worth a Journey. The Museum has been ranked in the ninth spot and is the only Indian Museum to feature in the list.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>“The vision was to create a museum that meets world-class standards. Today, as the museum has gained international recognition, we feel a sense of pride and achievement,” said Anjani Kumar Singh, director general of Bihar Museum, on achieving this remarkable feat.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The top five spots are held by 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.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>While featuring in the list at ninth spot, the Patna Museum beats the renowned New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Paris’s Louvre Museum.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2>About the Patna Museum</h2><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Inaugurated in 2015, the museum was designed by Japanese Pritzker Prize-winning architect Fumihiko Mak in collaboration with Mumbai-based Opolis Architects. The museum is located in Patna's Bailey road and houses remarkable collections of historical artefacts, sculptures, coins, manuscripts and folk art from ancient India to the year 1764.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The galleries feature 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. There is also a Diaspora Gallery that highlights Bihar's contribution and presence beyond its geographical boundaries.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2>Timings, Ticket Prices</h2><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The main galleries are open from 10 am to 5 pm</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>There is also a restaurant inside the building that remains open till 9 pm</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The &nbsp;Museum is closed on Mondays</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The cost of tickets for Indian adults is Rs 100 per person, while international tourists will have to pay Rs 500</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

While featuring in the list, the Patna Museum beats the renowned New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Paris’s Louvre Museum.

The Patna museum in India's Bihar features amongst the best in the world. It is in fact placed above New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Paris’s Louvre in the World’s 100 Best Museums 2026 list published by Germany-based travel guide Worth a Journey. The Museum has been ranked in the ninth spot and is the only Indian Museum to feature in the list. “The vision was to create a museum that meets world-class standards. Today, as the museum has gained international recognition, we feel a sense of pride and achievement,” said Anjani Kumar Singh, director general of Bihar Museum, on achieving this remarkable feat. The top five spots are held by 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. While featuring in the list at ninth spot, the Patna Museum beats the renowned New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Paris’s Louvre Museum. About the Patna Museum Inaugurated in 2015, the museum was designed by Japanese Pritzker Prize-winning architect Fumihiko Mak in collaboration with Mumbai-based Opolis Architects. The museum is located in Patna's Bailey road and houses remarkable collections of historical artefacts, sculptures, coins, manuscripts and folk art from ancient India to the year 1764. The galleries feature 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. There is also a Diaspora Gallery that highlights Bihar's contribution and presence beyond its geographical boundaries. Timings, Ticket Prices The main galleries are open from 10 am to 5 pm There is also a restaurant inside the building that remains open till 9 pm The Museum is closed on Mondays The cost of tickets for Indian adults is Rs 100 per person, while international tourists will have to pay Rs 500

<p>While featuring in the list, the Patna Museum beats the renowned New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Paris’s Louvre Museum.</p>

India's Bihar museum among top 10 in the world, beats Paris's Louvre

<p>A well-known robotic plant "Econario," which is considered a remarkable artwork, is on display at the ongoing Bihar Museum Biennale 2023 in Patna, the capital city of the Indian state of Bihar.</p>

<p>As part of the "Together We Art" initiative, which centres around India's G20 Presidency theme of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—One Earth, One Family, One Future, this exhibition embodies the interconnection between our choices today and the future of our planet.</p>

<p>Econario,&nbsp;commissioned by the British Council, grows on Natural History Museum biodiversity data to demonstrate the impact of choices we are making now on the future of the natural world.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Delighted Econario is exhibited <a href="https://twitter.com/Bihar_Museum?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Bihar_Museum</a> for Together We Art <a href="https://twitter.com/g20org?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@g20org</a> tree of life mesmerising visitors with articulated sculpture which responds to climate change data from around the world. A partnership of <a href="https://twitter.com/NHM_London?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NHM_London</a> &amp; artist Thijs Biersteker, made possible by <a href="https://twitter.com/inBritish?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@inBritish</a> <a href="https://t.co/hDEo8rE79l">pic.twitter.com/hDEo8rE79l</a></p>
— Jonathan Kennedy (@JonathanKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonathanKennedy/status/1692650182654255145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>The five-metre-tall robotic plant has been created by ecological artist Thijs Biersteker using biodiversity data from the Natural History Museum to create a (literally) moving monument to the importance of the choices we are making now for the future of our planet.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-parliament-staff-to-showcase-indian-heritage-with-new-uniforms-635255">India: Debate sparks over new Parliament staff unforms showcasing Indian heritage</a></p>

<p>‘Econario’ provides a powerful representation of how choices society makes today will affect the state of nature over the next 30 years.</p>

<h2><strong>A reflection of natural biodiversity</strong></h2>

<p>The robotic plant moves like a small fragile seedling, growing, not with the help of nutrients, but driven by changes over time in the Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII) – a metric developed by the Natural History Museum as a measure of how much of a region’s natural biodiversity still persists.</p>

<p>The BII is a rigorous approach to estimating biodiversity loss that combines data on ecosystems and species populations with data on human-caused pressures like land use.</p>

<p>When the artwork is folded, the plant has an industrial look, but as biodiversity increases and the work unfolds, the plant-like motion gives the work an organic feel. As the artwork switches between countries, it shows the biodiversity intactness in 2050 based on five different political scenarios we, as a society, can choose today.</p>

<h2><strong>Reflecting on a choice 'we still have'</strong></h2>

<p>The artwork makes technical data and statistics resonate on a personal level by representing data from the location where the work is being exhibited. It is showing us a choice in a time when we still have a choice.</p>

<p><strong>WATCH |&nbsp;India: Rain, traffic curbs help Delhi log year's first good air day</strong></p>

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<p>‘Econario’ has been exhibited at museums like the Kunstkerk (NL) and conferences like COP15 in Montreal and the World Government Summit in Dubai.</p>

<p>Speaking about his creation to WION, ecological artist Thijs Biersteker said, “I always wanted to make an artwork that shows how woven our environmental choices of today are with that of our future. The BII data from the Natural History Museum gives a small glimpse of those futures. Now people can see it play out in front of them.”</p>

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<p>Talking about the&nbsp;British Council's efforts in bringing&nbsp;Econario in India, MBE, Director India Alison Barrett said to WION, ‘”The collaboration between the Natural History Museum in the UK and artist Thijs Biersteker is an astonishing creative response to our most pressing global challenge, climate change, bringing arts and science together as insipiration for collective action to protect the planet. The British Council is delighted to shine the spotlight on the incredible robotic plant Econario for the G20 in India.”</p>

<p>You can&nbsp;<strong>now write for&nbsp;wionews.com</strong>&nbsp;and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.</strong></p>

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A well-known robotic plant "Econario," which is considered a remarkable artwork, is on display at the ongoing Bihar Museum Biennale 2023 in Patna, the capital city of the Indian state of Bihar.

A well-known robotic plant "Econario," which is considered a remarkable artwork, is on display at the ongoing Bihar Museum Biennale 2023 in Patna, the capital city of the Indian state of Bihar. As part of the "Together We Art" initiative, which centres around India's G20 Presidency theme of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—One Earth, One Family, One Future, this exhibition embodies the interconnection between our choices today and the future of our planet. Econario, commissioned by the British Council, grows on Natural History Museum biodiversity data to demonstrate the impact of choices we are making now on the future of the natural world. Delighted Econario is exhibited @Bihar_Museum for Together We Art @g20org tree of life mesmerising visitors with articulated sculpture which responds to climate change data from around the world. A partnership of @NHM_London & artist Thijs Biersteker, made possible by @inBritish pic.twitter.com/hDEo8rE79l — Jonathan Kennedy (@JonathanKennedy) August 18, 2023 × The five-metre-tall robotic plant has been created by ecological artist Thijs Biersteker using biodiversity data from the Natural History Museum to create a (literally) moving monument to the importance of the choices we are making now for the future of our planet. ALSO READ | India: Debate sparks over new Parliament staff unforms showcasing Indian heritage ‘Econario’ provides a powerful representation of how choices society makes today will affect the state of nature over the next 30 years. A reflection of natural biodiversity The robotic plant moves like a small fragile seedling, growing, not with the help of nutrients, but driven by changes over time in the Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII) – a metric developed by the Natural History Museum as a measure of how much of a region’s natural biodiversity still persists. The BII is a rigorous approach to estimating biodiversity loss that combines data on ecosystems and species populations with data on human-caused pressures like land use. When the artwork is folded, the plant has an industrial look, but as biodiversity increases and the work unfolds, the plant-like motion gives the work an organic feel. As the artwork switches between countries, it shows the biodiversity intactness in 2050 based on five different political scenarios we, as a society, can choose today. Reflecting on a choice 'we still have' The artwork makes technical data and statistics resonate on a personal level by representing data from the location where the work is being exhibited. It is showing us a choice in a time when we still have a choice. WATCH | India: Rain, traffic curbs help Delhi log year's first good air day ‘Econario’ has been exhibited at museums like the Kunstkerk (NL) and conferences like COP15 in Montreal and the World Government Summit in Dubai. Speaking about his creation to WION, ecological artist Thijs Biersteker said, “I always wanted to make an artwork that shows how woven our environmental choices of today are with that of our future. The BII data from the Natural History Museum gives a small glimpse of those futures. Now people can see it play out in front of them.” × Talking about the British Council's efforts in bringing Econario in India, MBE, Director India Alison Barrett said to WION, ‘”The collaboration between the Natural History Museum in the UK and artist Thijs Biersteker is an astonishing creative response to our most pressing global challenge, climate change, bringing arts and science together as insipiration for collective action to protect the planet. The British Council is delighted to shine the spotlight on the incredible robotic plant Econario for the G20 in India.” You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

After travelling across nations, robotic plant 'Econario' reaches Bihar museum in India

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Bihar Museum leaves Paris Louvre behind, makes it to global top 10

India's Bihar museum among top 10 in the world, beats Paris's Louvre

After travelling across nations, robotic plant 'Econario' reaches Bihar museum in India