Patna Museum, Patna, Bihar India

The Patna Museum Established in 1917, the oldest museum in Bihar is within walking distance from the Indira Gandhi Planetorium.Among its most famous pieces is a polished sandstone female attendant or yakshi, holding a flying-whisk, found at Didarganj and dating from the 3rd century. Some Jain images from the Kushana period, and a collection of Buddhist Bodhisattvas from the Gandhara region in the northwest Pakistan, belong to the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D. Natural history exhibits feature several stuffed animals, including a few freaks and a gigantic fossilized tree thought to be 200 million years old 16 m long. The museum also houses Chinese art, and the second floor is devoted to some superb Tibetan ‘thangkas’ i.e., scroll paintings are stored, which desperately need to be restored. The Patna Museum houses a First World War cannon, metal and stone sculptures of the Mauryan and Gupta periods, Buddhist sculptures and quaint terracotta figures.

Among its prized exhibits is a 16 m long fossilised tree, and the Casket Containing the ashes of Lord Buddh. The museum houses about 57,000 items of archeological importance. It also has a collection of 22,000 old coins. The museum is open from 10 AM uptil 4.30 PM, on all days except Monday.