Patna museum to reopen for visitors form Aug 5

Time of India

3 days ago

Patna: From diving into the long history of river Ganga to getting answers from the hologram (a 3-D image created by light) of philosopher Chanakya, get ready to be immersed in a completely new experience at the extended part of Patna Museum, which was officially inaugurated on July 27.
The new building, laced with AI (artificial intelligence) technology, will, however, be open for visitors from Aug 5. The facility has two galleries, 'Ganga' and 'Patli', spread over a 928 square metre area with modern exhibits, rare artefacts and collections.
Sunil Kumar Jha, the deputy director of Patna Museum, said the visiting time will be from 10am to 5pm. "Tickets will be available for Rs 50 per adult person and Rs 25 for kids.
If a school brings students in a large group, then it will be Rs 15 per head. There are two ticketing counters at the entrance gate of the museum. Presently, we do not have an online ticket booking system," he told this newspaper.
The Ganga Gallery depicts the 445km journey of the river through seven cultural regions: Shahabad, Magadh, Kosi, Ang, Tirhut, Mithila and Seemanchal. Upon entering this gallery, visitors will see the Ganga river emerging from the 'jata' (matted locks) of Lord Shiva on an LED screen.
Through the digital effect, the river is seen flowing on the floor, on which people can walk, and also spot fish.
Different festivals, including Chhath and their significance in different cultural regions of Bihar, have also been described through sculptures and scene creation. At the same time, the stream of Ganga dividing in Bihar has been designed on the floor, along with dolphins, flora and fauna, mineral boxes, and sunken models of archaeological sites Chirand in Saran district and Panr in Samastipur, besides a 58-foot-long fossilised tree trunk.
On the other hand, the Patli gallery has various replicas such as Kesaria Stupa, Rajgir, Chanakya hologram, settlement in old Patliputra and Ram Rekha Ghat on display. Apart from this, various types of paintings such as Manjusha, Madhubani and Tikuli are also displayed.
The gallery also displays historical accounts from travellers like Megasthenes and Fa-Hien through sophisticated artwork and visual presentations.
It also shows the origin and development of the Magadh region. The entire area is built with wood, covered with trees and figurines of monks engaged in spirituality are also displayed.
There is also a sculpture garden with 102 statues. It is divided into two parts, Hinduism and Buddhism. The first part of the garden has statues of Shakti, Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Surya and Nagdevata among others. In the Buddhist section, the statue of Buddha is kept in the centre, and gods and goddesses are depicted around him.
The museum also has a new cafeteria along with other facilities, including a 2-D auditorium, temporary exhibition space, administrative offices, conservation laboratory, contemporary artefact storage and a VIP lounge.