Patna museum to be expanded for better artefacts display: CM

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said the Patna museum would be expanded in order to give the artefacts a better display.
"Patna museum needs further expansion in order to showcase artefacts in a better way. We have discussed the issue and decided to construct structures from three different sides of the museum by maintaining its facade," Kumar told reporters here.
Kumar, who visited various galleries of Patna museum for around 90 minutes, said the new structure will be able to house more artefacts and offer better display.
During his past visits to the museum, the requirement for another museum was felt after which the state government constructed another museum of international standard, the CM said.

Many of the artefacts have been shifted to the newly built Bihar musuem for exhibit, he said and added that most of the artefacts put up in Patna museum are not getting good display because of space crunch.
Kumar had inaugurated the four galleries of Bihar museum on October 2, the museum of international standard, which has been built on Bailey road at an estimated cost of Rs 500 crore.

A few galleries of Bihar musuem were inauguarated by the CM just before the assembly elections in 2015.
All the pre-1764 artefacts have been shifted to Bihar Museum from Patna museum whereas the post-1764 artefacts would be kept at Patna museum, official sources said.

Of the total 51,000 artefacts and other items of histrocial and archaeological importance, 973 artefacts have been shifted to Bihar museum while 1,699 aretfacts are at display at Patna museum besides 48,000 artefacts kept in the store of Patna museum, sources said.
Items such as manuscripts brought by Rahul Sankrityayan are at display while some of them are kept safely, Kumar said adding, exhibits will be displayed on a rotation basis.
The CM also said the state government has talked to a university at Sarnath which would translate manuscripts in both Hindi and English so that people can know their significance.

Kumar, who minutely observed various artefacts at different galleries of the museum, also enquired about the country's first President Dr Rajendra Prasad's coat.
"There was a coat on display which Rajendra Babu used to put on. Where is that coat? I had seen the coat here when I visited the museum in 2009. I still remember the coat put up on display," Kumar asked the officials at the museum's Rajendra gallery.