Bihar Museum to be inaugurated on July 30

Patna, Jul 20: After missing the Bihar Diwas deadline in March, the much-awaited world-class Bihar Museum at the state capital is set to be inaugurated by this month end, albeit only partially.

"Most of the work at the museum is ready and it has been decided to inaugurate it on July 30. But, only three of its portions would be opened, as work on the rest is still going on," said a senior official associated with the project.

The 530-crore museum is coming up in the nearly 13 acres area off Bailey Road here, for which six colonial-era bungalows (no 2 through no 7) were dismantled.

The official said, a meeting was recently held under the Chief Secretary to take stock of the project and the date of inauguration was also decided there.

"The three sections that would be opened are -- children's section, main entrance area and orientation section," the official told PTI. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had laid the foundation stone of the museum on July 9, 2013. It is considered his pet project, among other plans for the state.

"The museum would house rare statues and sculptors available at the (old) Patna Museum and those around the capital and would be inaugurated on Bihar Divas (March 22), 2015," Kumar had said. The Department of Art, Culture and Youth of the state government has planned this iconic museum to focus on the contributions made by the ancient Magadha Empire and the entire region of Bihar to the evolution of history and civilisation in the Indian subcontinent and throughout Asia.

PTI