Global Spotlight on India as Bihar Museum Ranks 9th in the World, Tops Asia, Ahead of New York’s Met and Paris’s Louvre

New Delhi: Patna’s Bihar Museum has secured the ninth position in the “World’s 100 Best Museums 2026” ranking published by the Munich-based independent travel guide Worth a Journey. The placement makes it the highest-ranked museum in Asia and the only Indian institution to appear in the top 100.

The ranking positions Bihar Museum ahead of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (10th) and well ahead of Paris’s Louvre (31st). Mexico City’s Museo Nacional de Antropología leads the global list, followed by Madrid’s Museo del Prado (2nd) and Denmark’s Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (3rd). The State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg and Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum complete the top five.

Worth a Journey compiles its lists using a proprietary algorithm that analyses large volumes of visitor data and reviews, combined with on-site expert evaluations. The guide covers museums of art, history, science, technology and open-air heritage.

Opened in 2015 (with full operations by 2017) on a more than 13-acre campus on Bailey Road in Patna, the museum was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki in collaboration with Mumbai-based Opolis Architects. It presents Bihar’s history from the Stone Age to more recent periods through chronological galleries featuring sculptures, coins, manuscripts, prehistoric tools and regional folk art, along with open courtyards, lawns and a dedicated Children’s Gallery.

Among its most celebrated holdings is the Didarganj Yakshi, a highly polished Mauryan-era sandstone sculpture discovered near Patna in 1917. The collection also includes Kurkihar bronzes and other significant artefacts.

Celebrating the success, the Ministry of Culture, in a post on X, wrote, "A treasure trove of Bihar’s history and heritage, the museum houses ancient artefacts, sculptures, manuscripts and Mauryan-era relics, including a life-size Ashokan pillar. With interactive exhibits and well-curated galleries, it offers visitors an engaging journey through the rich history and cultural legacy of Bihar."

The achievement has drawn international attention to Bihar’s archaeological and artistic legacy, positioning the relatively young museum among the world’s elite cultural destinations.