Entertainment · Books & Arts · 5 hrs ago
Bihar Museum ranks ninth in global list, ahead of the Met and Louvre
The Bihar Museum in Patna ranked ninth on a 2026 list of the world's 100 best museums.
It was named Asia's top museum and India's only entry in the top 100, ahead of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Louvre in Paris.
The museum is less than a decade old, and the rankings drew on visitor reviews, data analysis and expert evaluations.
Its collection includes the 2,000-year-old Didarganj Yakshi, a life-sized sandstone statue, as well as bronze sculptures, prehistoric tools and a Buddhist stone carving.
The museum's building was designed by Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki and Mumbai- and Pune-based Studio Opolis.
Industrialist Anand Mahindra called the ranking a major recognition for the museum, saying it could help change the museum-going experience in India.
Bihar Museum in Patna ranked ninth in the “World’s 100 Best Museums 2026” list.
The ranking places it ahead of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Louvre in Paris.
The museum is ranked No. 1 in Asia and is the only Indian museum in the top 100.
The list was published by Munich-based travel publication Worth a Journey and draws on visitor reviews, data analytics and on-site expert evaluations.
The museum’s collection includes the Didarganj Yakshi, Kurkihar bronzes and prehistoric stone tools.
- Who
- Bihar Museum in Patna.
- What
- It ranked ninth in the “World’s 100 Best Museums 2026” list, ahead of the Met and the Louvre.
- When
- The list was published in 2026.
- Where
- Patna, Bihar, India.
- Why
- The list draws on visitor reviews, data analytics and on-site expert evaluations.
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- Global ranking
- Ninth in the “World’s 100 Best Museums 2026” list
- Asian ranking
- No. 1 in Asia
- Top 100 representation
- Only Indian museum on the list
- Museum location
- Patna, Bihar, India
- Collection highlight
- The 2,000-year-old Didarganj Yakshi statue
What people are saying
a seminal moment of recognition