Bihar Museum Ranks Ninth in World’s 100 Best Museums 2026, Ahead of Met and Louvre

The Patna‑based Bihar Museum has been placed ninth on the 2026 list of the world’s 100 best museums, a ranking that places it ahead of iconic institutions such as New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Paris’s Louvre. The list, compiled by the Munich‑based travel publication *Worth a Journey*, also names the museum as the top museum in Asia and the only Indian institution to make the top‑100 cut.

The museum’s rise to prominence is largely credited to artist Subodh Gupta, whose signature “bartan” (kitchen utensil) sculptures helped put Bihar on the global art map. While the museum does not house a Mona Lisa, it boasts a crown jewel of its own: the Didarganj Yakshi. This 2,000‑year‑old, life‑sized statue, carved from a single block of highly polished Chunar sandstone, sits in an air‑conditioned room. Though its nose is chipped and its left arm broken, the Yakshi’s hand holds a fly‑whisk (chauri), giving it a striking presence.

The 13.9‑acre complex also houses the famed Kurkihar bronzes, prehistoric stone tools and a Kushan‑period slab depicting the Birth of the Buddha. The museum building itself, designed by Pritzker Prize‑winning Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki in collaboration with Studio Opolis (based in Mumbai and Pune), is noted for its striking architecture.

On the social‑media platform X, industrialist Anand Mahindra described the ranking as “a seminal moment of recognition,” adding that it could be a game‑changer for the museum‑going experience in India.

The ranking was derived from visitor reviews, data analytics and on‑site expert evaluations, according to *Worth a Journey*.

For those wishing to verify the announcement, the list is published on the *Worth a Journey* website and can be cross‑checked with the museum’s official communications and the Times of India coverage.