Bihar Museum Ranks 9th Globally, Tops Asia in World’s 100 Best Museums 2026

The Bihar Museum in Patna ranks ninth among all museums worldwide and first among all museums in Asia according to The World’s 100 Best Museums 2026, authored by Worth a Journey, based in Germany. The Bihar Museum is the only Indian entry on the list of the world’s top 100 museums in 2026. The museum beats the Met Museum in New York, which ranks tenth, and the Louvre Museum in Paris, which ranks 31st.

100 Best Museums in the World 2026: Top Rankings

The 2026 list comprises museums that specialise in the areas of art, history, science, technology, and outdoor heritage.

The Museo Nacional de Antropología of Mexico City topped the list and it is followed by Museo del Prado in Madrid and Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark.

Rank	Name of the Museum	Location
1	Museo Nacional de Antropología	Mexico City, Mexico
2	Museo del Prado	Madrid, Spain
3	Louisiana Museum of Modern Art	Humlebaek, Denmark
4	State Hermitage Museum	Saint Petersburg, Russia
5	Kunsthistorisches Museum	Vienna, Austria
9	Bihar Museum	Patna, India
10	Metropolitan Museum of Art	New York, USA
31	Louvre Museum	Paris, France

Why Is Bihar Museum Important?

Bihar Museum is a modern museum situated on Nehru Path in Patna and established to conserve and showcase the cultural heritage of Bihar. The museum is an architectural design of Fumihiko Maki, winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, along with the Mumbai-based firm of Opolis Architects.

The museum became partly open to the public in August 2015, and its remaining galleries opened to visitors in October 2017. Exhibits cover the region’s history from the Stone Age to the modern period and include archaeological objects, sculptures, coins, manuscripts and folk art.

Major Experiences

• Galleries of ancient sculptures: Exhibit sculptures and other artefacts representing the history and artistic culture of Bihar.
• Didarganj Yakshi: A famous ancient stone sculpture that was found near Patna in 1917 and is related to early Indian art.
• Children’s Gallery: Showcases history, culture and natural history through children’s exhibits.
• Regional folk art: Displays artistic traditions and cultural expressions of Bihar.
• Diaspora Gallery: Showcases Bihar’s connections to the people outside Bihar.

In addition to the above exhibitions, there is a restaurant offering Bihari food and a museum shop at Bihar Museum.

How the Listing Might Help Bihar Become More Popular for Cultural Tourism

The listing might inspire many tourists to visit Patna and appreciate the rich culture of Bihar and its historical context. The state has a lot to do with India’s politics, religion and culture, dating back to the era of the Maurya dynasty when Pataliputra was a famous city.

In addition, the newly opened Bihar Museum supplements Patna Museum, which was founded in 1917. They both feature different collections, which allow tourists to learn about the region’s development from the perspective of archaeology, art and culture. There are also plans to construct an underground passage between the two museums.