Patna,(BiharTimes): Thanks to the Bihar government’s move to shift some important pre-1764 artefacts to other museums the famous Patna Museum is likely to lose its identity.They would be transferred to the newly-built Bihar Museum as well as Vaishali-based Buddha Samyak Darshan Museum.

According to a report in The Telegraph among the artefacts to be transferred are the Yakshini statue, a relic of the Buddha, a five-feet bronze sculpture––the second largest in the world–– from the Pal dynasty.J P N Singh, additional director, Patna Museum, confirmed that the decision has been taken.The daily said officials, historians and employees of the Patna Museum are shocked over the state government’s move.

Report said the final decision on shifting the exhibits would be taken by the Canada-based Lord Cultural Resources (master planning consultant for the ambitious Bihar Museum).The Patna Museum is known for the Yakshini statue. “In any general knowledge book, you would find the question which museum has the Yakshini statue.

The museum would lose its sheen, its identity, if the statue is shifted. There have
also been discussions to shift Buddha’s original relic to the Buddha Samyak Darshan Museum in Vaishali. That too would be an injustice to Patna Museum. At present, Buddhists over the world come to Patna Museum to see the original relic,” said an official.Former director of K P Jaiswal Research Institute Chittranjan Prasad Sinha is quoted as saying: “Had the government thought about moving the historical artefacts of Patna Museum to its new campus or another branch, that would not have been a problem. We couldn't have said the government had tampered with the entity of Patna Museum. But the government is thinking of shifting some of the important artefacts of Patna

Museum to Bihar Museum, a separate entity. It is not right.”Many people are critical of the construction of Bihar Museum and that too just a kilometer away from the Patna Museum. Former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has repeatedly been accusing the state government of wasting tax-payers money. How can a state government which can not regularize its contractual employees spend hundreds of crores on such projects. He alleged large scale corruption in the construction of Bihar Museum as well as a conventional centre near Gandhi Maidan.