A fire broke out on Wednesday in a new building of the Patna Museum Complex, which has been undergoing massive renovation in the last few years, according to officials.
The historic Patna Museum, which houses a collection of rich artefacts, rare paintings and a 200-million-year-old fossilized tree trunk, has been closed for visitors since June 1 last year for the revival of its 96-year-old building.
"The fire broke out in a portion of a newly constructed building, which is an extension of the old heritage building of the Patna Museum. Several fire tenders were pressed into service. However, no major injuries have been reported so far," the senior official said." said in the museum.
The new wing, built to the west of the old museum building, will also have a gallery, he said, adding that the fire has been brought under control.
It remains to be ascertained whether any artefacts suffered any damage in the incident.
A project is underway on the redevelopment of the museum building located on Patna-Gaya Road, the foundation stone of which was laid by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in August 2020.
Moreover, as the heritage building is being renovated as part of the redevelopment project, its old galleries will be redesigned, curated in a new way to better showcase the artefacts and other historical objects, officials said. Said earlier.
Many old artefacts, which were previously housed in the museum's heritage building, have been shifted to storage space located in one of the new expansion wings.One of the most attractive and recognizable buildings in the capital city, the Patna Museum Building was constructed in 1928 with two equally ornate entrances – the 'In Gate' and the 'Out Gate'.
The old heritage gates of the museum were recently demolished and replaced with new gates in similar style, which was criticized by various scholars and heritage lovers.
The 'Out Gate' was damaged in early 2023 and later the 'In Gate' was also damaged during redevelopment work, and heritage lovers appealed to the government to repair and renovate the old gates.
The historic Patna Museum, which houses a collection of rich artefacts, rare paintings and a 200-million-year-old fossilized tree trunk, has been closed for visitors since June 1 last year for the revival of its 96-year-old building.
"The fire broke out in a portion of a newly constructed building, which is an extension of the old heritage building of the Patna Museum. Several fire tenders were pressed into service. However, no major injuries have been reported so far," the senior official said." said in the museum.
The new wing, built to the west of the old museum building, will also have a gallery, he said, adding that the fire has been brought under control.
It remains to be ascertained whether any artefacts suffered any damage in the incident.
A project is underway on the redevelopment of the museum building located on Patna-Gaya Road, the foundation stone of which was laid by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in August 2020.
Moreover, as the heritage building is being renovated as part of the redevelopment project, its old galleries will be redesigned, curated in a new way to better showcase the artefacts and other historical objects, officials said. Said earlier.
Many old artefacts, which were previously housed in the museum's heritage building, have been shifted to storage space located in one of the new expansion wings.One of the most attractive and recognizable buildings in the capital city, the Patna Museum Building was constructed in 1928 with two equally ornate entrances – the 'In Gate' and the 'Out Gate'.
The old heritage gates of the museum were recently demolished and replaced with new gates in similar style, which was criticized by various scholars and heritage lovers.
The 'Out Gate' was damaged in early 2023 and later the 'In Gate' was also damaged during redevelopment work, and heritage lovers appealed to the government to repair and renovate the old gates.
