On November 3, Soumya Pathak, 23, a final-year medical student studying at a medical college in Ambala, Haryana, is exploring exhibits showcasing relics from prehistoric times at the Bihar Museum in Patna. Pathak belongs to Muzaffarpur in Bihar, and is looking at some coins from the Mauryan (321–185 B.C.E) and Gupta ages (early 4th to mid-6th Century C.E.).

She passes through interactive galleries which highlight Bihar’s pivotal role in shaping two major world religions: Jainism and Buddhism. “I have been thinking of coming here for a long time, but after reading on social media that the museum is ranked the best in Asia, I decided to spend a day here,” she says. Pathak is enroute to Muzaffarpur for the Deepavali holidays and came to the museum directly from Patna’s Jay Prakash Narayan airport, about four kilometres away. Pathak is proud of her State that is often in the news for poverty and violence.