INTACH Urges PM Modi To Save Darbhanga Raj Ivory Collection
INTACH Bihar chapter co-convenor pointed out in the letter that no other museum in the country has such a large number of ivory objects.
By Dev Raj
Published : July 17, 2026 at 5:37 PM IST
Patna: The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expressed serious concern over the delay by the Lucknow-based National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property (also called NRLC) in conserving the rare ivory collection of the state government-owned Maharajadhiraj Lakshmishwar Singh Museum at Darbhanga in Bihar.
The collection of ivory objects at the museum – donated by the erstwhile royal family of Darbhanga to the Bihar government in 1979 – is considered among the richest and most splendid in the country and across the world, but is in danger of destruction due to the delay in its conservation.
The Maharajadhiraj Lakshmishwar Singh Museum and NRLC signed an agreement in 2019 for the conservation of 155 ivory masterpieces at a cost of Rs 1.65 crore in three years. The Bihar government provided half of the amount – Rs 82.5 lakh to the Lucknow-based institution, which comes under the Union Ministry of Culture.
“It is a matter of regret that the conservation work is still incomplete due to the negligence of NRLC Lucknow, even after seven years of the agreement, and the rare objects are getting destroyed. Carelessness and laxity marked the work since the beginning. The smaller objects were conserved while the bigger ones were left,” INTACH Bihar chapter co-convenor and former curator of the museum, Shiv Kumar Mishra, said in the letter to the Prime Minister.
Writing further in the missive, Mishra requested Modi for appropriate directions to NRLC Lucknow to protect the rare ivory objects and demanded legal action against the officers responsible for the negligence and laxity. “The heritage lovers of Mithila will always remain grateful for saving this cultural legacy,” Mishra further said.
Drawing the Prime Minister's attention to the importance of the collection housed at the Lakshmishwar Singh Museum, Mishra pointed out in the letter that no other museum in the country has such a large number of ivory objects.
These include an idol of Mahisasurmardini (Durga), howdah (an ornamented carriage or platform placed on elephant’s back to carry the royalty), beds, palanquins, thrones, a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji riding a horse, sofas, tables, chairs, vanity boxes, jewellery boxes, combs, hairpins, sticks to apply vermillion and kohl (kajal or eyeliners), four full heads of elephants, and several other things.
“A majority of these ivory objects were made by artisans from Murshidabad (West Bengal) between 1900 and 1929 for Maharaja Rameshwar Singh. They are considered one of the richest and most beautiful collections in the world. They are over a hundred years old, and are rapidly deteriorating,” Mishra said in the letter to Modi.
He also pointed out in the missive that the museum possessed an extensive and magnificent collection of wooden artefacts acquired from different parts of the world.
“As the conservation project started getting delayed, all the stakeholders, including the museum and state government officials wrote several letters to NRLC Lucknow but were met with indifference. We decided to write to the Prime Minister because we cannot let the rare and invaluable legacy of Mithila to be destroyed. We have also marked it to the Union culture secretary,” Mishra told ETV Bharat.
Mishra added that the NRLC conservation team covered the smaller items, subjecting them to cleaning, filling the gaps, reinforcing the structure, and treating them to check the effect of moisture, air and dust pollution. However, the bigger objects like ivory sofas, palanquins, thrones, and the howdah were left unattended.
Conservation of ivory collection expedited with Nitish’s visit
The INTACH Bihar chapter co-convenor reminisced that the conservation efforts began after the visit of the then chief minister Nitish Kumar to the Lakshmishwar Singh Museum in 2017.
“Nitish ji spent around an hour at the museum and was particularly enamoured by a rare ivory throne that was once used by the rulers of the Darbhanga Raj. He also spent time appreciating the wooden artefacts exhibited there,” Mishra, who was then serving as the curator there, said.
“We told him that we were trying to conserve the artefacts with the help of NRLC. He directed the senior officials present with him to ensure and expedite the proper conservation of the rare artefacts. The efforts led to an agreement with the Lucknow-based institution,” Mishra added.
Problems with no solutions in sight
The present curator, Ravi Kant Kumar, is aware of the incomplete conservation work of the ivory objects and said that he has written to his seniors in the state art and culture department about it. “I joined the museum here earlier this month. The NRLC has completed more than 50 per cent of the work entrusted to it, and its officials have stopped coming here. I have written a letter to my seniors and informed them of the incomplete project,” Ravi said.
Sources at NRLC said that the institution was suffering from a two-pronged problem: a shortage of employees in its various sections, including conservation, and a resulting delay in the projects it has been entrusted. “Despite the shortage of staff, we are committed towards completing all our conservation projects, including the one related to the Lakshmishwar Singh Museum at Darbhanga,” a senior NRLC officer said.
However, there has been a breakdown of communication and any concrete step to complete the conservation work, which came to a standstill in 2014.
Maharajadhiraj Lakshmishwar Singh Museum and its collection
Born in 1858, Lakshmishwar Singh (also called Lakshmishwara Simha and Lakshmeshwar Simha) ruled the Darbhanga Raj from 1879 to 1898. Considered a very progressive ruler, he was one of the founding members of the Indian National Congress and initiated major works for famine relief and education.
The ivory collection was commissioned by his successor, Maharaja Rameshwar Singh. The other art wood, metal, stone, ceramic art objects and weapons were acquired by various members of the ruling family. The ivory artefacts were made by the artisans of Murshidabad, which was a famous centre for handcrafted ivory craftsmanship. The ivory howdah was made by one Murari Mohan Bhaskar, an artisan who hailed from there.
The erstwhile royal family of Darbhanga donated around 1500 priceless objects to the Bihar government in 1979 to establish a museum in the name of Lakshmishwar Singh. A small building to house the collection came up, but the display facilities and other amenities available there are still stuck in the 1980s.
Museums with world’s richest ivory collections
Though the Maharajadhiraj Lakshmishwar Singh Museum is considered to have the largest collection of ivory objects in the country, there are other museums in different countries that are globally famous for their display of ivory objects.
The British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, UK hold thousands of pieces of ivory art objects ranging from the famous Nimrud ivories (figures dating back to the ninth to seventh century BC, and excavated from Iraq) to ancient and medieval Asian, African, and European artefacts and carvings.
Apart from these two, the Salar Jung Museum (Hyderabad, India), the National Museum of China (Beijing), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, USA), and the National Museum (New Delhi, India), are also famous for their collections of ivory art objects.
“I have seen several museums across the country. As a museologist, I will rank the Lakshmishwar Singh Museum the richest and finest. Its ivory furniture could be the heaviest in the world. The only thing is that it is located in a corner of Bihar and very few people are aware of it,” Mishra said.
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