Bapu Tower Hosts “Vishwaroop Ram” Exhibition, Showcasing the Ramayana’s Universal Legacy

Patna — The Bihar Museum Biennale 2025 added a luminous new chapter on Wednesday with the inauguration of “Vishwaroop Ram – The Universal Legacy of the Ramayana,” a special exhibition at Patna’s historic Bapu Tower Museum in Gardanibagh.

Bihar Museum Director-General Anjani Kumar Singh lit the ceremonial lamp to open the show, joined by Bapu Tower Director Vinay Kumar, Deputy Director Lalit Kumar Singh, senior museum officials, noted artists, schoolchildren and art lovers. The exhibition will remain open to the public from September 24 through October 2, offering visitors a close encounter with the Ramayana’s global journey.

Curated as a cultural bridge, the event gathers artistic and literary expressions of the epic from across India and the wider Global South. Highlights include dramatic masks of Shri Ram, Garuda and Ravana from Myanmar’s theatre tradition, a Garuda sculpture from Thailand, a Hanuman mask from Cambodia, and rare Arabic and Persian translations of the Ramayana. More than 15 countries are represented through artifacts, manuscripts and images, revealing the many forms of Ram.

The exhibition underscores that the Ramayana is far more than a single ancient tale. It is a living constellation of stories that reflect diverse times, languages and geographies. Panels and installations illustrate how the epic is embedded not only in India’s cultural memory but also in the traditions, arts and philosophies of numerous Asian and world cultures.

Alongside the displays, visitors can engage in interactive sessions, panel discussions, workshops and live performances—programming designed to enlighten audiences of all ages and reaffirm the Ramayana’s place as a shared heritage that transcends borders.