The Didarganj Yakshi sculpture, which has been Patna Museum's prime attraction for a century, will be moved to the new state-of-the-art Bihar Museum on October 18.

The sculpture of Yakshi, meaning spirit of the earth, was excavated from the banks of the Ganga in Didarganj near Patna in 1917.

The 2,300-year-old-plus sculpture will be shifted to the new museum to mark its centenary year of excavation. It will be put on display in the Historical Art Gallery, on the second floor of the Bihar Museum.

The Yakshi, with its intricate details and polished finish, is believed to have been crafted in the third century B.C. and is considered one of the finest examples of Mauryan art. The statue, carved out of a single Chunar sandstone, stands at 5 feet and 2 inches tall.

Jai Prakash Narayan Singh, director (museums) of the youth, art and culture department, said that there a number of reports on how the Yakshi was found.

"The finding has been credited to a man named Ghulam Rasul, as per a letter from the then commissioner of Patna, EHS Walsh, and printed in a publication of Patna Museum. Rasul reportedly saw the base sticking out from the muddy banks of the Ganga near Didarganj, and proceeded to dig it up," said Singh.

The statue has suffered damage from being buried for many years. Its left arm is missing and the nose is chipped, Singh added.

The youth, art and culture department has proposed declaring October 18 as "Bihar Art Day", of which the shifting of the sculpture will be a prime attraction. Singh told The Telegraph on Tuesday: "According to the records of the Patna Museum, the Yakshi was found on October 18 in 1917, the same year the museum was established. Since then, it has been a symbol of India's art and superior craftsmanship."

He added that apart from shifting the Yakshi, "a run has been planned from Didarganj to Patna. Dance, painting and other art events will also be organised over the next year. Some events will be organised in other states as well."

According to officials records, the Yakshi has been used as a fine art ambassador by the Government of India and has been exhibited in many countries, including the Festival of India "Aditi", held at the Smithsonian Institution and the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, USA.

A historian with the youth, art and culture department said: "The Yakshi was a popularly worshipped deity in the pre-Vedic era."

Anantashutosh Dwivedi, managing trustee of Heritage Foundation, a Patna NGO, said: "Bihar Museum is supposedly the biggest museum in southeast Asia and the Yakshi is the most prized artefact of the Patna Museum. Given its importance, conducting the shift on its centenary year is befitting."