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RAJASTHAN
- MUSEUMS |
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GENERAL
INFO | TRAVEL INFO | HISTORY
| CITIES | FESTIVALS
| ART & CRAFT | RURAL
LIFE | MAP | MUSEUMS
| WILDLIFE | RELIGION
| PEOPLES | TRIBAL
| CUISINE | DANCE
|
Rajasthan the land of massive forts, sprawling
palaces intricately carved temples of colourful tribes and brave warriors
of unrivalled form of arts and crafts, unique dance and music traditions
is changing at a rapid pace. Its vast network of museums in large and
small towns, archaeological sites and the recently opened museums and art
galleries in the palaces of erstwhile rulers of old states help to
preserve this great heritage for posterity.
Ajmer (Government Museum)
Situated in the
heart of the old city and close to the railway station the museum is
housed in the beautiful fort and palace built by the Mughal Emperor Akbar
in 1570. The Museum was started in 1908 by the Government of India with
the object of collecting and preserving many unique objects of antiquarian
interest which were lying unattended for and scattered all over Rajasthan.
Alwar (Government
Museum)
Housed in the old City Palace, it has a unique
collection of arms, bidri work, lacquered and ivory work, musical
instruments, stuffed animals beautiful brass and pottery works from Jaipur,
Multan, Bengal and Ceylon, miniature paintings and Persian and
Sanskrit manuscripts. The museum is divided into three major sections,
each housed in a big hall. The first section contains various
archaeological finds chiefly sculptures and inscriptions from the region.
Items presented by the ruler of the former Alwar state include mounted
skins of wild animals like tiger, leopard and lion shot by them during
their local and foreign excursions.
The second section is the most
important one as it contains various manuscripts in Persian including
Gulistan of Sadias as well as marvellous paintings of Mughal and Rajput
schools. The paintings have been further divided into sub-styles. The
third section of the museum contains the armoury of state rulers. Various
kind of shields, swords, pistols, rifles, daggers and other items are on
display.
Jaipur (Archaeological
Museum)
Located in the Dil-e-Aaram gardens, of Amer, the
ancient capital of Jaipur, established in 1949. Prior to this, the
excavated material from Rairh, Bairat, Sambhar, Nagar and the sculptures
and epigraphs collected from various sites in the erstwhile Jaipur State
were housed at Vidyahar Gardens in Purana Ghat. In July 1949 the entire
collection was transferred to Dil-e-Aaram garden, part of the old palace
at Amer. An Art Gallery was inaugurated in 1992 in this complex. The
museum is divided into three sections:-
(1) Archaeological section,
which contains material recovered from excavations at Rairh, Bairat,
Sambhar, Nagar, Pamvar, Bansi and Virat Nagar.
(2) Sculpture
section.
(3) Epigraphy section.
Bikaner
(Fort Museum, Junagarh fort)
Ganga Mahal, the imposing
halls added by Maharaja Ganga Singh, now houses the Fort Museum. It
contains a fine collection of antique rajput weaponry, jade handle
daggers, camel hide dhals (shields) and inlaid handguns and camel guns.
Other important objects include a pair of drums belonging to Jambhoji -
the saint who predicted the foundation of the dynasty by Rao Bika for 450
years. Photographs and items of personal use by Maharaja Ganga Singh and
miniatures are also on view.
Chittaugarh (Fateh Prakash Palace Museum)
It has a great collection
of sculptures. The section devoted to weapons, daggers, armoury consists
of old shields, helmets, axes, farsa, knives and soldiers uniforms. The
clay models of local tribes with their traditional outfits have also been
displayed in a room. The entire palatial museum has been divided in
various sections like archaeology, coins, art gallery, wood crafts of
Bassi village, weapons and tribal life.
Jaipur (Government Central Museum)
Located
in the center of the sprawling Ram Niwas Bagh, this is the oldest museum
in the state. The building was designed by Colonel Sir Swinton Jacob. It
was built in 1876 when king Edward VII visited India as the Prince of
Wales. It was opened to public in 1886. The various sections represented
in the museum are -- art and industry (metal, wood and pottery), armoury,
textiles, carpets, paintings, geology, zoology, botany and toys &
dolls. There is a Persian garden carpet of a fabulous cost obtained by
Mirza Raja Jai Singh I from Shah Abbas of Persia. It contains various
sketches of a Persian garden with running water streams. There are
miniature paintings of various sub-schools of Rajasthan. A glimpse of the
land and the people of Rajasthan is presented through well planned
dioramas.
From 1959 onwards the various galleries along the ground
floor of the museum were completely reorganized and renovated. The central
gallery is devoted to Rajasthani music and dance. Original musical
instruments, both classical and folk, are displayed in their functional
positions. Specimens include typical folk instruments like Masak,
Kamayacha, Dadh, Madal, Khanjari, Sitari, Bankia, Pungi, Algoja, Iktara
etc.
Maharaja Sawai Man Singh (II)
Museum
Located within the City Palace complex and
nestled amidst old buildings, temples and the palaces quarters, this
museum was founded in 1959 by Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II. The exhibits
consist of the ancestral collections built up by the successive rulers of
Amer and Jaipur, and is presently run by a public charitable trust.
However, the collection remained exclusive and was shown only to selective
visitors and dignitaries with the special permission of the Maharaja. In
1959, this private museum consisting of the Pothikhana Silehkhana was
thrown open to public and a new textile and costume gallery was added to
it.
The Art Gallery is housed in the Diwan-i-Aam constructed for
holding important state functions. A variety of objects - miniature
paintings, illustrated manuscripts, decorated book covers, palm-leaf, old
printed books, gigantic mughal carpets, gold and silver Takhi-e-Rawan
(moveable throne), palanquins and carriages with rich embroidered velvet
coverings are displayed in this gallery. The museum has a splendid
collection of miniature paintings including two unique and priceless
manuscripts of the Persian translation of the two Hindu epics, of the
Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Jaisalmer (Folkore
Museum)
For anyone interested in seeing the culture of
Jaisalmer on display through the ages, the Lok Sanskritik, Sangrahalaya or
the Museum of Folk Culture situated on the bank of Gadsisar lake in Mehar
Bagh garden is a must. This museum was established in 1984 by N.K.Sharma,
a local connoisseur. This well organised museum is divided into six
sections and has a rich collections of paintings, photographs, costumes,
hairstyles and jewellery, utility articles of rural life, camel and horse
decorations, fossils, ornamental arches, as well as articles connected
with folk and cultural lifestyles.
Jodhpur
(Government Museum)
Located in the Umaid gardens on high
court road, it has a large and fairly interesting collection. There are
many stuffed animals, including a number of desert birds in two glass
cases, each with a thorn bush. The military section includes cumbersome
wooden biplane, models and an extraordinary brass
battleship.
Kota (Government
Museum)
Originally located in the Hawa Mahal just above
the entrance of the fort, it has now been shifted to the Brij Vilas Palace
and has a new display and decor. The museum possesses several hundred
sculptures from different cultural centers of the region. Generally, the
sculptures belong to the period from the 8th to the 12th century.
Sculptures worth mentioning are Shesh Sayi Vishnu form Badoli (Chittaurgarh), Jain image of Vardhaman from Baran and a dancing pair from
Ramgarh. A few inscriptions are displayed in the museum. Yupa pillars from
Badwa are very important specimens of 3rd century AD showing the
popularity of Vedic rites. Coins discovered from various sites of Kota
region are preserved and displayed in the numismatic section. Most of the
coins belong to the Mughal period and a few of them to the Rajput. Several
miniature paintings of Bundi, Kota, Nathdwara and Jaipur schools are
preserved in the museum. Paintings of Shrimad Bhagawata of the early 17th
century are most attractive from the point of view of workmanships. This
section contains a number of manuscripts in Sanskrit. They include Vedic,
Astronomical and Astrological works. Some Hindi manuscripts are also
persevered.
Udaipur (City Palace
Museum)
The huge City Palace, towering over the Pichola
Lake, is the largest palace complex in Rajasthan. Construction of this
palace was started by Maharana Udai Singh, the city's founder. The main
part of the palace is now preserved as a museum with a large and varied
collection. It was established in 1890 and is one of the earliest museums
of the state. The museum includes the Mor Chowk with its beautiful
peacocks in mosaics, the favourite Rajasthani bird. The Manka (Ruby) Mahal
has glass and porcelain figures while Krishna Vilas has a remarkable
collection of miniatures. In the Bari Mahal, there is a fine central
garden. More paintings can be seen in the Zanana Mahal. The Moti Mahal has
beautiful mirror work and the Chini Mahal is covered in ornamental tiles.
This museum has the armour of Maharana Pratap and drums and bugles of the
ruler of Mewar, Rana Sanga.
Government
Museum
The Government Museum Of Udaipur was originally
located in Gulab Bagh and was called Victoria Hall Museum. It has now been
shifted to Karan Vilas Mahal within the precincts of the City Palace. This
museum highlights the culture and heritage of Rajasthan through its
extensive collection of excavated item inscriptions, sculptures, paintings
and handicrafts. The sculpture gallery, spread over a big hall, contains
some unique and valuable specimens - Indriya Matrika from Jagat (5th-6th
century A.D.); Kumari-Matrika from Kumbhalgarh; Shiva head from Kalyanpur;
Jain Kuber from Bansi (8th Century A.D.). The most remarkable collection
is that of more than nine thousand miniature paintings of Mewar school
from the period of Maharaja Jagat Singh (1628-1652 A.D.) to Maharaja
Swaroop Singh (1842-1861 AD).It has a natural history section called the
Children Gallery which has models of animals like tiger, deer, etc. The
museum also has a collection of colourful Mewari turbans.
Shilp Gram
It is located on Fateh
Sagar, 6
kms from the City Palace. A village has been created with 26 replica huts.
This museum has a wide collection of folk art and it also gives a glimpse
of the tribal life of Rajasthan.
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GENERAL
INFO | TRAVEL INFO | HISTORY
| CITIES | FESTIVALS
| ART & CRAFT | RURAL
LIFE | MAP | MUSEUMS
| WILDLIFE | RELIGION
| PEOPLES | TRIBAL
| CUISINE | DANCE
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