Museums in Rajasthan

Museums are the surest way of gaining a clear and detailed understanding of the rich culture, traditions, arts, history, crafts and other notable features typical to a region and also offer you an opportunity to glimpse at some of the rarest and finest articles to be ever found in the world. Rajasthan has a number of museums with a most delightful collection on its display. We present here some of the most remarkable museums of the state:

Mehrangarh Fort Museum, Jodhpur: Inside the Mehrangarh Fort of Jodhpur, this excellent museum boasts of rare and interesting artifacts, textiles, painting transport items and its Palanquin Gallery and Howdah Gallery display some of the most captivating historic items that are both old and expensive.

Arabic And Persian Research Institute, Tonk: Situated in the only-Muslim princely state of Rajasthan, this research institute houses a rare collection of Mughal literature, unpublished books and manuscripts of Muslim poets written in Arabic, Persian and Urdu, mainly from India, Iran and Arabian countries.

Birla Museum of Science & Technology, Pilani: Situated in the Vidya Vihar Campus of well renowned Birla Museum of Science and Technology of Pilani, this museum throws light on the different aspects of engineering science. It has on its display the latest scientific equipments, models of material science and illustrative diagrams, working models, charts and photographs that are used as tools to explain the cumbersome principles of the sciences.

Fateh Prakash Palace Museum, Chittorgarh: In the premises of the Chittaurgarh Fort, this palatial museum occupies a major portion of the Fateh Prakash Palace since 1968. It has on its display post-medieval sculptures including Ganpati dating back to 8th-9th century from Pangarh and lndra and Ambica statues from Rashmi village and beautiful clay models of local tribal people with their traditional outfits. The major sections of the museum are Archaeology, Art Gallery, Coins, Wood Crafts mainly those of Bassi village, Weapons & Armory and Tribal Life.

Government Central Museum (Albert Hall), Jaipur: Situated amidst the gardens of Ram Niwas Bagh in Jaipur, this museum is believed to be the oldest museum of the state, designed by Colonel Sir Swinton Jacob in 1876 to welcome King Edward VII as Prince of Wales on his visit to India. It was opened to public ten years later. This museum has variety of rare articles on its display including metal and wood crafts, pottery, arms and weapons, textiles, carpets, paintings, flora and fauna of the state, toys, dolls, the famous carpet, which depicts the scene of a Persian garden carpet with running water streams, bought at a dear price by Mirza Raja Jai Singh I from Shah Abbas of Persia and even an Egyptian mummy that belongs to the Ptolemaic Epoch. It also displays miniature paintings of a number of sub-schools of Rajasthan.

Shri Bangar Govt. Museum, Pali: Rich with the rare collection of antiquities acquired as contributions from the Pali region and the desert ancient kingdoms of Godwar and Marwar, Shri Bangar Govenement Museum of Pali provides a bird-eye's view of evolution of the rich culture of the region from past to the present and has on its display some superb sculptures, stonework, coins, folk costumes, jewellery & musical instruments from Bhimana and terracotta items.

Govt. Museum, Jhalawar: Located in the old Garh Palace of Jhalawar, the Government Museum has on its display the 8th century sculptures and parts of architectural remains of Chandravati and epigraphs from the region of Jhalrapatan along with the numerous paintings and manuscripts from the area.

Govt. Museum, Mandore: Remarkable for its beautifully carved cenotaphs, Hall of Heroes, Government Museum of the former capital of Marwar has a splendid Natural History section, where you can see an African Bison and a 11-ft.-long crocodile. A complete section of miniature paintings on Raga-Raginis, sculptures of gods and goddesses, especially those of the Dancer from 12th century and Krishna Leela from Kiradu carved on one big stone along with the carvings in Devals, Chattris, pavilions and Ek Thamba tower lends an ethereal beauty to the museum owed to its elaborate architecture.

Hawa Mahal Museum, Jaipur: Situated behind the delicately carved Hawa Mahal of Jaipur in the adjoining Partap Mandir, this museum was built in 1983 and houses such sculptural heritage collections as terracotta items, antiquities, fish hooks, arrow heads, swords, helmets and personal belongings of the former Maharajas of Jaipur. Its m ain attraction is a big storage vessel dating back to 2nd century found during archaeology at Naliasar in Sambhar.

Maharaja Sawai Man Singh (II) Museum, Jaipur: Located within the City Palace complex, Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II conceived this museum and it housed the ancestral collections built up by the successive rulers of Amer and Jaipur. However, the access to this museum was restricted only to selective visitors and dignitaries with the special permission of the Maharaja. In 1959, this private museum was opened to the public with its two main wings being the Pothikhana (displaying rare collection of paintings and over 16,000 volumes of manuscripts) and the Silehkhana (armory) and an addition of a new Textile and Costume gallery.

Virat Nagar Museum, Bairat: Virat Nagar has been mentioned in the great Indian epic of Mahabharata as the capital of the legendary Matsayadesh. A small but perhaps the richest museum, here you can see some of the finest excavated potteries, seals, metallic pieces, pikkins, old coins, weapons and statues.