 |
| Interior view of the Indian Museum |
Our trip to
Kolkata is not complete without visiting this most famous museum (In British Era called "Imperial Museum")which is the
largest and oldest museum in India and is ranked as the ninth oldest museum in
the world. One has to spend a whole day to see all the rare collections and
specimens such as antiques, ornaments, artifacts, paintings, fossils, skeletons
and sculptures belonging to various periods right from the Indus valley
civilization. This museum was first founded by Asiatic Society in 1814 by Dr.
Nathaniel Wallich, a famous Danish Botanist. In 1875 this museum was shifted to
the present building and from 1878 was open to public. This building was
designed in Italian style by Walter B.Granville with three floors with massive
columns and arches.
There are sixty galleries divided into six
categories—Art, Archaeology, Anthropology, Geology, Zoology and Botany. As we
have not much time we could not see all the sections. A visit to this museum
will give you a clear picture about the rich cultural and religious diversity
of India and other neighboring countries like Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Let me give you a brief account of some of the galleries we have seen.
In Paintings
gallery there are two main sections namely Indian miniatures and the Bengal
School of art displayed in chronological order. In Indian Miniatures paintings
from Persian, Mughal, Deccan, Rajasthan are seen. In Bengali section
masterpieces from 19th and 20th centuries of Neo-Bengal
school of art along with Patachitras, lithographs and oil paintings of 20th
century are displayed.
 |
| Paintings of Bengal Art |
In decorative
section many artifacts made of mud, wood, bone, brass, bronze, copper, ivory,
jade and Bidriware are displayed. The metal images ranging from 8th
to fourteenth centuries belonging to various schools of art are seen. The artistic beauty of these figures is quite
impressive. Most of these artifacts were used for decorative or for ritualistic
purpose. In Bird Gallery specimens of various birds and their relationship with
the surroundings (eco-system ) are displayed. In zoology section the specimens
of various animals including the skeletons of dinosaurs are displayed. In
Egyptian section the wooden figures, mummies and wooden engravings are
found.
 |
| 4000-year old Egypatian Mummy with death mask |
 |
| Egyptian sphinx |
In textile Gallery
fabrics produced in the Indian sub-continent made of cotton, wood,and silk are
displayed. The shawls of Kashmir, Baluchari and Kantha Saris of Bengal,printed
fabrics of Lucknow and Chennai, Phulkari chadars of Punjab, Jamdani saris Decca,
mirror works of Kuchh and Soznis of Pakistan are displayed neatly in showcases.
 |
| textile Gallery |
In Gandhara
Gallery the sculptures relating to story of Buddha (Bodhisattva and Maitrya of
the Gandharva School of Art which flourished in 2nd century A.D.)
are seen. The influence of Greco-Roman culture is seen in these sculptures
excavated from places like Mardan, and
Loriyan in Pakistan and Tangal in Iran region. In Bharhut Gallery the
sculptures dealing with Jataka tales of Buddha along with sculptures of Yakshas
and Naginis along with plant, animal and
geometrical design motifs are displayed. Most of them look quite strong and
massive carved in red stone. In sculpture section the evolution of sculpture in
India between 200 A.D. and 1500 A.D. is seen. Most of these sculptures belonged
to Buddhist, Jain and Hindu faiths. These artefacts belonged to Kushana, Pallava,
Hoysala, Vijayanagara and Chola periods. Some of the sculptures of the Buddhist
and Brahminical origins were recovered from south-east regions like Java and Indonesia.
 |
| Dream of Maya Queen, 2nd century medallion |
 |
| Bharhut Gallery |
 |
| Sculptures of Gupta Period |
 |
| Various types of stones and jewels |
 |
| Ancient Coins Gallery |
 |
| Stamps Gallery |
In Geology section a huge collection of various rocks and stones are seen. In
Coins gallery nearly 52,000 coins of the Indian sub-continent ranging from 500
B.C. to the present date are displayed in twenty showcases.
Apart from
these there are so many other exhibits and one should have enough time and patience
to see and understand the glorious achievements of our rich culture and
tradition. Because of its astounding variety and rarest collections this Museum
is popularly known as “Jadughar”(The House of magic). In this museum there is a
big library with a huge collection of more than 50,000 books and journals.
There is also a bookshop with many art albums, children’s books, picture post
cards and books to cater to people of all ages.
This museum is open from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday. The entry fee is Rs.20/- per Indians and rs.200/- per foreigners. If you happen to go to Kolkata, make it sure to visit this famous museum which gives you a lot of information and makes you enjoy the rare collections which you cannot see elsewhere. This Museum is included as an institution of national importance in the seventh schedule of the Constitution of India.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This museum is open from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday. The entry fee is Rs.20/- per Indians and rs.200/- per foreigners. If you happen to go to Kolkata, make it sure to visit this famous museum which gives you a lot of information and makes you enjoy the rare collections which you cannot see elsewhere. This Museum is included as an institution of national importance in the seventh schedule of the Constitution of India.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
19th January, 2019 Somaseshu Gutala
No comments:
Post a Comment