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To preserve the
heritage and culture of Rajasthan, the palaces and forts of
erstwhile rulers of Rajasthan were converted into museums, art
galleries and archaeological sites. These museums have rare and
unique collection of arms, weapons, stuffed animals, paintings,
manuscripts, potteries, photographs, ornate mirrored furniture,
Persian carpets, vintage cars, etc. Some of the important
museums of Rajasthan are located in Jaipur, Ajmer, Alwar, Kota,
Ranthambore, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Chittorgarh
and Bharatpur.
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Museums in Ajmer |
Government Museum:
Government Museum, situated in the heart of the old city of
Ajmer is housed in the beautiful palace built by the Mughal
Emperor Akbar in 1570. It was here that the British General Sir
Thomas Roe met Emperor Jahangir in 1616. In the museum are the
palace quarters where the emperors lived. After the British rule
in 1818 and during the first war of Independence in 1857 these
palace quarters were used as the Rajputana Arsenal by the
British.
Archaeological Museum:
Archaeological Museum is located in the Dil-e-Aaram Gardens of
Ajmer and established in 1949. An Art Gallery was inaugurated in
1992 in this complex. This museum is divided into three
sections. This museum has the collection of sculptures and some
excavated material of earlier civilizations.
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Museums in Alwar |
Alwar
Government Museum:
The government museum is housed in the old City Palace. This
museum has a unique collection of arms, lacquered brassware and
ivory work items, musical instruments, stuffed animals, pottery
works, miniature paintings and Persian and Sanskrit manuscripts.
The museum is divided into three major sections, each housed in
a big hall.
Virat
Nagar Museum:
In the epic period, the area around the district of Jaipur,
Alwar and Bharatpur came to be known as Matsyadesh with Virat
Nagar as its capital. Frequent references of Matsyadesh have
been made in the Indian epic-the Mahabharat. The Virat Nagar
museum has the richest collection of excavated material like
potteries, paintings, old coins, seals, metallic pieces, weapons
and statues.
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Museums in Bharatpur |
Bharatpur Government Museum:
Bharatpur Government Museum is located in the centre of the
famous Lohagarh Fort. The Bharatpur Museum houses a rich
collection of archaeological wealth of the nearby areas and as
well as from the old Bharatpur State. This museum exhibits some
of the sculptures found during the excavation of old villages
e.g. Noh, Mailah, Bareh, Bayana etc. ranging from the Kuslian
period.
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Museums in Chittorgarh |
Fateh
Prakash Palace Museum:
Inside the historical Chittorgarh Fort, one big portion of the
Fateh Prakash Palace was converted into a museum in 1968. It has
a great collection of sculptures. The important sculptures are
of Lord Ganpati from Pangarh, Indra and Jain Ambica statues from
Rashmi village of post medieval period. Some weapons, daggers
and arms are also displayed in the museum.
Dungarpur Museum:
This newly constructed museum was opened to public in 1988. The
sculpture gallery of the museum throws light on the history of
Vagad Pradesh that was spread over the present areas of
Dungarpur, Banswara and Kherwara of Udaipur district.
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Museums in Jaipur |
Albert
Hall Museum:
Albert Hall Museum is located in the centre of the sprawling Ram
Niwas Bagh. This is the oldest museum in the state of Rajasthan.
It was built in 1876 when King Edward VII visited India. Albert
Hall museum was opened to public in 1896.
Modern
Art Gallery:
Modern art gallery is a small gallery in the first floor of the
Ravindra Manch Auditorium. This gallery shows a selection of
works by the well known modern artists of Rajasthan.
Hawa
Mahal Museum:
Just behind the beautiful Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) in the
adjoining Pratap Mandir is the Hawa Mahal Museum. This museum
was setup in the year 1973. This museum has the sculptural
heritage collected from Ganeshwar, Virat Nagar, Raid, Sambhar
and Nagar.
Maharaja
Sawai Man Singh II Museum:
Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum is located within the City
palace complex. This museum was founded in 1959 by Maharaja
Sawai Man Singh II. It exhibits ancestral collections of the
successive rulers of Amber and Jaipur.
Sea
Shell Museum
It is a private museum
owned by Rustomjee Memorial Foundation and all the exhibits are those that have
been given away by Alice Garg and her
husband, Krishna Garg from their private collection. Also, it is the first and
only museum in India dedicated entirely to seashells.
::Photo
Gallery
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Museums in Jaisalmer |
Folklore
Museum:
Folklore museum is divided into six sections and has a rich
collection of paintings, photographs, costumes, hair styles and
jewellery, utility articles of rural life, camel and horse
decorations, fossils, ornamental arches, as well as articles
connected with folk and cultural lifestyles.
Government Museum:
The Government museum in Jaisalmer was opened in 1974. It houses
a large collection of wood and marine fossils and gives an
insight into the geological past of the area. The sculptures
from the ancient townships of Karamu and Lour dating back to the
12th century pulsate with youth and grace and depict the skill
of the time.
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Museums
in Jodhpur |
Government Museum:
Government Museum is located in the Umaid gardens and 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.
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Museums in Kota |
Government Museum:
Government museum was originally located in the Hawa Mahal just
above the entrance of the fort. This museum has now been shifted
to the Brij Vilas Palace and now has a new display and decor.
Archaeological Museum:
Archaeological museum possesses several hundred sculptures from
different cultural centers of the region. These sculptures
belong to the period from 8th to the 12th century AD and as well
as of the Gupta period (4th to 5th century AD). Sculptures worth
mentioning are Shesh Sayi Vishnu from Badoli (Chittorgarh), Jain
image of Vardhaman from Baron and a dancing pair from Ramgarh. A
few inscriptions are displayed in the museum. Coins discovered
from various sites of Kota region are preserved and displayed in
the numismatic section. Most of the coins belong to the Mughal
and Rajput kingdom.
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Museums in Udaipur |
City
Palace Museum:
The huge City Palace, towering over the Pichola Lake, is the
largest palace complex in Rajasthan. Maharaja Udai Singh, the
founder of the Udaipur constructed the City Palace. The main
part of the palace is now preserved as a museum with a large
and varied collection. The City Palace museum was established in
1890 and is one of the earliest museums of the state. In this
museum there is the Mor Chowk with the beautiful peacocks in
mosaic. The Manka (Ruby) Mahal in this museum has glass and
porcelain figures while Krishna Vilas has a remarkable
collection of miniatures. Some paintings can also be seen in the
Zanana Mahal. The Moti Mahal has beautiful mirror work and the
Chini Mahal is covered in ornamental tiles. This museum also has
the arms of Maharana Pratap and drums and amunitions of Rana
Sanga, the ruler of Mewar.
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 premises of the City
Palace. This museum highlights the culture and heritage of
Rajasthan and has an extensive collection of excavated items,
inscriptions, sculptures, paintings and handicrafts. The
inscriptions in this museum belong to the period from 2nd
century BC to 15th century AD. The antiques of the plastic art
of Mewar also adds attraction to the museum. The most remarkable
collection in this museum is that of more than nine thousand
miniature paintings of Mewar school from the period of Maharaja
Jagat Singh to Maharaja Swaroop Singh. It has a Children Gallery
which has models of animals like tiger, deer, etc. The museum
also has a collection of colourful Mewari turbans.
Shilp
Gram:
The Shilp Gram is located near Fateh Sagar which is about 6 km
from the City Palace. In the Shilp Gram a village has been
created with 26 replica huts which gives a glimpse of the tribal
life of Rajasthan.
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