Indian Museum
Kolkata, India
- Admire-Gandhara-sculptures
- Discover-Ashokan-edicts
- Examine-Gupta-period-artifacts
- Explore-Egyptian-mummies
- Study-Indian-tribal-artifacts
- View-Mughal-paintings
Known for:
Description:
The Indian Museum is the largest and oldest museum in India and has rare collections of antiques, armour and ornaments, fossils, skeletons, mummies, and Mughal paintings. It was founded by the Asiatic Society of Bengal in Kolkata (Calcutta), India, in 1814. The founder of the Asiatic Society, Sir William Jones, stated the aim of the institution to be the collection of any information on the countries of Asia. Its original location was the Asiatic Society building in Park Street. In 1875 the Indian government allotted land for the purpose of expansion and the construction of a new building. The architectural design was chosen from those submitted by several companies. The winning entry was prepared by the company of Lockwood and Schilling. The museum has six sections comprising 35 galleries of art, archaeology, anthropology, geology, zoology and botany. The galleries are arranged on two floors around a central courtyard covered by a glass dome. The museum is especially noted for its Egyptian mummies, Ashokan edicts, and its rare collection of Buddhist and Jain sculptures from the Gandhara and Gupta periods. It also holds the largest single collection of Indian tribal artifacts anywhere in the world.
History:
The Asiatic Society of Bengal, founded by Sir William Jones in 1784, started a museum in 1796 at its Park Street location in Kolkata, India. Initially focused on preserving cultural and scientific artifacts, the museum quickly grew into a significant repository of natural history, archaeology, art, and ethnography. In 1814, Nathaniel Wallich, a Danish botanist, proposed a dedicated museum space and spearheaded the collection process. The Indian government supported the expansion, and a new building was commissioned in 1875, based on a design by the architectural firm Lockwood and Schilling. The current building opened in 1878, housing the vast collection under one roof. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the museum continued to expand its collections, becoming a central hub for research and education in India. Today, the Indian Museum remains a treasured institution, reflecting India's rich heritage and cultural diversity.