12 Museums That Reflect Our Country’s Heritage

Objects that glorify our culture and heritage, scientific inventions that people are curious to know more about or paintings by great artists are all carefully preserved and exhibited for public viewing in museums. The artefacts reflect on the past, and we get a clear picture of how people lived centuries ago.

Top 12 Popular Museums in India

India is a big country with a glorious history of kings and Maharajas, freedom fighters, past civilizations, great inventions, etc. We have a lot of objects which are historically and culturally significant. Take your child to these museums and show them our heritage.

1. Indian Museum, Kolkata

The Indian Museum, Kolkata was known as the Imperial Museum during the British rule. It was founded in the year 1814 by the Asiatic Society and till date is regarded as the largest museum in India. Nathaniel Wallich, a Danish Botanist, was the honorary curator of the museum. The museum comprises six sections with a total of thirty-five galleries exhibiting objects of art, anthropology, archaeology, economic botany, geology and zoology. Some of the famous exhibits in the Indian Museum are a restored Egyptian Mummy, Buddhist stupas from Bharhut, the Buddha’s ashes, the Ashoka Pillar, fossils of pre-historic times, some rare and beautiful art and antique collections and even some pieces of meteorites. It is the first of its kind in India and is said to be significant in its initiative to showcase the socio-cultural and scientific achievements of our country and pave the way for a modern India.

2. Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad

The Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad is a national museum. It is an art museum which comprises of artefacts collected by Nawab Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, Salar Jung III during his tenure as the Prime Minister of Hyderabad when the Nizam ruled. After his death, his palace Diwan Devdi with his collection was converted into a private museum. Later, it was relocated to its present building. The museum comprises of portraits of the Salar Jung family, beautifully hand-crafted jade daggers of Jahangir, Noor Jahan, Shah Jahan, weapons of emperors and kings, miniature paintings of different Indian schools of art, and sculptures of the Gandhara and Chola dynasties. There are also modern Indian paintings but the most famous sculpture exhibited is one of the four copies of “Veiled Rebecca” by Italian sculptor Giovanni Maria Benzoni. Apart from this, there are some eastern artworks from Japan, China, Tibet and Burma. The museum is also famous for its collection of Qurans written in different fonts and designs from all over the world. It also has a great collection of clocks from many European countries. The museum holds a place of pride and has been stated as an ‘Institution of national importance’ by the Parliament of India.

3. National Museum of India, New Delhi

This museum is one of the biggest museums in India and was started in the year 1949. It has many interesting collections from old civilisations like the Harappa and Mohenjodaro. The 1^st century BC – 4^th century BC objects of three chief dynasties – Mauryas, Shungas, Satavahanas, Kushanas, and Gupta Dynasty are on display here. The artefacts of the early medieval and late medieval period are also on exhibit. Other than these, there are miniature paintings from the bygone era, Buddhist artefacts, bronze statues, manuscripts, olden day coins, arms and swords of erstwhile rulers, western arts, etc. all have been put up for public viewing.

4. Sarnath Museum, Sarnath

Among the list of museums in India, Sarnath is the oldest museum. It is situated a few kilometres away from Varanasi and is touted as one of the most popular places of tourist interest. The museum site comprises of the various excavated findings by the Archaeological Survey of India. The exhibits that are displayed in the museum range from 3^rd century BC to 12^th century BC. It consists of several Buddha and Bodhisattva statues. However, the most crowd-pulling exhibit is the Lion Capital of Ashoka and a statue of the Buddha from the 5^th century.

5. Hazarduari Palace Museum, Murshidabad

The Hazarduari Palace Museum is located in Murshidabad, West Bengal. It was built in the 19^th century during the reign of Nawab Nazim Humayun Jah. The palace now houses a museum where priceless artefacts, paintings, furniture, antiques and other things collected and used by the Nawabs are on display for the public. The most mention-worthy objects in the Hazarduari Palace Museum are the palanquins of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, land revenue records, porcelain and stucco paintings, farmans, manuscripts and a crystal chandelier which is said to be the second largest chandelier gifted by Queen Victoria to the Nawab. There are nineteen galleries in total at the museum.

6. Victoria Memorial, Kolkata

It is an iconic monument and an important landmark located in the heart of Kolkata. It is one of the most famous museums in India and was built between 1906 and 1921. As the name suggests, it is dedicated to Queen Victoria of England. It comprises of 25 galleries, of which the royal gallery, freedom fighters gallery, portrait gallery, central hall, sculpture gallery, arms and armoury gallery and the Calcutta gallery are most mention-worthy. It also has a collection of rare and antique books.

7. National Railway Museum, New Delhi

The Railway Museum features different types of railway engines and trains that have existed in our country. The various trains and engines that are on display are the Patiala State Monorail Train Ways, the Fairy Queen, Morris Fire Engine, Saloon Car of the Prince of Wales, Saloon Car of the Maharaja of Indore, Saloon Car of the Maharaja of Mysore, electric locomotives, steam locomotives, fireless steam locomotive, crane tank etc. Other attractions include a toy train ride, photographs of the past days, working engine models, etc.

8. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghralaya, Mumbai

It is housed in a building with beautiful architecture and is considered a heritage. Various artefacts from India, Tibet, Nepal and several eastern countries are on display at the museum. Several displays of the Gupta period, Maurya period, Indus Valley Civilization along with arms and armoury of Indian kings are exhibited. However the most noteworthy is the display of 2000 ancient miniature paintings from the different art schools in ancient India.

9. The Calico Museum of Textiles, Ahmedabad

The museum is one of its kind and is looked after by the Sarabhai Foundation. It comprises of royal court textiles that Mughals and provincial rulers of the 15^th to the 19^th century. Various embroidery patterns from the 19^th century, tie and dye and religious textile materials are also on display. Apart from these, the Calico museum has ritual art and sculpture, temple hangings, miniature paintings, Jain art and sculpture, etc.

10. Louis Tussaud’s Wax Museum, Bangalore

This wax museum is one of the many unique museums in India. It is the brain-child of Louis Tussaud, great-grandson of Marie Tussaud, the founder of the world-renowned Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. It is located in the Innovative Film City which is a few miles outside the city of Bengaluru. A walk through the museum will show you wax statues of Indian and foreign celebrities. You will also come across wax statues of many fictional characters like Harry Potter, Disney princesses, etc.

11. HAL Heritage Centre and Aerospace Museum, Bengaluru

The museum was established in the year 2001 by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bangalore. It has two main halls – one which has photographs that showcase the growth of the aviation sector in India from 1940 till today and the great journey of the Aerospace and Aviation industry of our country. In the second hall, real engines have been displayed with ejection seat and parachute along with the Pushpak and Basant Aircraft. Several aircraft like the MARUT, MIG-21, HT-2, KIRAN, CANBERRA, AJEET, the pilotless target aircraft LAKSHYA and many others are on display. Another interesting display is the ATC Radar with L Band Radar with a range of 200 nautical miles.

12. Shankar’s International Doll Museum, New Delhi

It is a unique museum started by K. Shankar Pillai in the year 1965. Many of the dolls at the Museum are gifts from Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and important visitors from foreign countries like Madam Tito, Queen Frederika of Greece, the Queen of Thailand, etc. The collection is divided into two parts. One part consists of dolls from the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The other part consists of dolls from Asian countries, Middle East, Africa and India. The doll collection consists of 150 types of dolls wearing various types of Indian costumes, dolls in Kathakali & Flamenco dance costumes, festival dolls from Japan, Kabuki and Samurai dolls, the bride and groom dolls of various Indian states, etc.

Museums in India are a representation of India’s past and the present as well. They are instrumental in showcasing the rich Indian heritage to the outside world. A visit to these museums will not only entertain you and your child but also enlighten you about our country’s glorious past.

Also Read: Beautiful Religious Places in India You Must Explore With Your Family