The Government Museum, Bangalore


The Government Museum in the city of Bangalore is a storehouse of rich historical and cultural significance. Located at the Kasturba Gandhi road, this prime location was established early in 1865. It is counts amongst the oldest museums in India. Now it is an Archaeological Museum and has a rare collection of archaeological and geological artifacts including old jewelry, sculpture, coins, and inscriptions. Here are a few important and must-know pieces of information-

Map



How to reach there


Government Museum is located in Kasturba Gandhi Road in Bangalore. The city is one of the best metro city in India is well connected in all aspects, whether it be metro, ola, uber, government buses or local trains. Few important landmarks are Chinnaswamy Stadium and the Karnataka High court.

History




The Museum was established under Chief Commissioner of Mysore State, L.B. Bowring on 18 August 1865. When the Museum was established, a formal official notification was issued in the Mysore Government Gazette on 17 April 1866, a copy of which is still preserved in the Karnataka State Archives in Bangalore. The gazette notification officially invited citizens to contribute cultural and natural artifacts to the museum for display. Being the second oldest museum in South India, the museum is also home to the Halmidi inscription, the earliest Kannada inscription ever found (450 AD).

On the advise and counsel Edward G. Balfour, a medical officer of the Madras Army, transferred to Bangalore from Madras, the Museum was established. Balfour had a collection of zoological and natural specimens to exhibit in the Museum. The Government museum in Bangalore was then known as the Mysore Government Museum.

The museum was first established at the Cantonment's jail building. It continued to function there for 13 years until 1878.

The jail building was considered not suitable for a museum and it was decided to construct a special museum building near the Cantonment. The current site of the museum was identified for the new museum. The new museum (the current structure) was planned and built-in 1877 by Col. Richard Hieram Sankey, the Chief Engineer of Mysore State at that time.
The museum was popularly known as the tamasha house.

About the Museum


The museum has two exhibition floors which are divided into 18 galleries. The galleries cover sections that span sculpture, natural history, geology, art, music, and numismatics.

The museum is an Archaeological Museum and has a rare collection of archaeological and geological artifacts including old jewelry, sculpture, coins, and inscriptions. The museum has 70 paintings, 84 sculptures, and hundreds of other artifacts, some of which unique to the museum. The museum has sculpture from the Hoysala, Gandhara and Nolamba periods. Model of Srirangapatna, the fort of Tipu Sultan, Kannada inscription- the Halmidi inscription, Begur inscription, Aatakur, rare paintings of Deccan, Mysore and Tanjore kingdom are few of the many artifacts present in the Museum.







Visitor Duration


Altogether, the Museum has 18 galleries and to full excursion of its premises, we would suggest you take 3-4 hours. The Museum is open throughout the week except for Mondays.


Pros

  • Oldest Museum- The Government Museum, Bangalore is the second oldest museum in South India and one of the oldest in India.
  • Artifacts- The Museum consists of one of the oldest artifacts discovered in India. 
  • Education Trip- Museum has many galleries which provide an ample source of knowledge about the heritage. Due to it's various and varieties of sections, one can find almost everything in the Museum to learn.
  • Sculptures- The museum has around 84 sculptures including some from the Hoysala, Gandhara, and Nolambaperiods.


Cons

  • Photography prohibited- Photography is prohibited within the premises of the museum.


Nirvana Travel Tips


  • Footwear- Make sure you wear comfortable footwear to walk through the complete area of the building which can take a lot of time.
  • Nearby Attractions- Do check the nearby attractions like Cubbon Park, VIT Museum, and UB City Mall. 



That's all for this post. If you would like to visit this destination one day and have any queries, feel free to jot them down in the comment section. If you have already visited this place and want to add some more useful information, comment down below and make traveling more awesome for others!

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See you next week!

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