Academy of Fine Arts

Established in 1933. Collections include contemporary Indian Art including specimens of art of medieval Bengal and Indian textiles, Kashmir shawls, medieval Indian miniature paintings, 19th century prints and some stone sculptures.

‘Rabindra Gallery’ opened in 1962 contains original paintings, published and unpublished manuscripts in Bengali and English and personal belongings of the poet. The Academy also runs an Artists’ studio for the benefit of working artists.

Academy of Fine Arts
Cathedral Road,
Calcutta - 700 016

Asiatic Society, Calcutta

Established in 1784. Collections include valuable portraits and sculptures including original paintings by Rubens, Guido, Reynolds, Home and others; the Library (General Section) has over 100000 volumes while the Sanskrit Section has over 27,000 books and manuscripts in various languages, 48 copper plates, a large number of coins, early Pala painted manuscripts, pints and engravings.

Asiatic Society
1 Park Street
Calcutta - 700 016

Timings
12.00 noon to 7.00 pm; Saturdays: 12.00 noon to 3.30 pm
Closed on Sundays.

Asutosh Museum of Indian Art

Established in 1937. Named after the great educationist, Asutosh Mookerjee, set up for the purpose of collecting, preserving and exhibiting objects of Indian art and antiquity with special emphasis on Eastern India and more especially Bengal. The country’s first University Museum include in its collections some of the rarest art treasures. The museum collects folk art and crafts of Bengal and India, conducts rural culture survey and undertakes archaeological excavations. The Department of Museology, University of Calcutta offering two-year Master degree Course in museology is also housed here.

The craft collection is, however, the most significant in the museum. There are illustrated manuscripts, especially the Kalpasutra (Gujarat, 16th century) and a 18th century Ramayana. There are also interesting collections of patachitras, or painted scrolls from Bengal, playing cards, palm leaf manuscripts, ritual objects, toys and dolls. The textiles include embroidered kanthas, the patchwork and quilting textile technique, and saris from Baluchar with their quaint figurative designs.

Ashutosh Museum of Indian Art
University of Calcutta
Centenary Buildings
Calcutta

Timing
10.30 am to 5.00 pm
Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and university holidays.

Birla Industrial & Technological Museum

Established in 1956 by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research; deals with basic science and technology; has large number of exhibits, designed, prepared and fabricated at its own workshop. Galleries cover models showing electricity, Electronics, Nuclear Physics, Iron and Steel, Optics, Motive Power, Communication and Mining.

Popular activities of the Museum include film shows demonstration-lectures, hobby activities, periodical programmes of sky-observation through telescopes. Runs several mobile units for the rural areas. Regional Science Museums at Malda and Purulia operate under this body.

Birla Industrial & Technological Museum
19A, Gurusaday Road,
Calcutta - 700 019.

Birla Planetarium

Established in 1962 by the Birla Education Trust. Only the second of its kind in the Commonwealth, similar to that in London, it is one of the most popular Museums where astronomical presentations relating to the Solar System, the Zodiac, Space Probes, Galaxies and Life Span f Stars are made along with lectures, generally in English, Bengali, Hindi and occasionally in Gujarati, Tamil and Oriya.

Offers specially designed graded programmes for children of different age-groups. Astronomy Gallery of the Planetarium includes telescopic photographs of celestial bodies, busts of eminent astronomers; murals depicting the Navagraha and a model of the Jodrell Bank Steerable Radio Telescope. Also offers short courses in astronomy and sky observation.

Birla PLanetarium
9-12, Old Court House Street,
Calcutta - 700 001.

Carey Museum

Established in 1818 by Rev. William Carey and his associate. J. Marshman and W. Ward. Has a good collection of manuscripts and examples of early printing in India and abroad in various Indian and Asian scripts and languages, also includes manuscript copies of Hindu scriptures like the Vedas and the Upanishads, made under the behest of William Carey.

Also contains the pulpit, chairs and tables used by Carey. The library has a unique collection of early printed books in Indian and other Asian languages printed at Serampore

Ethnographic Museum

Established in 1955, by the Cultural Research Institute, Govt. of West Bengal. Objects on view include hunting-tools and equipment, fishing gears, dresses and ornaments, utensils, furniture, spinning and weaving aids and also objects relating to art, religion and ‘magic’. Stores photographs and tape-records of folk music depicting life-style of the tribes of this State.

Ethnographic Museum
1, K.S. Roy Road,
Calcutta - 700 001.