|
|
|
|
|
|
State Museum,
Lucknow
The museum in
Lucknow, once
situated in the
historic Choti
Chattar Manzil and
the Lai Baradari,
erstwhile coronation
hall of the nawabs
ofAvadh, moved in
1963 to its new
premises, a modern
three storeyed
structure situated
incongruously in the
the Prince of Wales
Zoological Gardens.
The initial
collection centred
around the arts of
Avadh and objects
related to the
customs, habits and
mythology of India.
Gradually, it
expanded to include
excavated
antiquities from
Piparahawa,
Kapilavastu, where
the Buddha grew up.
Today, this has
evolved into a
multipurpose museum
with sculpture,
bronzes, paintings,
natural history and
anthropological
specimens, coins,
textiles and
decorative arts.
From the vast number
of displayed
objects, some
hundred are rare and
of great value.
These include an
inscribed wine jar
bearing the name of
Aurangzeb Alamgir
(17th century), a
jade chamakali with
the name Jahangir
and the date 1036
AD, a 16th century
painting of a scene
from the Kalpasutra
depicting an
elephant rider and a
Jain mum, a 16th
century copy of the
Harivansha in
Persian with nine
illustrations, rare
silver and gold
coins, a prehistoric
anthropomorphic
figure and a
fossilised plant.
However, what thrill
visitors most are
the Egyptian mummy
and wooden
sarcophagus (1000
BC). |
Archeological
Museum, Varanasi
The Archaeological
Museum ai Varanasi
concentrates on
excavated
discoveries like
sculpture,
architectural
fragments and old
coins. Also on view
are paintings.
Archaeological
Museum
Varanaseya Sanskrit
Visvavidyalaya
Varanasi
Timings:
July to February:
10.30 am to 4.30
March to June: 7.00
am to 12.0
Closed
on university
holidays. |
 Bharat
Kala Bhavan,
Varanasi
Bharat Kala Bhavan
lies within the
sprawling grounds
ofBanaras Hindu
University. Its
outstanding
collection of
sculpture, paintings
and textiles began
with the private
collection of the
enlightened Rai
Krishnadasa.
The sculpture
collection includes
terracotta and clay
objects, stone and
bronze and cast
metal objects.
Ancient terracotta
varying from ritual
icons to toys to
utilitarian objects
date to the Indus
Valley civilisation,
Mauryan, Sunga and
Gupta periods. Among
the stone sculpture
are red sandstone
reliefs from the 2nd
century BC Buddhist
stupa at Bharhui and
rare images and
statues from well
known schools like
Gandhara, which saw
the synthesis of
Greek and Indian
styles and Mathura,
a powerful art
centre during the
Kushana period. |
 Maharaja
Banaras Vidya Mandir
Museum, Varanasi
Across the Ganga
lies the Ramnagar
fort, ancestral home
of the Maharajas of
Banaras. The museum
consequently
displays weapons,
manuscripts,
palanquins and the
decorative arts. On
view is an
astronomical clock,
textiles and
paintings. Two
outstanding objects
are a textile woven
with ivory and a
pictorial depiction
of Dussehra
celebrations on the
river which involves
a colourful
procession of boats.
Maharaja Banaras
Vidya Mandir Museum
Fort Ramnagar,
Varanasi
Timings:
January to March:
9.00 am to 12.30 pm,
2.00 pm to 5.30 pm;
April to September
8.30 am to 12.30pm,
2.00 to 6.00 pm;
October to December:
9.00 am to 12.30pm,
2.00 pm to 5.30 pm
Closed
on Muharram and
Vijaya Dashami. |
 Allahabad Museum,
Allahabad
Allahabad Museum was
formally inaugurated
in 1947 by India's
first prime
minister, Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru.
The collection, both
reserve and on
display, is large
and varied and
spreads across 18
galleries. The
objects on view
include prehistoric
and Indus Valley
antiquities, stone
sculpture,
terracotta, bronzes,
seals, beads, coins,
inscriptions,
miniature paintings,
Buddhist thankas,
textiles. weapons,
medieval/irman'i and
land grants,
documents and the
personal effects of
Nehru and material
relating to the
freedom movement.
Beautiful stone
images, intricately
carved temple
pillars and lintels
dating from the 3rd
century BC to the
12th century AD,
represent important
dynasties, both
ancient and
medieval. There are
antiquities from
renowned schools of
sculpture like
Gandhara, Mathura,
Kausambhi and
Sarnath as well as
important
archaeological
discoveries from
Bharhut, Bhita,
Kausambhi and Jhusi.
The outstanding
objects include the
tasselled head of
Shiva arojecting
from a stone linga
which rortrays the
classical purity of
Gupta art a blue
schist bodhisattva
in the image of the
Greek god Apollo
depicting the
syncretisation of
Indo-Greek styles
and the bejewelled
dancing yakshi from
Jamsote. |
|
Government
Museum, Mathura
The museum in
Mathura was
conceived and
established in 1874
by F S Growse, the
then collector.
Originally called
the Curzon Museum of
Archaeology, the
name changed to
Government Museum
after it celebrated
its centenary in
1974. Planned as a
repository of local
sculpture styles,
the galleries trace
the evolution of the
Mathura school of
art. It is believed
that the first
Buddha image emerged
here. The sculptors
were inspired by
depictions of
meditating Jain
tirthankaras and the
earlier more robust
yakshas and yakshis
to figuratively
portray the Buddha. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
