This document provides information on archaeological museums in India, dividing them into 5 types - national museums, state museums, local museums under the Archaeological Survey of India, museums under corporate or civic bodies, and university museums. It describes several prominent museums under each category, noting their locations, time periods represented in artifacts and collections, and significant exhibits. The national museums discussed are located in Kolkata, New Delhi, Chennai, Mathura, Lucknow, and other major cities. State museums cover artifacts from various Indian states. Local and university museums offer more regionally-focused collections.

1. ARCHAEOLOGICAL
MUSEUMS IN INDIA

2. TYPES OF MUSEUMS
1. NATIONAL MUSEUMS
2. STATE MUSEUMS
3. LOCAL MUSEUMS UNDER THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA
4. MUSEUMS UNDER CORPORATE OR CIVIC BODIES
5. UNIVERSITY MUSEUMS

3. 1. NATIONAL MUSEUMS

4. • INDIAN MUSEUM
CALCUTTA (1814)
• West Bengal
• Stone age tools from all over India
• Harappa , Mohenjo daro , and Chalcolithic sites in Sind and
Megaliths
• Sculptures (3rd C. BC to late medieval period) :. Gandhara
sculptures
• Coins

5. • NATIONAL MUSEUM OF
INDIA , NEW DELHI
(1949)
• Proto historic materials recovered from sites like Harappa , Mohenjo daro , Jhukar , Jhangar etc…
• Sculptures. : 853 ( Asoka to the late medieval period)
• Harappan gallery. – 3800 objects
• Terracotta beads , seals , tablets , weights and measures , figurines and toys ( indus valley sites ,
Ahichchhatra , Kausambi , Kondapur , Nalanda etc...)
• Copper tools
• Paintings. (1700 – palm leaf , cloth , wood , leather )
• Wall paintings
• Buddhist art gallery. ( 82 exhibits in stone , bronze , terracotta , stucco , wood , and painted scrolls)
• Coiins. ,. Manuscripts

6. 2. STATE MUSEUMS

7. • GOVERNMENT MUSEUM
AND NATIONAL
ART GALLERY MADRAS
(1851)
• Second oldest museum in India
• Varied collections of South Indian bronzes
• Copper plates
• Proto historic antiquities from Adichanallur , Perumbair and
other megalithic sites
• Unique Bruce Foote collection of stone implements

8. • MUSEUM OF
ARCHAEOLOGY
MATHURA (1863)
• Uttar Pradesh
• Archaic mother goddess , prehistory 4thcentury
BCE
• 3000 – year old anthromorphic copper figure
found at Shahabad , Uttar Pradesh
• Ayayapata , Jain tablets , 1st century

9. • STATE MUSEUM
LUCKNOW (1863)
• Uttarpradesh
• Buddha and Jaina images from various sites of
uttarpradesh
• Punch marked coins ( Gupta and Mughal series)
• Manuscripts

10. • CENTRAL MUSEUM
NAGPUR (1863)
• Maharashtra
• Oldest and largest museum in the central India region
• Antiquities ranging from the early stone age to medieval
times
• Stone and copper plate inscriptions of the Chalukyas ,
Kalachuri of tripuri , Ratanpur etc..
• Material images

11. • GOVERNMENT MUSEUM ,
BANGALORE (1866)
• Karnataka
• Hoysala sculptures from Halebid and Belur.
• Antiquities from Brahmagiri and Chandravalli.
• Jewellery
• coins
• Inscriptions

12. • MAHANT GHASIDAS
MEMORIAL MUSEUM
RAIPUR (1875)
• Chhattisgarh
• Artifacts during the stone age
• Stone carved idols of Gods and Goddess
• Small collections of Buddhist bronzes from sirpur (7th- 8thcentury)
• Post Gupta and Kalachuri sculptures
• An inscribed wooden pillar from Kirari (2 nd century)
• Copper plates

13. • GOVERNMENT CENTRAL
MUSEUM JAIPUR (1876)
• Rajasthan
• Jewellery
• Stone implements
• Ivory
• Metal sculptures and works in crystal
• Coins from – Gupta , Kushan , Delhi sultanate , Mughal and British
period

14. • SRI PRATAP SINGH
GOVERNMENT MUSEUM
SRINAGAR (1898)
• Jammu and Kashmir
• Sculptures
• Coins of Indo – Bactrian , Indo- Scythian , Kushan ,
Gupta
• 300 paintings

15. • RAJPUTANA MUSEUM
AJMER (1908)
• Rajasthan
• Brahmanical and Jaina sculptures
• Stone and copper plate inscriptions
• Coins
• Rajput paintings

16. • PATNA MUSEUM (1917)
• Bihar
• Large number of bronzes of Pala and Sena periods
• Terracotta (Pataliputra , Buxar , Mathura , etc ..)
• Ring stones carved with fertility designs from Pataliputra
• Stone and copper implements
• Punch marked coins

17. • CENTRAL MUSEUM
INDORE (1929)
• Madhyapradesh
• Artefacts exhibited in the museum range from the prehistoric to the modern era
• Manuscript
• Ornaments
• Inscriptions on stones and bricks
• Pottery from kasrawadh

18. • TELANGANA STATE
ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUM
OR
HYDERABAD MUSEUM
(1930)
• Sculpture ( satvahana period 1st – 2nd century)
• Arms and weapons
• Copies of Ajanta and Ellora paintings
• Manuscripts
• Arabic and Persian coins of the yadavas , the Vijayanagara
rulers

19. • ODISHA STATE MUSEUM
BHUBANESWAR (1932)
• Prehistoric tools.
• Stone and metal sculptures.
• Palm leaf manuscripts.
• Wood carvings .

20. • STATE MUSEUM DHUBELA (1937)
• Madhyapradesh
• Sculpture gallery
• Epigraphical collections are inscriptions of the Kushan and Gupta periods
• Early copper plate grants and several kalachuri records

21. • PAZHASSI RAJA
ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUM
CALICUT (1976)
• Historical artifacts from 1000 BC to 200 AD
• Archaeological icons
• Potteries
• Temple models
• Coins

22. • SRI. KALLUR SUBBA RAO
DISTRICT MUSEUM ,
ANANTPUR (1992)
• Andra pradesh
• Sculptures , paintings
• Arms and weapons
• Bronzes , coins , stampages , stone tools
• Copper plate inscriptions , celedon ware

23. 3. LOCAL MUSEUMS UNDER THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL
SURVEY OF INDIA

24. • Andra pradesh
• Sculptures
• ARCHAEOLOGICAL
MUSEUM AMARAVATI
(1951)

25. • ARCHAEOLOGICAL
MUSEUM , HAMPI (1953)
• Karnataka
• Stone sculptures and architectural pisces of Vijayanagar period
• Gold coins , palm leaf manuscripts
• Copper plates , paintings , copper coins
• Miniature paintings , Metal objects , crystal ivory
• Semi precious objects

26. • ARCHAEOLOGICAL
MUSEUM , BODHGAYA
(1956)
• Bihar
• Stone sculptures
• Carved railings
• Pillars of sunga , Gupta and pala period
• Metal images of pala period

27. • RAMILING APPA LAMTURE
MUSEUM OSAMANABAD
(1979)
• Maharashtra
• 25,000 items are displayed.
• Pottery , stone wares , Stone idols.
• Beads , ivory , shell items , bone items.
• Coins of satavahana and other dynasties

28. 4. MUSEUMS UNDER CORPORATE OR CIVIC BODIES

29. • PRINCE OF WALES
MUSEUM OF WESTERN
INDIA , BOMBAY (1921)
• Maharashtra
• chhatrapati shivaji maharaj vastu sangrahalaya
another name
• Prehistoric to modern times.

30. • ALLAHABAD MUSEUM
ALLAHABAD ( 1931)
• Uttar Pradesh
• Stone sculptures , terracottas , coins
• Sealings , seals ,
• Arms , thankas , inscriptions

31. 5. UNIVERSITY MUSEUMS

32. • DECCAN COLLEGE POST –
GRADUATE AND RESEARCH
INSTITUTE MUSEUM, PUNE
(1939)
• Maharashtra
• Stone age ( lower , middle and upper paelolithic tools)
• Mesolithic , Chalcolithic galleries
• Excavated material
• Megalith gallery
• Stone tools , iron tools , beads , iron objects
• Stone sculptures

33. DEPARTMENT OF
ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUM
MAHARAJA SAYAJIRAO
UNIVERSITY , BARODA ,
VADODARA (1950)
• Gujarat
• Early stone age to Medieval period
• Collected by explorations and excavations and
gifts

34. • KAUSAMBI MUSEUMS
UNIVERSITY OF
ALLAHABAD (1952)
• Uttar Pradesh
• Prehistory , prehistoric tools from earliest times to the end
of the Pleistocene , together with fossils (belan valley and
soan valley )
• Mesolithic tools , Neolithic tools
• Proto historic and historic material from different sites

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