Salarjung Museum
About Salarjung Museum
Salarjung Museum is situated on the southern bank of the Musi River.
It is the biggest one-man collections of antiques in the world and
ranking as the third largest museum in India. It has the collection of
different civilizations starting from the first century and is well
known throughout India. The seventh Prime Minister of the Nizam of
Hyderabad, Nawab Mir Yousuf Ali Khan Salar Jung III (1889-1949) has
spent thirty five years of his income on collections which made a
priceless collection, of his life’s passion. At first, the collection
was placed in the ‘Diwan Deodi’ the ancestral palace, and was open as a
private museum which was inaugurated by the first prime minister of
India Jawaharlal Nehru in the year 1951. The museum then was shifted to
Afzalgunj in the year 1968 and then governed by Governor of Andhra
Pradesh as ex-officio chairperson and Board of Trustees under the act of
Salar Jung Museum Act of 1961.
The Salarjung
Museum is a divine of knowledge with a collection of manuscripts, 43000
art objects and 50000 books. The collections include Indian Art, Middle
Eastern Art, Far Eastern Art, European Art, Children Art along with a
Founders gallery and a rare manuscript section. Indian Art includes
stone sculptures, bronze images, jade carvings, painted textiles, wood
carvings, miniature paintings, modern art, ivory carvings, textiles,
metal-ware, manuscript, arms & armour etc. Middle Eastern Art
contains the collection of carpets, paper (manuscripts), glass,
metal-ware, furniture, lacquer etc. from Persia, Arabia, Syria, and
Egypt. Collection of Far Eastern Art exhibit porcelain, bronze, enamel,
lacquer ware, embroidery, painting, wood & inlay work from China,
Japan, Tibet, Nepal and Thailand etc. Oil and watercolour paintings form
an important part of the European Collection.
Mir
Yousuf Ali Khan, Salar Jung III has made this museum as one of the
biggest one-man collections of antiques of the world. The objects
include Persian carpets, Moghal miniatures, Chinese porcelain, Japanese
lacquer ware, famous statues including the Veiled Rebecca and Marguerite
and Mephistopheles, a superb collection of jade, daggers belonging to
Queen Noor Jahan and the Emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb’s
sword and many other fabulous items.
Coming to the discussion of
the museum building, it has a semi-circular shape with 38 galleries
spread on two floors displays only a part of the original collections.
The ground floor includes 20 galleries and the first floor includes 18
galleries. Different subjects are shown in different galleries.
Timings of Salarjung Museum
Entry Fee: 10/- for Indians
150/- for Foreigners
Timing: 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
