Jaipur News Desk !!! It is said that old gold is old and you will also agree with this that old things are always wonderful in the eyes of people. One such old place is in Jaipur, which is still on top of the list of sightseeing places of people. Yes, we are talking about Jaipur’s largest and oldest museum Albert Hall, which was built by Maharaja Ram Singh. Let us tell you that this museum was opened to the public in 1887, the 135-year-old museum is located in Ram Niwas Garden. If you are going to visit the city then this museum is a must visit. Let us tell you about this museum.
Located at a distance of 10 minutes from Hawa Mahal, this museum is also known as Government Central Museum. Albert Hall was established on 6 February 1876 during the visit of Prince of Wales Albert Edward to Jaipur. This building is named after him. But the dilemma of how to use this hall remained during that time. Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh initially wanted the museum building to be a town hall. Some suggested using it for cultural or educational use.
But Dr. Thomas Hobin Hendley suggested encouraging local artisans to display their art here. The then Maharaja of Jaipur, Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II, liked his idea and in 1880 he decided to make it a museum showcasing the artwork of the local artisans of Jaipur. The museum was finally opened to the public in 1887.
The museum’s magnificent architecture will leave you amazed. Designed in the Indo-Saracenic style, the museum was designed by Samuel Swinton Jacob during the reign of Maharaja Ram Singh. The museum now houses some of the finest works of Jaipur art, paintings, artifacts, jewelry, carpets, metal, stone and ivory sculptures.
For those interested in numismatics, you will find the collection of coins at the Albert Hall Museum no less fascinating. These coins belong to the Gupta, Kushan, Delhi Sultanate, Mughal and British periods. Did you know that the Albert Hall Museum is also one of the six places in India where you can see Egyptian mummies? These six places are the Albert Hall Museum in Jaipur, the Indian Museum in Kolkata, the YS Rajashekar Reddy State Museum in Hyderabad, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai, the State Museum, Lucknow and the Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery, Vadodara. There is a Tutu mummy here, a female member of an Egyptian priestly family.
