🏛️ Salar Jung Museum
India's National Treasure – The World's Largest One-Man Collection of Art
A National Treasure: The Salar Jung Museum houses the largest one-man collection of antiques in the world. It is well known throughout India for its prized collections belonging to different civilizations dating back to the 1st century. The museum's collection was sourced from the property of the Salar Jung family, who served as Prime Ministers to the Nizams of Hyderabad.
Originally a private art collection of the Salar Jung family, it was endowed to the nation after the death of Salar Jung III. It was inaugurated on 16 December 1951 by India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
👑 Nawab Mir Yousuf Ali Khan – Salar Jung III (1889–1949)
📜 A Life Devoted to Art: Nawab Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, Salar Jung III, served as Prime Minister of Hyderabad State during the Nizam's rule. He spent a substantial amount of his income over thirty-five years collecting artefacts from all across the world. His life's passion resulted in a collection of about 43,000 artifacts and 50,000 books and manuscripts. The collections left behind in his ancestral palace, 'Diwan Deodi', were formerly exhibited there as a private museum.
Old timers believe that the present collection constitutes only half of the original art wealth collected by Salar Jung III. His employees siphoned off part of it, since Salar Jung was unmarried and depended upon his staff to keep a vigil. Some more art pieces were lost or stolen during the shifting of the museum from Diwan Deodi to the present site.
🏛️ Museum History – From Diwan Deodi to Darushifa
The foundation stone for the new museum building was laid by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1963. In 1968, the museum shifted to its present location at Dar-ul-Shifa (Afzal Gunj), on the southern bank of the Musi River, close to the historic Charminar and Mecca Masjid. Two more buildings were added in the year 2000.
The museum is administered by a Board of Trustees with the Governor of Telangana as ex-officio chairperson under the Salar Jung Museum Act of 1961. The Indian Parliament has declared the museum an Institution of National Importance.
📊 Museum at a Glance: The building is semicircular in shape with 38 galleries spread over two floors. The ground floor has 20 galleries and the first floor has 18 galleries. Each gallery is huge and displays artifacts, some dating back to the 4th century.
🌍 The Global Collection – Art from Four Continents
The museum has a magnificent global collection of art objects and antiques not only of Indian origin but also from Western, Middle Eastern, and Far Eastern countries. The collection includes sculptures, paintings, carvings, textiles, manuscripts, ceramics, metallic artefacts, carpets, clocks, and furniture from Japan, China, Burma, Nepal, India, Persia, Egypt, Europe, and North America.
🏺 Indian Art Collection
The Indian collection can be categorized into galleries dedicated to Indian Bronze, Indian Textile, Indian Sculpture, Minor arts of South India, Miniature Paintings, Ivory Carvings, Arms and Armour, Metal Ware, and Jade Carving.
Notable Indian Miniature Paintings:
- The Birth of the Prince – capturing the spirit of a significant event, showing both Persian and Indian influence
- Madonna with Child (16th century) – from the Mughal school, showing European influence
- Prince with a Hawk (17th century) – among the earliest Mughal works depicting Persian facial features
- King with Nobles – showing the Mughal style in full bloom
Modern Paintings: The museum houses works by legendary Indian artists including Raja Ravi Varma (Stolen Interview and The Kerala Beauty), M.F. Husain, Rabindranath Tagore, Abanindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, and Abdur Rahman Chughtai.
Priceless Indian Artifacts:
- Aurangzeb's sword – the Mughal emperor's personal weapon
- Jade-crafted daggers of Emperor Jehangir, Noorjahan, and Shah Jahan
- A wardrobe of Tipu Sultan – the legendary Tiger of Mysore
- A tiffin box made of gold and diamond
- Ivory chairs said to have been presented by Louis XVI of France to Tipu Sultan of Mysore
🎭 Western Collection – The Masterpieces of Europe
🗿 Veiled Rebecca (1876): One of the most important and interesting objects collected by Salar Jung I is the enchanting marble statue "Veiled Rebecca" by Italian sculptor G.B. Benzoni. He acquired it from Rome in 1876 during his visit to Italy. Her beautiful face is hazily visible through a marble gossamer veil – a masterpiece of sculptural artistry.
The Double Sculpture – Mephistopheles and Margaretta: Equally captivating is a double-figure wood sculpture acquired by Salar Jung I on a trip to France. It stands before a mirror and shows the facade of a nonchalant Mephistopheles and the image of a demure Margaretta in the mirror – a brilliant optical illusion carved in wood.
Other Western collections include works by notable artists Canaletto, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, and Francesco Hayez. The furniture collection includes pieces from the time of King Louis XIV and Napoleon.
🕌 Middle Eastern & Far Eastern Collections
The eastern section is of equal importance with its wide variety of silk weaving and different art forms, including layer wood cutting paintings, porcelain works, and much more, dating back to almost the 2nd century. The Far Eastern collection includes Japanese artworks, porcelain pieces, samurai swords, and sculptures from China, Japan, Tibet, and Burma.
📖 The Quran Collection – Sacred Manuscripts
The museum has a famous Quran collection from around the world in different fonts and designs, called the "Quran Written with Gold and Silver". There are many more collections of religious books, as well as Arabic Quran manuscripts. A rare manuscript entitled "Lilawati" on mathematics and an ancient medical encyclopedia transcribed in India are also in the collection.
⏰ The Famous Clock Gallery
A variety and array of clocks greet the visitor in the clock room. There are ancient sundials in the form of obelisks to huge modern clocks of the twentieth century. The variety includes bird cage clocks, bracket clocks, grandfather clocks, skeleton clocks, etc.
🕰️ The Musical Clock: The most important clock which attracts the greatest number of visitors every day is a British Bracket clock bought by Salar Jung from Cook and Kelvey of England. It has a mechanical device by which a miniature toy figure comes out of an enclosure and strikes the gong at each hour and then returns to the enclosure. Every hour, a timekeeper emerges from the upper deck of the clock to strike a gong as many times as the hour of the day.
The museum also has excellent examples of clocks from the period of Louis XV, Louis XVI, and Napoleon I of France, collected from different European countries such as France, England, Switzerland, Germany, and Holland.
✨ Other Notable Collections
- Coin Collection: About 600 coins from the Vijayanagara dynasty to Bahmani empire, Mughal empire, and Modern India. Some coins are 2,300 years old, including Punch Mark coins from the Kushan dynasty.
- Jade Collection: One of the largest collections of jade displayed for the public in India, with 984 objects of varying craftsmanship, mostly from the Mughal Empire and Asaf Jahi Dynasty.
- Ivory Carvings: Important examples of ivory carvings in different forms – furniture, mats, lamps, dagger handles, chess, and chausar sets.
- Arms and Armour: A dagger and fruit knife made of jade decorated with precious stones belonging to Jehangir and Noorjehan respectively.
📚 Facilities & Activities
🏛️ Museum Facilities
- Reference Library with rare manuscripts
- Reading room
- Publication and education section
- Chemical conservation lab
- Sales counter (souvenirs and publications)
- Cafeteria
- Children's section
📖 Educational Activities
- Special exhibitions and workshops
- Seminars on special occasions
- Birthday celebrations of Salar Jung III
- Museum Week events
- Children's Week activities
- Research journals and guidebooks
Free guided tours are available at fixed timings. The museum also publishes guide-books, brochures, research journals, and books on selected subjects in English, Hindi, and Urdu languages.
⚠️ 2006 Fire Incident & Safety Upgrades
In 2006, a fire broke out in an auditorium on the museum premises. However, it was quickly extinguished, and none of the artefacts were damaged. After the incident, fire safety facilities were significantly upgraded, and the museum now has state-of-the-art fire protection systems.
⏰ Visitor Information
🕐 Museum Timings
Open: All days except Fridays and national holidays
Timings: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
(Ticket counter closes at 4:30 PM)
💰 Entry Fee
Indian Citizens: ₹20 per person
Foreign Tourists: ₹500 per person
Children (below 12): Free entry
Camera Fee: ₹50 (still camera)
📍 Address & Contact
Address: Salar Jung Road, Darulshifa, Hyderabad, Telangana – 500002, India
Phone: 040-24521111
Website: www.salarjungmuseum.in
🚗 How to Reach
Nearest Landmark: Charminar (approx. 1 km)
Metro: Closest station is MG Bus Station (approx. 2 km)
Bus: Well connected by TSRTC buses
Auto/Cab: Easily available from anywhere in Hyderabad
📌 Visitor Tip: Allocate at least 3-4 hours to explore the museum properly. The clock gallery's musical clock chimes every hour – plan to be there at a full hour to witness the toy figure emerging to strike the gong. The Veiled Rebecca and the Double Sculpture are absolute must-sees. Free guided tours are available – check at the information desk for timings.
🏛️ Nearby Attractions
- Charminar – Hyderabad's iconic monument (approx. 1 km)
- Makkah Masjid – One of India's largest mosques (approx. 1 km)
- Chowmahalla Palace – The magnificent palace of the Nizams (approx. 800 m)
- Nizam Museum (Purani Haveli) – Showcasing Nizam artifacts (approx. 2 km)
- Laad Bazaar – Famous bangle market (approx. 1 km)
✨ Key Features Summary
- Established: 16 December 1951 (inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru)
- Status: One of three National Museums of India
- Collection Size: 1.1 million objects (largest one-man collection in the world)
- Number of Galleries: 38 (20 on ground floor, 18 on first floor)
- Founder: Nawab Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, Salar Jung III (Prime Minister of Hyderabad)
- Years of Collection: 35 years (approx. 43,000 artifacts + 50,000 manuscripts)
- Star Attractions: Veiled Rebecca (marble statue), Double Sculpture (Mephistopheles & Margaretta)
- Historical Artifacts: Aurangzeb's sword, jade daggers of Mughal emperors, Tipu Sultan's wardrobe
- Clock Gallery: British musical clock with toy figure that strikes the gong every hour
- Geographic Coverage: India, Japan, China, Burma, Nepal, Persia, Egypt, Europe, North America
- Closed: Fridays
Comments
Post a Comment