 Established near the Lalgarh Palace in Bikaner in 1937, this Museum now run by the Government of Rajasthan, was shifted to a new building in the Civil lines in 1954. It is having one of the richest collection of Terracotta ware, weapons, paintings of Bikaner school and coins. The exhibits are splendid master pieces of Harappan civilisation, Gupta and Kushan era and sculptures of the late classical time.
Some principal sections of the museum are:
- Maharaja Ganga Singh Memorial
- Local Arts and Crafts
- History
- Sculpture, Terracotta and Bronzes.
- Armory
- Miniature Paintings and Folk-Arts
- Dr. L.P. Tessitori Memorial Section.
- Lithoprints of the British interpretation of the war of Independence 1857.
Furgal (Silk Robe) Of Prince Salim, 1596 AD
The 'Furgal' was presented by Crown Prince Salim (Emperor Jehangir ) to Raja Rai Singh of Bikaner, one of his closest officials.
Historical Mughal Farmans
The History of Bikaner contains a colourful record of war adventures. More than half a dozen rulers lost their lives while participating in the imperial campaigns of the Mughals. Various 'Farmans' bearing original Imperial seals, issued by the Emperors - Jahangir, Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb and Shah Alam, are preserved in this museum.
Exhibits / Collection Paintings
An exquisite collection of Rajasthani miniatures of almost all the sub-schools of Rajasthan such as Bikaner, Bundi, Mewar, Jaipur, Jodhpur etc. are on view here.
Terracotta
The museum has one of the finest collections of early terracotta art, in the country. These belong to the early Gupta period and were discovered in 1017 AD by Dr. L. P. Tessitori from the ancient Theris of Rang Mahal, Badopal, Pir Sultan-Ki-Theri located between Suratgarh and Hanumangarh of the old Bikaner state. The existence of these 'Theris' can be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilization. Some of these sites including Kalibangan are considered the oldest in India. It was in this area that the sacred river Saraswati is believed to have existed.
Sculptures
The sculpture of Jain Saraswati (11th-12th Century) is a unique piece of marble of four feet eight inches in height. Discovered from village Pallu (Ganganagar), it is a peerless example of medieval Indian sculpture. Nartaki (10th-11th Century) is a beautiful one foot high bronze image, discovered from large sand dune of village Amarsar in Tehsil Sujangarh (Churu.)
Lacquer Work
The museum has a fine collection of superb lacquered works, a craft special to Bikaner entirely done by the artisans, called Ustas (Ustaads), on wood, metal, glass, stone, leather and ostrich egg shells.
Wood And Stone Carvings
Bikaner stands almost unsurpassed in wood and stone carvings. A teak wood table and a wooden casket, a model of the Gajner Palace (Bikaner), a typical 'Ikka' (horse drawn cart) and chariot with minutest details are on view in the museum. |
