Museums of West Bengal

Museums are the best means to encounter a vintage past. A historical travel through the collections of a museum gives enormous informations, through models, statues or manuscripts. People harbouring special affection towards archaelogy or anthropology, geology or art can always fall back upon museums as their first source to quench the thirst.

Various museums in West Bengal cater to magnificent collection of sculptures, paintings, and inscriptions while others satiate with the personal belongings, documents and rare antiques of some ace dignitaries.

Some popular museums of West Bengal are listed here which comprises an important part of the state tourism.

Cooch Behar Palace Museum

Cooch Behar is one of the royal places of West Bengal and as such the Palace Museum stocks a good collection of the articles used by the maharajas. Railway Heritage Museum displays objects and documents of Bengal Dooars and Cooch Behar State Railway. One can also gain good knowledge about the tribals of North Bengal.

The Indian Museum

One of the most renowned museums of Kolkata, Indian Museum caters to international standards as it focusses on the cultural heritage of the nation. Other than being a storehouse of informations, it also conducts seminars and training programmes.

Hazarduari Palace Museum

Situated at Murshidabad, this palatial museum is now under Archaeological Survey of India. It displays 1034 antique items out of 4742. The Greek design of the museum has a rich collection of marble statues, metal and porcelain objects, old maps of Italian, Dutch and French origin.

Archaeological Museum

It is situated at Tamluk in East Midnapur district of West Bengal. Tamluk itself is an ancient city of the state whose mention is found in the Pali and Sanskrit literatures. This museum was established in 1975 and harbours a good collection of prehistoric bone tools, arrow heads, copper coins, harpoon and fish knife.

Victoria Memorial

One of the geatest attraction of Kolkata and West Bengal tourism, Victoria Memorial presently serves as a museum. It is an ideal place where one can know the history of Queen Victoria as well as the British Raj. A royal gallery displays the life of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert through paintings.

Asiatic Society

Established in 1784 at Kolkata, the museum of Asiatic Society is a huge demonstration of inscriptions, bronze sculptures, coins, manuscripts and paintings. The library has a healthy collection of rare books which helps for research.

Rabindra Bharati Museum and Jorasanko Thakur Bari

The former was constructed in a building of more than 217 years old. This museum is mostly dedicated to the precious documents, paintings and photographs of Rabindranath Tagore and other members of Tagore family.

Nehru Museum of Science and Technology

This museum is a part of IIT Kharagpur and has wonderful collection of manuscripts, models, experiments and photographs which have been donated by various institutions. It is directed towards the development of Science and technology.

Netaji Research Bureau

This museum in Kolkata displays Subhas Chandra Bose's documents, articles and photographs which are collected from various corners of the world. The pictures and letters being placed in a chronological order helps to make out the series of events in his life.

Nehru Children's Museum

This museum is situated in Kolkata and was set up with the aim of making underpriviledged children advanced and developed. Epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata are narrated through dolls and toys. Other amusing ways are also used to teach such children.