Location : Near Public Gardens, Hyderabad
Timing : 10.30 A.M. to 5.00 P.M. (Except Monday)
Photography : By permission
One cannot miss this enchanting building as one passes by the
Public Gardens. The A P State Archaeology Department museum has a
large collection of stone and metal sculptures from ancient and
medieval Andhra - from the Satavahana and Ikshvaku periods - in its
five galleries, besides a pavilion dedicated to Ajanta and Deccani
painting. A unique feature of the museum is its Modern Art Gallery
that has a sizeable collection of paintings and sculptures of
contemporary artistes of Hyderabad.
Buit during the time of the VII Nizam in 1920, the museum is
considered among the best in the country. Among its attractions are
an Egyptian mummy, coins dating back to the Satavahana period of
about second century BC, important Buddhist and Jain relics and
sculpture of different periods and dynasties. The museum contains a
Buddist gallery, Brahmanical & Jain gallery, Arms & Armour
gallery Numissmatics gallery, Ajanta gallery & more. Adjacent to
the State Museum is the Contempary Art Museum.
These represent the period from first to fourth century AD, and
there are eleventh century Jain sculptures from Patancheru. The
museum garden holds a re-installed hall complete with columns and
ornate ceiling from Ghanapur, and a wooden temple chariot with
monsters carved on the beams.
Bronze figures of Hindu holy figures from the Vijayanagar and Chola
periods, ninth and tenth century Jain figures (particularly the
goddess Ambika), and Roman coins, copies of Ajanta Caves' Buddhist
murals -- all are on display.
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