The Mumbai Museum

With almost all of Mumbai heading off to some or the other weekend destination close by, R and I decided to avoid crowded outstations and dedicate the long weekend to some long pending local city sightseeing.

We began Saturday with a visit to the Church of St John the Evangelist, more popularly known as the Afghan Church. This church was constructed by the British to commemorate the dead of the First Afghan War of 1838. Sadly for us, the Church was closed as now the Church holds very few masses. 

Next we visited the Jahangir Art Gallery. On display were several collections of modern art by renowned artists. But R and I don't quite understand modern art and hence we decided not to spend too much time here. After a quick bite at Samovar, the famous restaurant at the Art Gallery, we headed to the Mumbai Museum.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya

Originally known as the Prince of Wales Museum, this Museum was set up in the early 1900s in honor of the Prince of Wales (who later on became King George V) visiting India. The Museum architect George Wittet has designed this building in the Indo-Saracenic style, which incorporates features of Indian as well as Western architecture. Later, the Museum was renamed as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.

The museum has a collection of: 

• Stone Sculptures, predominantly from sites in Maharashtra, Karnataka and parts of western India; 
• Miniature Paintings from the various schools of miniature painting that developed in India; 
• Decorative Art Objects in ivory, silver, jade, etc; 
• Indian Coins, dating all the way back to the 7th Century B.C; 
• Nepalese Art, primarily being metal sculptures of the various gods, goddesses and demigods worshiped in Nepal; 
• Prehistoric stone age tools and artifacts; 
• Natural History Section which houses a collection of 'taxidermied specimens' of mammals, birds and reptiles. 
• Certain sections displaying Arms and Armors, European Oil Paintings, etc were closed for reorganization and renovation. 

I personally liked the Coin Gallery very much (who doesn't love money, eh!) as it illustrates how the usage of currency developed and flourished in different eras in India over the centuries. Some of the specimens in the Natural History Section are also mind blowing! I was totally astounded by the sheer size of the Rhino (as large as a Mahindra Scorpio!), a 21.5 foot long Whale Shark (these things normally grow to a size of about 50 feet!!!! Gulp! Thankfully, they are not interested in harming humans) and a 6 foot tall Bison (he was damn handsome too!). But overall, being the animal lover that I am, I was saddened to see all these dead creatures. The kids at the museum were having a good time though. I guess in a place like Mumbai, most kids don't get to see anything more than pigeons, dogs and cats!

A good part of the collection at this museum has been donated by generous individuals such as Sir Ratan Tata and Sir Dorabji Tata. Though the collection at this museum can not hold a candle to the Salarjung Museum of Hyderabad, it is certainly worth a visit. Ultimately, R and I enjoyed the time we spent here, though our legs were aching like hell!