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| Know about Mumbai thru’ its Museums! Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) introduces its new Mumbai Museums Bus Tour through the heart of Mumbai and through the past of this great city! |
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| Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya |
| Formerly the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India |
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Early in the 20th century some prominent citizens of Mumbai decided to set up a Museum, with the government’s help, to commemorate the visit of the Prince of Wales. After an open competition, architect George Wittet was commissioned to design the building. |
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| One of the best-known museums in the country today, the building is a magnificent example of Indo-Saracenic architecture popular in 1922 mainly with collections acquired by the Trustees and Sir Ratan Tata’s legacy. Since then the collection has expanded all ways… |
| The Maritime Heritage Gallery, with a display on indigenous means of navigation, is the first of its kind in India. |
| The Indus Valley Culture Gallery displays, very interesting remains of a material culture, such as fishing hooks, weapons, ornaments and weights and measures, from around 5,000 years ago. |
| The Museum houses one of the best collections of Miniatures in the country. Fabulously illustrated manuscripts include the Anwar-Suhayli painted in Akbar’s Studio and a 17th Century Ramayana from Mewar. |
| Early sculptures from Maharashtra, an arms and armour section, Nepal-Tibet art and European oil paintings – these are some of the Museum’s other attractions. And, of course, a Natural History section with a vast variety of Indian birds, dioramas to delight all child visitors. |
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| Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum |
| Restored to its original splendour… |
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The Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum - the erstwhile Victoria & Albert Museum - in Byculla has recently been restored to its original splendour by INTACH, the Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage. The project won the UNESCO 2005 Award of Excellence for Conservation, the highest |
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| international award in the field. Restoration of the Museum (an institution of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai) was enabled by a generous donation from the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation. |
| The Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum showcases the cultural history of the city and the development of trade in the erstwhile Bombay Presidency. It includes dioramas and models of Mumbai’s diverse communities, professions, religions, and village life in the mid-19th century. |
| The collection also includes some very fine samples of the decorative arts practiced in the 19th century, with models showing how these were made. The pride of the Museum is however, its rare collection of maps, rare books and original photographs of Mumbai. |
| The Museum is one of the finest architectural examples in the country of the Palladian style with ornate Victorian interiors that are extensively gold gilded. Minton tiles, beautiful carved wood and ironwork and delicate etched glass create a spectacular palatial effect. |
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