If you are planning to visit any state or country; then the perfect way is to see the museums of that state or country. In the museums you can get all the information about the state or country, from its history to present each and every thing can be known from museums. There are many museums in Himachal Pradesh ; which will help you to know about Himachal in detail; and you will be familiar with this state.
You can visit any museums of Himachal Pradesh as per your convenience to know the customs, culture, norms, history, and development of the state. You will get to see rare objects, which you won’t get anywhere in the world, but in Himachal’s two museums. There are some known museums like Roerich Gallery of Art. Bhuri Museum which is located at Chamba, Kangra Museum, Uruswati Folk Art, State Museum of Shimla etc.
Bhuri Singh Museum
- Region: Chowgan Mohalla, Chamba
- Attractive Features: Miniature Paintings, Copper Grants and Title Deeds
- Major Attraction: Frescoes, carved doors of ancient palaces
- Importance: Epitaph over the Chamba’s medieval history
- Timings: 10am – 5pm
- Entry Fee: ₹ 50 for Indians & ₹ 150 for foreigners
- Time Required: 2-3 hours
This museum was started on 14th September 1908. This museum got the name of Bhuri Singh from the ruler of Chamba King Bhuri Singh; he ruled over Chamba from 1904 to1919. Bhuri museum is near to the Chaugan which is at Chamba. Bhuri Singh`s wife built this museum in his memory. As time passed by, the number of museum objects also increased. This museum is one of the important attraction and feature of Himachal Pradesh. The museum has a very rich collection of ancient objects frescoes, miniature paintings, and old palaces carved doors, copper grants, history of district Chamba and title deeds.
The famous Indologist J. Vogel, who worked in India’s Archeological Survey. When he travelled in Chamba, he found many ancient inscriptions, which were spread in the entire valley, all that inscriptions can be seen in the Bhuri museum. These inscriptions have most of Devi Kothi, Prasastis and also the Sarda script which described many essential aspects of Chamba’s medieval History. Apart from these, you will also get to see the drawing and painting of Basohli School; spiritual scenes belong from great epic Ramayana and Bhagavata Purana.
You won’t forget to see paintings displaying the religious incidents of Usha Anirudh and Krishna also the School of Guler kangra. Some old paintings, which were torn, that painting were replaced by the concrete monolith and it started in the year 1975 and also the Museum of Bhuri Singh. The museum includes ancient times musical instrument, armor, coins, region’s jewellery or ornaments, arms, costumes of royal people and decorative items of palaces etc., Bhuri Singh museum has submitted the painting collection of his family. Old building of museum, which will blend with the Chamba’s landscape. It was destroyed and after that they built the present museum column, which began in the year 1975.
In this museum, you will also get a chance to see the traditional art of Chamba. Their embroidered rumals and painting of Pahari painters, which was created by the Himachal’s ladies. Apart from the ancient collection, there are tribal costumes and ornament, hilly jewellery, historical coins, traditional instruments, armour and weapons and also many decorative items. The visiting time of this museum is 10am to 5pm and on Monday the museum is closed.
Nicholas Roerich Museum
- Region: Kullu District, Naggar
- Major Attractions: Nicholas Roerich’s paintings
- Timings: 10am – 5pm
- Entry Fee: ₹ 50 per person
- Time Required: 30 minutes to 1 hour
The visit of Nicholas Roerich Museum gallery is an extraordinary experience of great skills of artist and his out of the box excellent imagination of this region. Fabulous infrastructure of this gallery attracts tourist from all around the world. Because of Himachal Pradesh state’s facilities, it is easy to reach this gallery, if you are coming by road then from Dalhousie to Kullu is good way to come. The actual location of this gallery is Naggar in Kullu. Nicholas belonged to Russia, when revolution finished in the year 1970 he came to Naggar to settle down. His life’s aim was to unite the whole world by his art work, which has received many critical comments.
You can see the painting of this great personality in Nicholas museum; it is a very beautiful museum like a jewel of a garden. Many enthusiastic artists and painters are thrilled and inspired by Roerich’s mind blowing collection of paintings, which are preserved from ancient times. This gallery does not consist only his painting, but there are also paintings which are created by his son. The whole atmosphere of the gallery is delightful and peaceful, you will feel that this structure has adopted the beauty and essence of the Himalayas.
The construction which is known as Roerich’s museum was the residence of Nicholas and after his death; it has been converted into his gallery through his son Svetoslav Roerich. The Russian Government and Indian Government have mutually taken a decision to form a trust, to maintain this great person’s memory and to take care of his paintings through the museum. When you go to the ground floor of the gallery, you will find one small room, this room showcases the paintings which are made by the artist. In this small room’s paintings there are dozens of mountain representing paintings which show this great artist’s love of mountains. You will highly observe the bright color shades and blending of painting; it displays his Russian belonging.
This gallery also has numerous photographs of Nicholas Roerich Museum while he was meeting the political personalities of India, he wore Cossack boots, silk robes and burly head; such as the Ex Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. This gallery is open for tourists; the timings are like from 9am to 1pm and after that from 2pm to 5pm. To enter in the museum, it requires a small fee of 50 Rs. In the Himachal Pradesh, there are many travel agencies which regularly organize the tours for Dalhousie to the district Kullu for less rates. So there is no travel problem to reach this galley.
Kangra Museum
- Region: Kangra
- Attractive Features: Pottery, sculptures collection and items of Anthropological
- Major Attraction: fifth century’s artifacts
- Importance: Medieval history of Chamba
- Timings: 10am – 5pm
- Entry Fee: ₹ 50 for Indians & ₹ 100 for foreigners
- Time Required: 1-2 hours
This museum is located in Dharamsala’s Kotwali Bazaar. This art gallery was started in the year 1990. This place is a centre of a collection of costumes, arts, treasures, crafts and artifacts of the fifth century. Kangra museum consist of many ancient objects like jewellery of tribal people, pottery, tents of royal people, pandals, shamianas, sculptures, manuscripts, historical coins, woodcarving and sculptures.
Kangra museum also has a separate space for library and a section of art which shows all the art work of artists of contemporary, photographers and sculptors. Inside the museum, you will find a small art gallery which displays the objects of popular Kangra’s kalam work and Kangra’s very traditional art form and miniature pantings give their contribution to promote this Kangra museum. Their painting school is very popular because of their use of fine & bright colors and seductive figures.
Kangra gallery has traditional and beautiful objects; that it explains the importance of history. The major attractive features of this museum are their decent and graceful wooden furniture, delightful traditional costumes and attires, ancient jewelers of Dharamshala. This art gallery also displays imperial grandeur of Himachal Pradesh like rich royal items and beautiful traditional items which are used for decoration. Within the art gallery, there is also a small library below the side of the museum. The timing of this art gallery is 10am to 5pm and you can directly enter in the art gallery, it does not require fees.
Shimla State Museum
- Region: Chaura Maidan, Shimla
- Major Attractions: Pahari miniatures of nineteenth century
- Importance: Numismatic finds paintings and anthropological items
- Timings: 10am – 5pm
- Entry Fee: ₹ 20 for Indians & ₹ 100 for foreigners
- Time Required: 30 minutes to 1 hour
This state museum is situated on the top of a hill and over the Chaura Maidan in Shimla State Museum. The structure of the museum is a typical colonial style of building which is called as Inverarm. To reach this museum, you have to climb around fifteen hundred meter distance, but after seeing the rich collection of the ancient your effort would be worth. This museum is one of the important tourist points of Himachal Pradesh. It is surrounded by huge lawns. In the year 1974, this museum was inaugurated. The collection of this museum has antique and contemporary art works which is nicely shown in the mansion of colonial.
It has preserved very rich collections of nineteenth century like items of anthropological, numismatic items and traditional miniature paintings of Pahari. All these objects are proof of the golden cultural period and golden History of Himachal Pradesh. Pahari paintings are the perfect example of great art form of Hindus which has belonged to India’s northern part, before getting the effect of western culture over the Hindu culture. The sculptures which are made by stone are very elegant and made by using the arms, dolls, bronzes, numismatic finds and items of anthropology.
This museum is designed to take care of the objective of security of great culture of this state. The aim behind making the museum was to spread the cultural estate over to many generations. Pahari painting of this museum is portrayed of contradictory lifestyle and culture of mountainous people. After observing these paintings, you can get the imaginary picture of the regional people before the rule of the British Empire. There are several paintings in the museums of the Rajasthani and Mughal people’s culture and few paintings of nice watercolors.
Within the museum there is one room which is devoted to the Great Indian personality Mahatma Gandhi, this room is full by tremendous photos, of that times and there are also his photos with the British. Bronze idols which were found in the landscape of the Himalayas were also preserved in this museum. The visitors of this museum never forget to see the contemporary paintings of oil based, it has described the painted scenes of the Himalayas.
Tibetan Archives and Work Library
- Region: Dharamshala, Macleod Ganj
- Attractive Features: Books, eighty thousand manuscripts and document
- Major Attraction: Manuscripts and Tibetan Artifacts
- Importance: it is an important Tibetan Institution of culture
- Timings: 10am – 5pm
- Entry Fee: ₹ 300 per month
- Time Required: 1-2 hours
This library is an effect of the fourteenth centuries Dalai Lama’s holiness. The library is situated within the Tibetan Government’s compound, it is at Dharamshala. This library has around eighty thousand manuscripts, 100 thangkas, six thousand photographs, many documents and books, artifacts and statues and numerous materials. The motto of this library is to spread and preserve the Tibetan culture. This library wanted to make an environment where everybody will get knowledge without any restriction and rules between the scholars & students. The timings of this library are different every year.
Uruswati Himalayan Folk Art Museum
- Region: Himachal Pradesh, Naggar, Kullu District
- Major Attractions: gallery of folk art of Russia
- Importance: costumes and Local folk art
- Timings: 10am – 5pm
- Entry Fee: ₹ 50/-
- Time Required: 1-2 hours
This museum is located in the Naggar, in the Roerich premises estate. The museum is around hundred meters long from the Nicholas art gallery. Uruswati museum was founded by the Madame Nicholas in the year of nineteen twenty eight. Visiting this museum is an great experience to capture the cultural beauty and great tradition of this region. The facilities of the Himachal Pradesh help to travel smoothly and comfortably. This museum showcases the indigenous and unique craft and art of ancient times.
It has huge collection of the dynamic paintings, made by the Painter of Russia and also his students, excellent artifacts and Himachali traditional costumes and attires. Inside the museum, there is a separate individual section where you can enjoy the graceful folk items of Russia, which displayed by the local artists. This museum got its present name in the year of nineteen ninety three. The name of this museum has been derived from the Sanskrit, the meaning of this word is lighting up the morning star.
The galley contains the Russian painted dishes, musical instrument dolls, carvings, and oil paintings made by the painters of Russia. Etc you will also get to see the crystal pieces, carved doorframes. The rest of the collection all about the Lahaul Spiti, nice idols of Hindu goddess and god, attires of Ladakh, photos of Lord Buddha and Pahari paintings. You can buy the Roerich’s books and postcard from the outside stalls of the museum. The visiting time of museum is between the Tuesday to Sunday, time form 9am to 1pn and 2pm to 5pm.
Sobha Art Gallery
- Address: VPO Andretta (Palampur) Kangra District, 176103
- Established in: 1949
- Timings: 10am – 5pm
- Entry Fee: ₹ 25/-
- Time Required: 1-2 hours
This gallery was a house of Sobha Singh, who was a painter. His art was appreciated through many recognitions and rewards. Sobha Singh has got many rewards like, the highest reward of Punjab’s council and also rewarded by the great Padam Shri award. This entire gallery tells you about this great painter through his marvelous paintings. He has made paintings of Sheikh Farid, Sikh Gurus, Jesus Christ, Lord Ram etc.
Also Read: Famous Historical Monuments In Himachal Pradesh
