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MUSEUMS OF GUJARAT

Calico Textile Museum (Ahmedabad)

The Calico Museum of Textiles, widely regarded as one of the finest textile museums in the world was constructed in 1949 AD. Located in the Sarabhai Foundation, in Shahibagh, 3 km north of Delhi Gate, the museum has the finest collection of not just textiles and clothes but also furniture, temple artifacts and crafts in the country.

The city of Ahmedabad owes its prosperity to three textiles - cotton, silk and gold. Housed in one of Gujarat's famous carved wooden 'havelis', the museum displays a magnificent collection of rare textiles that date back to the 17th century.

THEMATIC SECTIONS
The Museum has no less than five centuries of the finest fabrics spun, woven, printed and painted in different parts of India. It also has a collection of marble, sandstone and bronze icons and busts split in two thematic sections- gallery for religious textiles and historical textiles. There is also an excellent reference library on textiles.

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Kachchh Museum (Bhuj)

The Kachchh Museum at Bhuj initially formed part of the School of Art established by Maharao Khangarji III on July 1, 1877. It is the oldest Museum of Gujarat. The Museum is situated ideally almost on the banks of the beautiful Hamirsar Lake and just opposite the Nazar Baugh garden.

The museum is mainly regional in content and therefore, of immense interest to tourists who want to know about Kachchh before going into the interior. The museum, with 11 sections, serves as a guide to this district.

The museum is unique in having the largest collection of Kshatrapa inscriptions, for its gold and silver ornaments, textiles, armoury and other exhibits.

THE CONSTRUCTION
At the time of Rao Khengarji's marriage in February 1884, an exhibition of arts and crafts of Kachchh was organized in which 5,897 items were exhibited. Of these exhibits, items then worth Rs 3300 were given to the museum at the termination of exhibition. These exhibits necessitated the construction of a new building.

To accommodate the additions to the already existing collection of artifacts, it was decided to build a new building. On November 14, 1884 the foundation stone for the present museum building was laid by the then Governor of Bombay, Sir James Fergusson. The two-storeyed building was designed by the state engineer, Mc Lelland and was constructed at a cost of Rs 32,000.

The Maharao named the Museum after Sir Fergusson. Till independence, the Museum remained a preserve of the Maharao who showed it only to his personal guests. The Museum was open to the public only on important religious occasions.

After independence, the Museum was thrown open to the public and through usage came to be known as the Kachchh Museum.

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Ethonology Museum

The Ethnology Museum is recommended for its rich collection of books and paintings of prominent Kachchhis. Mr Ramsinhji K. Rathod a scholar of the folk art of Kachchh and winner of many state Government awards has created an excellent museum in Bhuj, which is called Bhartiya Sanskruti Darshan.

THE ARTIFACTS
The museum epitomizes the rustic life styles of the Kachchhi villager containing around 4500 exhibits. Also, there are more than 1500 rare books on art and culture. This museum has five major sections. In the Ethnological section, Sahitya Chitra, in the central hall can be found rare works of literature. In other sections are interesting artifacts such as leather embroidery, woodwork, woodcarvings, terra cotta, wall paintings, beadwork, stone carvings, musical instruments, knives and swords and silver work.

Inside one of the huts, is the intricately designed "Kothala" (the treasury). In olden times, ornaments money, and other valuables of the royalty were kept in the "Kothala".

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Madansihji Museum

The heritage of Kachchh art and culture is displayed in the Madansihji Museum (Aina Mahal) Bhuj. The last ruler of Kachchh Maharao Madansinhji established the Maharao of Kachchh Aina Mahal Trust on 1st January, 1977. Aina Mahal means a 'mirror palace'. It was created by the artists Ramsinh & Gaidhar Devshi in the period of Maharao Lakhpatji (1752-61).

In 1757, Rao Lakhpatji visited the emperor Alamgir in Delhi. He was graced with the title of 'Mahi Maratib'. He welcomed foreigners in his court. Fortune brought him a man named Ramsingh Malam who specialized in Kachchhi architecture, enamel work, jewellery, tile work and interior decoration.

AINA MAHAL:
The great master piece of Ramsingh is the Hall of Mirrors in the Aina Mahal. The walls are white marble covered with mirror which are separated by gilded ornaments. The hall is lit by elaborate pendant candelabra with shades of Venetian glass. The hall of mirrors is on the second floor of the Aina Mahal but Ramsingh devised ingenious pumps and siphons to raise water to fill the pleasure pool and to operate fountains, which cast spray in an intricate variety of patterns charming the eye and cooling the air.

ARTIFACTS
The small state apartment, carpeted with exquisite Kachchhi silk embroidery, its walls paneled high with the same priceless fabrics still contains Maharao Lakhpatji's bed. The hall is filled with a miscellaneous collection of objects; a Dutch Clock, English and French celestial globes, some antique pictures, mechanical toys, glass and china. On the walls of the corridor are a variety of pictures, some European and many Indian. The Aina Mahal alone cost eight million kories and was only one of the many enterprises which the Maharao and Ramsingh undertook together

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