Albert Hall Museum
Description
The Albert Hall Museum is a museum in Jaipur in Rajasthan, India. It is the oldest museum of the state and functions as the State Museum of Rajasthan. The building is situated in Ram Niwas Garden outside the city wall opposite New gate and is a fine example of Indo-Saracenic architecture. The building was designed by Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob, assisted by Mir Tujumool Hoosein, and was opened as a public museum in 1887. It is also called the Government Central Museum.
History
The foundation stone of Albert Hall was laid during the visit of the Prince of Wales, Albert Edward to Jaipur in 1876, it had yet to be determined what use it would be put to. There were some suggestions about cultural or educational use or as a town hall. However in 1880 Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II approved a suggestion by Dr. Thomas Holbein Hendley, Resident Surgeon (whose interests extended beyond his medical responsibilities) to open a museum of Industrial Arts to display products of local craftsmen. A small museum was created in 1881 in temporary accommodation and proved most popular. Additionally, Hendley in 1883 mounted a Jaipur Exhibition at Naya Mahal (old Vidhan Sabha). The purpose of these exercises was to acquaint local craftsmen with the best examples of artwork and handicrafts of India to inspire them to improve their skills, thereby protecting and preserving traditional art and reviving skills, while providing greater employment for artisans. It was also the intention that the display would help to educate youth in a wide variety of fields, entertain and inform the people of Jaipur. The Albert Hall was completed in 1887 by the architect Samuel Swinton Jacob, Director of Jaipur PWD. The temporary museum and the exhibition whose artifacts had been collected from several parts of India and its neighborhood were merged and shifted to their permanent home in the new museum. The building itself became an integral part of the display, its Indo-Saracenic architecture and stone ornamentation became a source of reference for varied classical Indian styles of design from Mughal to Rajput. Even the corridors were decorated with murals in a variety of styles including the Ramayan, reproducing paintings from illustrations in the Persian Razmnama prepared for Emperor Akbar. European, Egyptian, Chinese, Greek and Babylonian civilizations were portrayed in the other murals to enable the people of the region to compare and contrast them with their own and develop their knowledge of history and art.Thus, Albert Hall became a center for imparting knowledge of the history of civilizations, inspiring artisans to improve their skills, and preserving & developing traditional Indian arts, crafts, architectural forms and not least as Hendley said to amuse and instruct the common people.
Full Address
Museum Road, Ram Niwas Garden, Kailash Puri, Adarsh Nagar, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302004
Type of Place
Prefered For
Transportation
- Jaipur International Airport
- Merta Road Jn Railway Station
Important Information
- It is open from Saturday to Thursday and closed on Friday
Timings: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Entry Fee: Entry Fee for Indians: Rs. 20
Entry Fee for Indian Students: Rs. 10
Entry Fee for Overseas Tourist: Rs.150
Entry Fee for Overseas Tourist Students: Rs. 75
Photography:- Allowed
Best Time To Visit:- October To March
Phone No (Official) +91-141-2570099
Attraction
- A royal building, which shows an Indo-Saracen style of structural engineering, Albert Hall is a model of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The museum houses the unique collection of ancient stuff like beautiful crafts work, ceramics objects, sketches, models, woodwork, toys, dolls, common history examples, such as Egyptian Mummy and the well known Persian Golden Carpet. There is a popular gallery in the museum, named as ‘Mehndi Mandana’. This beautiful gallery is completely dedicated to the well-known henna body art of Rajasthan. The unique and classy Rajasthani designs and motifs, which are uniquely considered as traditional throughout the world, are beautifully displayed in this Mehndi Mandana gallery.
Things to Buy
- If you want to shop don't miss some very popular markets.
Badi Chaupar:- Adjacent to the famous Hawa Mahal is Badi Chaupar, a square crossing that is probably the most crowded location in Jaipur. The shops on Badi Chaupar are major attractions for the tourists. Here, you can shop for mojaris, handicraft, antiques, Rajasthani furniture, salwar suits, and Jaipuri print dress material. Be prepared to bargain. You can also find a variety of traditional and lac bangles too.
Bapu Bazar:- Bapu Bazar is a treasure-trove of typical Jaipuri stuff - salwar suits, bed sheets, Jaipuri jutis, cushions, and readymade suits.
Johri Bazar: It's famous, it's crowded, it's also a shopper's delight. Johri Bazar is your best bet if you plan to look for sarees and lehengas in colorful bandhej, or glittering gemstone jewelry. As the name suggests, Johri Bazar is essentially a place for gems and jewelry.You can also purchase souvenirs here. They have traditional paintings made from organic colors and wooden replicas of the monuments. It is the perfect way to take a memory back home.
Things to Eat
- The spicy keema baati, Traditional Rajasthani sweets are available, The iconic Rajasthani thali, dahi vadas, kachoris, chaat, and samosas are extremely popular.
Other than these items there are some very popular and locally available foods of Jaipur:-
Mirchi Badas :- Sharing prime spot with samosas and kachoris in the snack market are Mirchi Badas - green chilies dunked in besan and deep fried. You can even find vendors selling these on makeshift handcarts by the roadside.
Rajasthani Sabzi:- Gatte ki sabzi, Rajasthani curry, Mangori, Pakodi and Ker Sangari, the traditional sabzi, are part of the daily meals here. A papad - plain or masala - is a must, to sum up, meals, as a tradition in Rajasthan.
Chapati/ Roti:- What is interesting about Rajasthan is the variety of roti one gets, even in the smallest eating place. Bajre Ki Roti, Makki Ki Roti, Jau-Channa Ki Roti, Besan Ki Roti, Cheelra, Paratha, Puri, Methi Puri, Rumali Roti ... the list is endless.
Things to enjoy
- The gallery on the ground floor of the museum which gives the guests a brief idea about the culture, way of living and shades of Real Rajasthan. Various types of jewelry and outfits of the people of all types of the society of Rajasthan are displayed here. In this way, One section consists of the outfits of the privileged classes including Rajputs and rich merchants. Another section houses the outfits of the several villages of Rajasthan that includes, Meenas, Bhils, Gadoliya, Lohars, etc. Thus one can find here the fusion of several shades of Rajasthan.