Explore the rich tapestry of art and history at the Salar Jung Museum, an iconic cultural institution nestled in Hyderabad, Telangana. Delve into its diverse galleries, home to a remarkable collection spanning India, Nepal, China, Europe, and more, and discover a treasure trove of cultural heritage from the 2nd century B.C. to the early 20th century A.D. Join us on a virtual journey through this fascinating museum, brimming with sculptures, manuscripts, textiles, and artifacts, and learn about its historical significance.
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Salar Jung Museum Overview
The Salar Jung Museum is an art gallery located in Hyderabad, Telangana. The museum, established in 1951 in Dewan Deodi, the ancestral house of the Salar Jungs, serves as a repository of cultural wealth. During the Nizam reign, they held the esteemed position of Prime Minister. Originally, it exclusively housed the Salar Jung Family’s collection, later bequeathed to the Indian government.
The diverse array of artifacts in its collection includes sculptures, carvings, paintings, manuscripts, carpets, coins, furniture, metallic artifacts, textiles, armor, porcelain and ceramic sets, jewelry, and more. Its rare manuscripts and a well-equipped reference library are noteworthy, rendering it a fount of historical and cultural knowledge. Moreover, encompassing items from India, Nepal, China, Japan, Burma, Persia, Egypt, Europe, and North America, the museum stands as one of the largest and most significant cultural repositories in India and across the globe.
Salar Jung Museum Galleries
The museum is semicircular in shape, with 41 galleries spread across two stories. Furthermore, the ground and first floors are divided into three sections: eastern, central, and western. The first floor comprises 18 galleries, while the ground floor houses 23. Each gallery boasts a unique collection of items, which is rather extensive. In addition to the galleries, the facility includes a library, reading area, restaurant, sales counter, washrooms, and other amenities. Further, at the museum’s entrance, there is a QR code scanning booth for the museum tour guide app. The daily code is displayed on an internal board. You can use it while visiting the gallery to gain detailed information about the galleries.
The Galleries on the Ground Floor
The entry point to the galleries is the founder’s gallery, situated on the ground floor of the center block. Other galleries on this floor encompass a Far Eastern wooden furniture and carvings gallery, a lecture hall, an Indian bronze and printed textile gallery, an Indian sculpture gallery, Minor Arts of South India, Indian textile and Mughal glass gallery, an Ivory carvings gallery, Veiled Rebecca, a walking sticks gallery, an arms and armor gallery, a Metalware gallery, a Modern Indian paintings gallery, an Indian miniature paintings gallery, a Bronze Sculptures gallery, a Marble Sculptures gallery, and the Nawab Mir Abbas Yar Jung exhibition hall.
Galleries on Central Block
The founder’s gallery displays portraits of the Salar Jung Family members. It outlines the Salar Jung family minister’s accomplishments during Nizam’s rule. The gallery features a display of Salar Jung’s bronze artifacts and textiles, along with their thrones.
The museum showcases a large collection of Indian clothing in various textiles, including brocades, sarees, dupattas, and Odhanis. Additionally, it houses a collection of ancient and modern Indian sculptures and paintings.
The museum exhibits a wide range of ivory carvings from around the world, featuring human, mythological, and animal figures, as well as chessmen, paper-cutters, furniture, and paintings. The Veiled Rebecca exhibit highlights a sculpture of superbly proportioned beauty, portraying a Jewish woman, Rebecca, in an appealing pose encased in a translucent veil. Both the veil and the figure have been carved from a single piece of marble. The museum proudly owns this statue, drawing fans and visitors from across the country. The exhibit also features Salar Jungs’ personal walking sticks made of cane, Malacca cane, wood, sandal, ivory, fishbone, jade, glass, and leather.
Galleries on Eastern Block
The museum houses an extensive collection of wood carvings and furniture from Far Eastern countries, including China and Japan. It consists of carvings from China’s Ming Dynasty, as well as contemporary designs. The collection includes decorative bas-reliefs on smaller items and life-size figures in furniture and architectural embellishments such as seats, cupboards, dressing tables, and dinner table settings adorned with floral and other artistic motifs.
Galleries on Western Block
This section contains an assortment of European bronze and marble sculptures from Italy, France, and England. There additionally exists a separate chamber for the display of the Nawab Mir Abbas Yar Jung collection, also known as Salar Jung III. He is primarily responsible for the great diversity of Salar Jung’s collections, as he acquired these artifacts with the enthusiasm of a true collector.
The Galleries on the First Floor
Likewise, the first floor houses various galleries, including the toys and dolls gallery, flora and fauna gallery, children’s gallery, Chinese and Far-Eastern porcelain galleries, Japanese and Far-Eastern Statuary galleries, French-African gallery, Manuscripts gallery, Indian silver gallery, Carpet gallery, Egyptian and Syrian galleries, Jade gallery, Birdi Ware gallery, Kashmir gallery, Coins gallery, Utility Ware gallery, and Western furniture gallery. Additionally, there are European Painting, Glass, Clock, Porcelain, and French galleries.
Galleries on Central Block
The toys and dolls category presents many toys made of wood and clay in various colors, types, and styles, including representations of men, women, children, elephants, horses, dogs, and more. Flora & Fauna follows, featuring an exclusive mural representation of animals, birds, and trees. Among them are replicas of parrots, hares, and snakes. The children’s gallery contains a functional train set from England, a set of seven dwarfs from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” a collection of military arrangements, tanks, medical staff, and other objects. It also includes metal and stone carvings of wild creatures such as tigers and elephants, as well as domestic animals like dogs and horses. Additionally, it contains items used by Salar Jung III during his childhood.
A separate chamber houses the Salar Jung Museum’s Jade collection. Jade is a semi-precious stone with colors ranging from almost pure white to emerald green and dark blackish green. Having it in their collection was a source of pride in the past. The museum displays wine cups, mirror-back frames, huqqa pipe ends, plates, cups, and many swords and daggers. The Bidri ware collections comprise a wide range of huqqa bases and basins with diverse patterns and craftsmanship. The Kashmir Gallery features Pashmina and Sozni shawls, along with bedspreads featuring Jaali embroidery work. Additionally, it showcases relief wood carvings on cabinets, chairs, and boxes, as well as Papier Mache boxes, decorative items, and vases.
Galleries on Eastern Block
The Chinese gallery houses an exclusive collection of celadon pottery, magnificent jars, plates with dragon relief in the center, jade pieces, and porcelain objects from China. Similarly, the Japanese Gallery includes a variety of Japanese woodblock prints and woodblock cuts, Japanese watercolor paintings on silk and paper with nature and folklore themes, as well as porcelains and other Japanese items.
Galleries on Western Block
The clock room is a distinctive aspect of the exhibit that features ancient clocks, such as sundials, grandfather clocks, bird-cage clocks, skeleton clocks, musical clocks, and modern clocks from Europe. This block also houses an extensive collection of European-decorated porcelain dishes and glasses.
How To Reach Salar Jung Museum
Travel Tips to Visit Salar Jung Museum
- The Salar Jung Museum is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm. It remains closed on Fridays and during other festival days.
- The entrance fee for adults is 60 rupees, while 20 rupees for kids. Schoolchildren with valid identification can enter for free. This fee includes a complimentary audio guide for the museum.
- Additionally, there is a charge of 60 rupees for cameras. If you take photos inside the museum without the required camera ticket, you may be subject to penalties.
- For a nominal fee, you can securely store additional phones, cameras, baggage, and other valuables in the cloakroom.
- There are likely to be queues at the ticket counter and deposit counter.
- Do not touch any of the exhibits in the museum. Also, you can listen to the audio guide to learn about all of the artifacts on display.
- The entire museum will take approximately a half-day to tour.
- There are clean and tidy restrooms on the premises.
- The complex also has drinking water facilities and a canteen serving vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.
- If you want pure vegetarian restaurants, there are none nearby. So, bring a packed lunch or eat something before you arrive. Although there aren’t many pure vegetarian options nearby, there are juice, ice cream, and bakery shops.
- For information on nearby attractions to visit from Salar Jung Museum, check our post on Charminar.
In conclusion, the Salar Jung Museum is an excellent place to explore and gain insights into cultural heritage from the 2nd century B.C. up to the early 20th century A.D. The museum showcases an extensive collection of approximately 46,000 art objects and 8,000 manuscripts from India, East Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and other regions.
