The
Salar Jung Museum was established in 1951 under the supervision of Salar Jung
Estate Committee. Later, an act of Parliament known as “Salar Jung Museum
Act-1961” was passed on 19th May 1961, thereby the museum along with
its extensive library was declared as an institution of national importance and
the Administration was transferred to the Salar Jung Museum Board, an
autonomous body, formed under the purview of the Act.
The
Salar Jung Museum is a repository of rare objects from nearly all over the
world, right from Europe to the Far Eastern nations in Asia. Though originally displayed
in the beautiful “Diwan Deodhi” the ancestral palace of the salar Jungs the
entire collection was shifted to the present building in the year 1968, which
was constructed on the Southern Bank of River Musi.
Following
are the different Galleries in the Salar Jung Museum:
Ground
Floor:
Ground
Floor Central Block:
1. Founders Privacy
2. Founders Gallery
3. Indian Bronzes and Printed Textiles gallery
4. Mirror Arts of South India.
5. Indian Sculpture Gallery
6. Mirror Arts of South India.
7. Indian textile & Moghul Glass Gallery
8. Children’s Section
9. Children’s Sections
10.
11. Ivory Carvings Gallery
12. Veiled Rebecca
13.
14. Arms and Armour Gallery
15. Metal Ware Gallery
16. Modern Indian Paintings Gallery
17. Indian Miniature Paintings Gallery
Ground
Floor Western Block:
6.
Bronze Sculptures Gallery
7.
Marble Sculptures Gallery
8.
Nawab Mir Abbas Yar Jung Exhibition Hall
Ground
Floor Eastern Block:
5. Far Eastern Wooden Furniture
6. Far Eastern Wood carvings
8. Lecture Hall
First
Floor:
First
Floor Eastern Block:
1. Chinese Gallery
2. Far Eastern Porcelain Gallery
3. Japanese Gallery
4. Far Eastern Statuary Gallery
First
Floor Central Block:
18. Toys and Dolls Gallery
19. Flora Fauna Gallery
20. *Children’s Section
21. *Children’s Section
22. *Children’s Section
23. Arabic and Persian Manuscripts gallery
24. Indian Silver Gallery
25. Carpet Gallery
26. Egyptian & Syrian Gallery
27. Jade Gallery*
28.
29. Bidri Ware Gallery
30. Kashmir Gallery
31.
32. Utility Ware gallery
33. Western Furniture Gallery
First
Floor Western Block:
1. European Paintings Gallery
2. European Glass Gallery
3. French Gallery
4. European Clock Gallery
5. European Porcelain Gallery
In addition, on either side of the main building tow more blocks were constructed in the year 2000 named after Nawab Mir Taurab Ali Kahan ‘Mukhtar-ul-Mul’, Salar Jung 1, Mir Taurab Ali Khan Bhavan (Western Block), andhis son Nawab Mir-Laiq Ali Khan, ‘Imad-ul-Sultanat’, Salar Jung II, Mir Laiq Ali Khan Bhavan (Eastern Block).
At present, the Museum has in its collection the art and antiques of European, Middle Eastern and Far Eastern origin, apart from the chronicles of the rich Indian heritage – dating from the Mauryan to the Mughal dynasty and the rule of the Nizams. Bawab Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, salar Jung III, the Last patron of the family is responsible for the maximum collection, conservation and preservation.
This apart, the Museum has a large collection of rare manuscripts and a well-equipped reference library, and even a children’s section, thus making it not only a place of art but also a source of knowledge for those seeking to know more about our heritage that reflects the grandeur and royalty of the eras gone by.
