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Mahatma Phule Museum

Before independence, this museum was called as Lord Ray Museum. However, after India achieved Independence, the management and ownership of this museum fell under the ambit of the Bombay Government. It was renamed as Mahatma Phule Vastu Sanghralay.

History

Mahatma Phule museum is situated on Ghole Road in Shivaji Nagar and is a 130 year old museum. Since the time the museum was set up, it has amazed visitors with some rare artifacts offering a glimpse of the glorious and rich history of India. A rally lead by acclaimed personalities like Laxman Chhatre, MG Ranade, Bhausahen Natu and many others had organized an artifacts exhibition at Dane Ali in the city of Pune. Various articles that were exhibited were silk clothes, cotton clothes, clay statues, paintings and several artistic objects carved out of wood, clay and glass. The exhibition was organized with an aim to give a boost to traditional and local artifacts in the market and also encouraging and promoting local craftsmen who created these stunning objects. These objects fuelled the demand for locally produced artistic objects and to curb the imports of foreign artistic objects in the country. After this exhibition, Indian scholars started promoting and conducting several seminars for acknowledging and appreciating the talent and skills of Indian artisans and craftsmen. This motivated the Museum Committee to set up a museum that the general public can visit and this laid the foundation for the Lord Ray Museum.

Features

Mahatma Phule Museum exhibits fascinating art works and artifacts.
This museum was once the residence of Mahatma Phule’s wife, Jyotiba Phule. It is in this museum that she whould conduct educational training sessions for girls and she was the first lady to start a women’s school.
The wada of the museum is reminiscent of the 18th century life in Pune city. The museum also boasts of a well maintained and well-stocked library featuring a rare collection of novels and books from various fields of life.
Occasional seminars and film shows are also conducted to lure more enthusiasts who are keen to learn more about pre-independence India.
The museum also features an armory that exhibits weapons used during the Maratha and Moghul periods.
It also exhibits models of irrigation projects, hydro electric projects, oil refining methods and many others, which are proof of the scientific methods that were used for agriculture in erstwhile India.

On Exhibit

The exhibits in Mahatma Phule museum comprise stone carvings, brassware items, marble statues as well as oil paintings. The museum also exhibits several kinds of artifacts like jewelry items, textile items, handicrafts, armory, arms as well as several items related to forestry, agriculture, geology as well as natural history.

The museum has various sections that exhibit charms, machines, models, pictures and science models. The arrays of displays are related to geology, engineering, industry, cottage industries, handicrafts, minerals, armory, forestry and agriculture.

There is also a range of charts on display here. All of these elaborately detail the different forts that were built in Pune district. In the natural history section of the museum, you can find an artistic collection of several species of fishes, snakes, insects, birds and several animals. In the industrial section, you can find detailed models of oil refining methods, irrigation project and Indian hydro electric projects explaining the scientific process of agriculture.

Other Recreations

The Mahatma Phule museum also renders itself as an exceptional platform for exchange of information and knowledge. The stunning, well-maintained library houses books from different walks of life.

Srishtidnyan, a science monthly, is also published by the museum. This science monthly elaborates on the scientific development to laymen in a lucid and simple language.