The Ajmer Government Museum situated in Ajmer is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city. Not only does it tell a fascinating tell of the rich heritage of this place but also nicely preserves the historical artifacts, objects and antiquities. The place where the Ajmer Government Museum is situated is Lohargarh Fort. The museum is also a heritage for archaeological artifacts from the nearby Bharatpur region and therefore sometime called the Bharatpur Museum.

The museum can be divided into a variety of sections each containing an important part of the history. Some sections are extremely rare like the one which has a collection of miniature paintings. The Gallery Museum is one of the most interesting parts of the museum and contains paintings made on leaves of various trees like Peepal, Mica or ancient litho paper, etc. There is also an armament section which has a good collection of old guns used by the Rajas and Maharajas of this place. Some age old miniature cannons which were known as “Chaddra” during their time are placed on display. The miniature cannons are divided into two sets and each set has total eleven cannons. Maharaja Sawai Jawahar Singh of Jaipur was the one who used these cannons in battle.

The category of sections in the Ajmer Government Museum include: Archaeology, Arts, Armory, Crafts, Industry and Children gallery. There are also a few miscellaneous sections available. The museum has done a great job in preserving the history and various historical artifacts which were lying around uncared for all over Rajasthan.

Government of India established the Ajmer Government Museum in the year 1908. Its original name used to be Rajputana Museum as it served as a place which tried its best to preserve the Princely Rajputana History. The museum also has a library which has a good collection of rare books.

Tourists visiting this museum will find artifacts and objects from important historical places like Adhai din ka Jhonpra. Artifacts from Gupta Period and other late medieval times can also be found here.

The main aim of this museum is to interest tourists by giving them all the required historical information about the place. The main attractions in the museum include inscriptions, sculptures, pre historic artifacts, arms, armor, miniature paintings, art and craft objects, etc.

Sculptures

Some popular sculptures found in the Ajmer Government Museum include Vishnu, Surya, trimurty, Lakshmi Narayan, Harihara, Kuber, Revanta, Images of Mother and Child, etc. The sculptures of female deities found here include Mahishashur Mardini, Saptamatrikas, Jain Saraswati, Kali, and some ancient imagery of mother figures and maternal goddesses, etc. In Bhagera District you will find an important historical place called Chauhan Centre. Artifacts from this place can also be found in the Ajmer Museum. There is a Jain Gallery in the museum which has rare collection of extraordinary images of Gomukha Yaksha and Jain Tirthankaras put on display. A Few Buddhist Objects are preserved in this museum too.

Arms and Armour

Medieval period battle weapons can be found in the arms and the armor section. Medieval battles weapons put on display include guns, daggers, swords, katar, dhal, jagnol and farsa.

There is a very fine collection of swords. Different kinds of swords are present, each having a different type of hilt. Some have ornate designs on the hilts. It is believed that the hilt and the hilt design were personally selected by the master of the sword according to his comfort and ease of use. There are special kinds of swords put on display which were specifically used to be kept under the pillow and used in case of an emergency attack. The different types of guns put on display are Ramchangi, Donali, Eknali, Kartusi, Topidar, Patharidar, Toderdar, etc. The full armor of a Rajput containing the helmet with nose guard and spik is also put on display. It is a grand vision and reminds of the gallant days of the Rajputs. Historically important cannons are also put on display for visitors.

Two inscribed slabs: Drama Harakeli Nataka and Drama Lalita Vigraharaj Nataka both from Adhai din ka Jhonpra are found here. The latter one was written by none other than Somdeva. The Barla inscription by the great Prithviraj Chauhan III is also available here.

There are also a few copper plate grants in the Ajmer Government Museum. Some of these copper plates are ancient. You will find two copper plates of Kalachuri Era durin 437-38 AD during the reign of Maharaja Sarvanath of Uchchhakapla. You will also find Daulatpura Copper Plates of partihar Bhojadeva. Two copper plates forming and Bvanswara can also be found here along with copper plates belonging to Rana Kumbhja of Mewar.

Early Coins

Ancient coins belonging to periods like Indo-Greek, Sibi-Janpada, Indo-Sassanian, Gupta and Kushan are beautifully preserved in the Ajmer Government Museum. Coins during the Rajput Reign over Rajasthan can also be found in this museum. Coins of Pathan and Mughal Rulers are also put on display.

Printings Section

This section contains over a hundred extraordinary paintings. Some of these paintings are exquisite and rare like Birbal, Chief, Muslim Prince, Farrukshyar, etc. There are also paintings of many famous Rajputs Maharajas.

Timings and Ticket

The timings for the museum are 10 am to 4:30 pm. Museum is on Sunday and all public holidays like Holi, Diwlai, Dussehra, etc. The entry charges are as follows:

• Indian Tourist: Rs. 5
• Foreign Tourist: Rs. 10
• Student Concession: Rs. 2

The student concession is generally provided to a group of students who are able to produce the required documents signed by their educational institute.