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Albert Hall Museum

Capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur is also known as Pink City. It is a modern and vibrant city with a well-preserved history and age-old charm. Just outside the city wall, located in the beautiful Ram Niwas Garden is Albert Hall Museum also known as the Government Central Museum.

Built by Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II to commemorate the visit of King Edward, the Price of Wales to India in 1868, it was initially intended to serve as a town hall. However, his successorMadho Singh II decided that it should be a museum showcasing the rich and vibrant art of Jaipur. This building designed by Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob threw open its doors to visiting public in 1887. Albert Hall Museum houses a rich collection of paintings, crystal works, ivory artifacts, carpets and beautiful metal sculptures.

The museum is a fine example of Indo-Saracenic architecture that strongly features beautiful pillars, arches and vast courtyards.Over the years, this museum has become an important centre that inspires artisans to improve their skills and encourages them to learn about various civilizations. It also serves as a preserver of traditional arts and crafts.

Attractions

Inarguably, a 2300 year old Egyptian mummy of Tutu, a female member from a priest’s family dating back to 322 BC to 30 BC is the most popular of all displays at Albert Hall Museum.

This museum also has on display an amazing 19,000 items of historical and cultural significance. The items on display range from terracotta, ivory, metal lacquer and wood.  The museum is packed with arms and weapons, sculptures, tribal art and costumes, textiles, jewelry, miniature paintings, musical instruments, clocks and hundreds of other such spectacular items that can keep a visitor mesmerized for hours.

Galleries on the ground floor of this museum showcase costumes, jewelry and lifestyles encompassing all classes of Rajasthani people—fromthat of Rajputs to tribals like Bhopas, Gadoliya Lohars, Meenas and Bhils. A gallery is also dedicated to the display of Rajasthan’s Henna body art popularly known as Mehendi Madana that is characterized by designs and motifs unique to Rajasthan.  Another gallery is dominated by Phad paintings and puppets. The central gallery has a fantastic display that gives a viewer an insight into the music and dance forms of Rajasthan.

Albert Hall Museum is also famous for housing a one of a kind Persian carpet in a section of the museum known as Darbar Hall. This carpet bought by Mirza Raja Jai Singh from Shah Abbas of Persia features pretty streams of water and is considered to be the oldest and finest of its kind across the world.

Timings and Ticket

The museum is open from 9 am to 5 pm daily. It remains closed on most popular Indian holidays like Holi, Independence Day and Deepawali. The entry ticket is priced at Rs. 20 for an Indian visitor and Rs. 150 for a visitor from overseas. Students get entry at a discounted price of Rs. 10 (Indian) and Rs. 75 (overseas) respectively. Entry to the museum for children below the age of seven is free.

Entry for all visitors is free on the following days Rajasthan Day (30th March), World Heritage Day (18th April), World Museum Day (18th May) and World Tourism Day (27th September). Audio guides are available at Rs. 90 for Indian visitors and Rs. 124 for overseas visitors. Composite entry tickets for Albert Hall Museum, Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal and Jantar Mantar (Observatory) are also available at the premises. Free entry for student groups based on the recommendation of their respective institutes is also available on Fridays.

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