The Palace Museum: Alwar

Sanjay Jangid January 28, 2023Last Updated: June 1, 2023

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Located on the top floor of the district court in the City Palace, Alwar Government Museum should surely be visited while exploring the rich historical and cultural heritage of Alwar, a district in Rajasthan. The collections of the museum which were in the possession of the rulers of the princely state of Alwar since 1800 A. D. were displayed in different sections like the Pustak Shala, Saleh Khana, and Tosheh Khana, but as there was no regular museum these were open only to distinguished state guests. It showcases the opulent lifestyle of previous kings, many manuscripts, paintings, some statues, and the weapons of the yesteryears. The main attraction is the huge collection of historical swords, pistols, guns, and canons. The collection of historical paintings and sculptures is also worth seeing. In 1940, during the time of Maharaja Jai Singh, the present museum was given shape by Mr. Harvey. The collection was mainly through the efforts of Maharaja Vinay Singh in about 1857 when at that time of unrest he purchased several valuables from persons who were fleeing from Delhi.

The Palace Museum

Alwar Government Museum has three sections: Paintings Section, Armoury Section, and Archaeological Section. It contains nearly 1000 objects of industrial interest both local and from outside. The Section on Paintings contains about 2,000 specimens of the Mughal and Rajput schools, and manuscripts of historical and literary importance. The miniature paintings and books were truly rare. The books are rare Persian manuscripts with illustrations. One of the books is written by scratching the paper with nails. Among the famous Mughal era paintings are the Gulistan of S’adi (the Garden of roses), Boston (the Garden of Spring), and Waqiat-e-Babri (Mughal Emperor Babar’s autobiography).

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The collection of arms numbering about 15,000 in all is a magnificent one, most of which are of historical importance while some have also artistic value. The collection of swords is interesting. A large number of arms belong to the Rajput armory. Some of the swords displayed here belong to historical figures like Nadir Shah, Akbar, and Jahangir. One interesting sword is of Turkish origin and is probably as old as the 7-8th century A.D. The Archaeology Section exhibits two beautiful sculptures of a lion and an elephant, a stuffed tiger, a stuffed leopard, and some other stuffed animals which belonged to the royal family. Also on display are some other artifacts and musical instruments dating to historical times. The costumes of the royals are also on display.

School and college students are taken around by the custodian. Guidebooks are available for the different sections and labels are provided in English and Hindi. Though a good library that was attached to the museum since its inception has now been made an independent department, books on archaeology and museology have been retained for the museum and are available for consultation by interested readers. The Alwar Museum library contains nearly 8,000 books and manuscripts in Sanskrit, Persian, Urdu, Hindi, and English. The museum custodian is under the Superintendent of Museums, Rajasthan. The museum building is adequate with storage space. Amenities like fans and seats are provided for visitors. The collections in the museum mainly and especially of the Art Section are donated by the ruler of Udaipur. The archaeological objects have been collected by exploration.

Inside Alwar Government Museum

The first section comprises sculptures and valuable inscriptions. It also displays the roided skins of wild animals like leopard, lion, and tiger that depicts rulers shooting excursions and wild animals’ hunt.

The second section has valuable and precious Persian, Urdu, Arabic, and Sanskrit manuscripts. This section also displays some fabulous paintings that belong to the Mughal and Rajput schools of painting.

Some famous and important ones are the Gulistan of Saadi (the Garden of roses), Boston (the Garden of Spring), and Waqiat-e-Babri (Mughal Emperor Babar’s autobiography).

The third section attracts everyone as it contains the arms and armor of kings like swords, rifles, daggers, and shields.

Alwar is well connected by rail and road. Nearest airport is Delhi(163 km)