Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum Bikaner

Vital Information for Visitors

Address:

Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum, near Lalgarh Palace, Bikaner, Rajasthan

Open & Close:

Open on all days except Monday

Timings:

10:00 AM to 05:00 PM

Entry Fees:

Indian - INR 20 pp
Foreigner – INR 100 pp

Duration:

1- 2 Hours

Significance :

Rich collection of weapons, coins, paintings, sculptures and Gupta era terracotta and seals

One of the major tourist attractions, Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum of Bikaner offers a collection of royal costumes, weapons, ornaments, ancient statues, terracotta collection from the Gupta era and exquisite paintings, one of which represents the signature of the versatility of Maharaja Ganga Singh. The history of the Bikaner royal family is very interesting. Ganga Singhji was the first to bring in electricity and the first steam engine into the state. The museum, named after the founder Maharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner, on the occasion of his golden jubilee, was opened by Lord Linlithgow, the then Governor General of India, on the 5th November 1937. The museum has been principally formed by presentations from the Bikaner Darbar. It has been shifted to the present building only in 1955 AD. The museum is named after him, and the entry to the museum is graced by his marble bust. Just outside the entrance is a simple elegant memorial erected to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Maharaja Ganga Singh rule. Consisted of several halls and galleries across two floors, the museum contains an interesting and varied collection ranging from sculptures, paintings, armour, ivory, wood work and a seal with a Brahmi inscription from the Gupta period.

There are the following Sections in this museum: (1) Local Section, (2) Archaeological Section, (3) Historical Section, (4) Armoury Section, (5) Maharaja Sir Ganga Singhji’s Memorial Section, and (6) Paintings and Manuscripts Section. This is a very interesting museum. Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum houses the royal rail car. The descendants of the Maharaja were accomplished shooters, so their awards and trophies are also displayed. There is a lot to see here.

The Local Section of Golden Jubilee Museum in Bikaner shows the arts and crafts, fauna and culture of Bikaner. There are here vary fine examples of indigenous art, such as lacquered kuppis of camel hide, lacquer work on wood, metal, glass, stone, leather and ostrich egg, excellent specimens of carving in wood and stone, large models of palace, carpets and glass-ware.

The Archaeological Section of Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum in Bikaner has an interesting and valuable collection of terracotta of both prehistoric and historical date, the Gupta terracotta discovered in 1917 from places like Rangmahal, Badopal, Pirsultan-ki-Theri are noteworthy. Among the more important exhibits there is a marble Sarasvati of 11 — 12th century A.D. from Pallu village in Nohar tehsil of Hanumangarh district and a fine Jain metal image of a dancer from Amarsar village.

The Historical Section of Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum in Bikaner contains a very beautiful set of large oil paintings depicting military expeditions of the past rulers of Bikaner. A unique furgal (a great coat) of Emperor Jahangir with inter-woven figures and letters is a masterpiece of Persian art in this Section. This was presented by the Emperor to Raja Rai Singhji of Bikaner. There are several original ‘farmans’ of the Mughal Emperors, Jahangir, Shahjahan, Aurangzeb and Shah Alam in Historical Section. This section displays the original ‘firman’ (royal injunction) by the then crown prince Jahangir summoning Raja Rai Singh of Bikaner to Agra as Akbar was on his deathbed. Bikaner was a prominent kingdom in Rajasthan then.

In the Armoury Section of Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum in Bikaner is a variety of weapons of medieval date brought by Maharaja Anup Singhji of Bikaner from the fort of Aduni. It has excellent specimens of Wootz Steel daggers and swords. The Maharaja’s Memorial Section contains a number of large oil paintings illustrating the life of Maharaja Sri Ganga Singhji.

The Paintings and Manuscripts Section contains paintings of various sub-schools of Rajasthan and other schools of painting, manuscripts and other art objects. The Numismatic Gallery This is one of the few museums in India where the original specimens of coins from royal collection have been displayed. The coins are very well labeled and attributed.

The museum has a small library intended only for departmental use. School children and college students are taken round by the curator who explains the exhibits. All facilities are given to the postgraduate students and other scholars to examine the original exhibits. The labels are in English and Hindi. The museum is administered by the curator under the Chief Superintendent, Archaeology and Museums, Rajasthan.

The Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum in Bikaner is suitably located and hundreds of tourists visit daily. On special occasions like festivals & local fairs like Kolayat Fair, Bisnoi Mela, Gangaur etc the number of visitors swell to record high. The main sources of collection for the museum are exploration, purchase and treasure trove for which it is recognized. Anyone interested in weapons can spend more than an hour in the Armoury Section alone. Personal belongings and military uniforms of Maharaja Ganga Singh hold the centre stage.