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Museums of Rajasthan

Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum, Jaipur

The Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum has a royal name and setting, Chandra Mahal Palace, built Singh when he constructed his new capital at Jaipur in 1727. Divided into five comprehensive sections, the rmuseum display in suitable splendid surroundings the ancestral collection of former maharajas. Paintings, manuscripts, maps, carpets, textiles, costumes, weapons and decorative art objects depict countly life in Jaipur state between the 16th and 19th century.

Vastragar, the textile and costume gallery, occupies the upper floor of Mubarak Mahal, the building added at the end of the 19th century. Here, fin brocades, embroideries, patkas, Kashmiri woollen and pashmina shawls, Sanganeri blockprints and mashru from Gujarat jostle with royal costumes. Among the latter is an immense atamsukh worn by the 2.1 m tall Sawai Madho Singh in the 18th century.

There are other rare and interesting objects like the giant silver vessels, each weighing 3.5 quintals, especially made to contain Gangajal (Ganga water). The Guinness Book of Records lists these as the largest silver objects in the world. Among a fine collection of carpets is one from Herat which is more than 17m long. The Silehkhana, with its painted and mirrored ceiling, contains a large selection of weapons which include varieties of swords and daggers, some with delicately carved jade, ivory, crystal and hom handles and some enamelled and encrusted with jewels.

The reserve collection contains handwritten and illustrated copies of the Ramayana and Mahabharata translated into Persian for Emperor Akbar's personal library; European printed books, manuscripts on mathematics and astronomy, 18th century maps, architectural ground plans of Jaipur, Amber and other forts and Mughal glass objects. Another interesting collection is of mid 19th century glass negatives and collodion prints taken by the photographer - maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II.

Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum
City Palace, Jaipur 302 002

Timing: 9.30 am to 4.45 pm
Closed on some public holidays.