KOLKATA MUSEUM (2024)

KOLKATA MUSEUM (2024)

The Indian Museum in Kolkata, established in 1814 is the oldest and largest multipurpose museum in Asia. Here’s a brief history:

FOUNDING AND EARLY YRARS(1814-1837)

1- Founded by the Asiatic Society of Bengal, a premier research organization.

2-First curator; Nathaniel Wallach a Danish botanist.

3- Initial Collections: art, archaeology, natural history, and anthropology

GROWTH AND EXPANSION(1837-1875)

1- James Princip proposed the idea of a National Museum at Calcutta.

2-The museum moved to its current location on Jawaharlal Nehru Road.

3- W.L.Granville designed the iconic building, completed in 1875.

NOTABLE CURATORS AND DIRECTOR:

1- Nathaniel Wallach (1814-1825)

2- James prince(1825-1839)

3-Henry Courtney Brodhead(1843-1854)

4-Thomas Oldham(1854-1873)

5- Ashutosh Mukherjee(1906-1914)

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS AND MILESTONES:

• 1837: The museum’s first priested catalos was published

• 1854: The museum’s zoological collection was established.

• 1865: The museum’s anthropological section inaugurated

• 1875: The museum’s current building was inaugurated

• 1906: Ashutosh Mukherji became the first Indian director.

• 1947: The museum become an autonomous organization under the Government of india.

COLLECTIONS AND SECTIONS:

• Art: Indian and European painting, sculptures, and decorative arts.

• Archaeology: Indian and Asian antiquities

• Anthropology: Indian and global cultural artifacts.