Museum Development in India The history and development of museums in India span from ancient practices of collecting artifacts to the establishment of vast, multi-disciplinary national institutions, fundamentally influenced by colonial rule and later driven by national pride and modern museological principles.
I. Early Prototypes and Colonial Beginnings
- Ancient Roots: Museum-like institutions existed in ancient India, documented as painting galleries (chitrashalas) and art galleries (chitravithis). During the medieval period, kings and nobles maintained impressive private collections.
- European Influence (Formative Phase, 1796–1858): The arrival of the British brought the European concept of the museum to the subcontinent.
- The modern museum movement began with the decision of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, founded by Sir William Jones in 1784.
- The Society established India’s first museum in Calcutta (Kolkata) in 1814. This initial museum focused on artifacts related to archaeology, ethnology, geology, and zoology.
- The movement spread, resulting in the establishment of institutions like the Madras Museum (organized in 1851) after the Madras Literary Society initiated the effort in 1828.
- By the year 1857, there were 12 museums across the Indian Peninsula.
II. Expansion and Institutionalization
- Victorian Era (Second Phase, 1858–1899): The creation of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in 1861, under Alexander Cunningham, stimulated the museum movement as archaeological finds were subsequently deposited in provincial museums.
- The institution founded by the Asiatic Society was renamed the Indian Museum, Kolkata under the Indian Museum Act of 1866, making it publicly accessible starting in 1878. It is known as the earliest and largest multipurpose museum in Asia.
- The Indian Treasure-trove Act of 1878 was passed to authorize the government to claim unearthed treasures.
- During this period, princely states also contributed by establishing museums, such as the Albert Hall in Jaipur (1887) and the Baroda Museum (1887).
- Curzon-Marshall Era (Third Phase, 1899–1928): Lord Curzon greatly boosted the preservation of art objects and the study of archaeology, leading to the appointment of John Marshall as Director General of the ASI in 1902.
- Marshall focused on establishing site museums to preserve excavated materials near their origins.
- Sarnath Museum (established in 1904, building completed in 1910) became the ASI’s first site museum.
- Other important site museums followed, including Nalanda (1917) and Sanchi (1919).
- The Central Asian Antiquities Museum, housing objects collected by Sir Aurel Stien, was established in 1929 and is now part of the National Museum.
- Pre-Independence Era (Fourth Phase, 1928–1947): A 1936 survey conducted by Markham and Hargreaves documented 105 museums in India. Although World War II caused a setback, Mortimer Wheeler created a separate Museum Branch within the ASI in 1946 to improve the standard of collections management.
III. Post-Independence Era and Modern Trends
- National Institution Phase (Post-1947): The most significant development post-independence was the establishment of the National Museum, New Delhi, in 1949.
- The number of museums continued to grow rapidly, increasing to around 700 today.
- Modernization and Specialization: Museums evolved as centers of education, research, interaction, and conservation. Specialized institutions emerged, including those focused on Natural History (e.g., National Museum of Natural History, New Delhi) and Science and Technology (e.g., Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, Bangalore).
- District Museums: Following policies like that in Tamil Nadu, district museums were established to serve local communities, acting as multi-purpose centers covering the history, art, culture, and natural history of the area.
- Contemporary Initiatives: Recent government efforts include developing a new cultural framework to exhibit India’s heritage and freedom struggle, including the establishment of 10 special museums dedicated to the contributions of tribal communities. Furthermore, efforts have resulted in the recovery of over 240 ancient artifacts that were illicitly removed from India in the nine years prior to 2023.