Gyan Museum

The collection of

takes one on an incredible journey through 3000 years of history, portrayed via 2500 objets d’art. The museum is a repository of knowledge and culture with a collection that has something to offer everyone. It showcases articles like textiles, paintings, metal art, silver hookahs, antique jewellery, vintage spectacles, paintings of the 17th century and older, rare inscriptions, and everything else in between.

Accesories

Accessories are decorative items that supplement and complement clothes. Gyan Museum’s treasures comprise a unique assortment of eyeglasses, fashionable eyewear, clocks, and watches that are depictive of the changing fashions and constructs of the society in the earlier times.

Vintage watches and clocks made by internationally renowned watchmakers such as Omega, Tiffany & Co. - constructed in materials like gold, silver, and platinum and accented with diamonds and other precious stones along with various styles of fashionable and functional eyewear from 19th and 20th century.

Arms & Armoury

The use of weapons dates back to 3 million years ago with the invention of the hand axe used by cavemen. Throughout human history, arms and armoury have featured strongly as a part of Indian cultural tradition and interaction. The Indian subcontinent has been subjected to continuous invasion and so the structure of armies and the weapons used in combat also changed over the period.

Our collection features daggers, arrows, hunting knives, guns, shields, armours, ornamented sword hilts, and ceremonial knives dating back to the 17th Century that tell stories of the warfare of the past.

Decorative Arts

Decorative Arts collection at Gyan Museum encompasses a variety of artifacts including traditional games, and products encompassing traditional craft techniques like Bidri-ware, wooden inlay, and glassware.

Gyan Museum also houses an exquisite collection of jade-carved artifacts.

Jainism

Jainism is one of the oldest Indian religious traditions that teach the path of ahiṃsā (non-violence), anekāntavāda (non-absolutism), and aparigraha (non-attachment). Late Shri Gyan Chand Ji Dhaddha belonged to the Jain faith and so the museum houses a vast range of artifacts related to Jainism which date back to the 17th century.

Gyan Museum’s collection houses artifacts that serve as knowledge banks for the study of Jainism right from its early stages. Our collection includes embroidered textile scrolls, illustrated manuscripts, and miniature paintings. 

Jewellery

Gyan Museum has an extensive collection of jewellery, with the pieces narrating a fascinating story of royal India as well as the evolution of sartorial styles.

Fashioned from gold, and encrusted with prized jewels and gemstones- the pieces are a brilliant validation of Indian craftsmanship.

Our collection at Gyan encompasses all the facets of Indian jewels and rare gems.

Numismatics

For historians, coins have always been vital in assessing the economic strength of a kingdom and understanding the might of the emperor issuing them. Gyan Museum houses a chronological collection of numismatics from various empires that ruled across the sub-continent.

The collection begins with punch-marked coins of the Mauryan Empire and goes up to the coins issued by the British Raj. The most important pieces of the collection are gold coins with minuscule details, issued by the Hoysala Empire and the Vijaynagara Empire.

Paintings & Manuscripts

The miniature painting tradition has been a key form of Indian art that was patronized and promoted by the Mughals and then the Rajasthani royals from the 15th to the 19th century. The paintings section at Gyan Museum comprises the miniature-style portraits of the kings and princes of the erstwhile princely states of Rajasthan, scenes from the Indian epic Ramayana, and paintings depicting the adoration of Gods and Goddesses.

The manuscript collection at Gyan Museum features handwritten texts and scrolls in various scripts. The manuscripts in our collection belong to various religious sects like Jain, Hindu, and Islam and are written in various materials like palm leaves, wasli paper, etc.

Silverware

The museum houses a magnificent silverware collection that showcases wine decanters, hookahs, rose-water sprinklers, and a lot of other objects. The star of the collection, however, are the hookah mouthpieces.

Gyan Museum has one of the world’s largest collections of silver mouthpieces; intricately carved and beautifully displayed. 

Textiles & Costumes

Exquisite poetry in colourful fabrics have been woven by the weavers of India for ages. The textile and costumes collection at Gyan Museum comprises an array of handmade and handcrafted textile objects including luxurious costumes, skilfully embroidered prayer mats, precisely woven carpets, and alluringly embellished hand-fans.

We also showcase vintage footwear, hats and caps, Kashmiri shawls, Persian carpet, and oriental hand-painted textiles.

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