Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum of Pune is situated on Bajirao Road, Shukawar
Peth. It is one of the excellent museums in Maharashtra, depicts the tradition
and culture of India. Founded by Dr Dinkar G. Kelkar in remembrance of
his only son, Raja, it occupies a Peshwa period mansion.
One of the distinctive features of the Museum is that,
the collection was assimilated by Dr Dinkar in his lifetime. He started
gathering artifacts from the year 1920 and by 1960. Initially, he used
to exhibit these collections to friends and family and day by day, his
collection started growing in number and attracted many visitors in addition
to his family members. With the help of state government as well as local
bodies, his collection started growing further. And in 1962, he handed
his entire collection to the Department of Archaeology of the Government
of Maharashtra. Presently, the collection boasts of more than 20,000 articles.
The museum houses a vast collection of items from all
parts of India, including architectural fragments, sculptures, paintings
and innumerable small objects associated with everyday life such as ivory
and wooden combs, pots, lamps, pens ink stand, kumkum boxes and evern
ornamental foot scrubbers. The museum also houses carved woodden doors
and windows from Rajesthan, Gujrat, Kerela and Karnataka. The Mastani
Mehal is the main attraction and the reconstruction of audience room from
Mastani Mehal is also incredible. The other structures inside its complex
include Research and Storage facilities and the Institute of Musicology
and Fine Arts.
The first floor galleries display basss and ceramic pots
and dishes, paper mache utensils and wooden kitchen wares, such as decorated
noodle makers. A large variety of textiles is presented in the Second
Floor Galleries. The emboroidered children's clothing is particularly
delightful. There is also a remarkable range of brass lamps, figurines,
ink pots, ritual spoons and betel nut crackers. Musical instruments and
painted textiles are seen in the extension of the Galleries in the other
half of the museum. The Ground Floor Galleries, which are visited only
at the ened of the tour, show ivory games, Betel boxes, pen boxes, chess
sets, lime containers and carved wooden doors, many dating from Peshwa
times.
Timings: 9 am to 6 pm (open all days
except for government holidays)
Entry fee: Rs 15 for Indian Visitors and 100 for foreign
visitors. |
Monuments 
