Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya
Mumbai’s great museum of Indian art and history in an Indo-Saracenic building.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya is one of the principal museums of India, standing in gardens at the southern end of the Fort district of Mumbai. It was founded in the early twentieth century to commemorate the visit of the Prince of Wales, later George V, who laid the foundation stone on 11 November 1905. Known for most of its history as the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, it was renamed in 1998 after the Maratha ruler Shivaji.
The building was designed by George Wittet, the architect of the Gateway of India, and completed in 1915; it served as a military hospital during the First World War and opened to the public on 10 January 1922. Built of grey Kurla basalt and buff Malad stone, it is a prominent example of the Indo-Saracenic style, combining Mughal, Maratha and Jain elements beneath a large central dome. Since 2018 it has formed part of the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai World Heritage Site.
The collection numbers around 50,000 objects arranged in sections for art, archaeology and natural history. It ranges from Indus Valley material and early Buddhist and Hindu sculpture to Mughal and Rajasthani miniature paintings, Himalayan art, textiles, arms and armour, and decorative arts from India, East Asia and Europe. The museum's recent study gallery, Networks of the Past, presents more than 300 archaeological objects exploring connections between India and the ancient world.
Highlights
- Indo-Saracenic landmark by George Wittet, completed in 1915
- Part of Mumbai's Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles World Heritage Site
- About 50,000 objects spanning art, archaeology and natural history
- Notable holdings of Indian sculpture and Mughal and Rajasthani miniatures
- Networks of the Past study gallery on India and the ancient world
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