Location : M.G. Road, Fort, Mumbai
Founded In : Early 20th century
Architecture : Indo-Saracenic
Prince of Wales Museum is situated on M.G. Road, in the Fort area of Mumbai city. The origins of the museum have been found to date back to the beginning of the 20th century. It was founded to commemorate the visit of the Prince of Wales, King George V, to India. This is the reason why the museum was named as the 'Prince of Wales' Museum. However, the museum was renamed as the 'Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya' after the country attained independence.
Situated very near to the magnificent Gateway of India, the Prince of Wales Museum was constructed under the instructions of George Wittet. It has been built as per the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture. The building of the museum stands adorned with a huge and impressive dome of white color. The interiors of the building have been divided to comprise of three main sections - Art section, Archaeology section and Natural History section.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya is counted amongst the best museums not only in Mumbai, but the whole of India. Exhibited inside the museum are a number of rare displays, related to the history of India. There are also a number of relics from foreign countries. Prince of Wales Museum is home to numerous Indus Valley artifacts, which date back to 2000 BC, along with relics from the Gupta and Maurya Periods.
Valuable specimens of Tibetan and Nepali Art and the Buddhist tankha scrolls displayed here attract people from far and wide. There is a separate gallery inside the museum where one can see exquisite Tibetan bronzes. For those who are in love with paintings, there is an assimilation of over 2000 miniature paintings from the various art schools of India. Prince of Wales Museum remains open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10.30 am to 6.00 pm.