Albert Hall Museum

Situated in the Ram Niwas Garden of Jaipur, the Albert Hall Museum is the oldest in Rajasthan. Built-in 1876, it was initially envisioned to be a concert hall and resembles the architecture of the Victoria and Albert Hall Museum in London, hence, the name.

It is a standing example of Indo-Saracenic architecture and is also known as Government Central Museum. Albert Hall Museum has an extensive collection of artifacts brought from different regions of the world that are divided over a whopping 16 art galleries! The museum takes on a whole new facade as the night falls and the entire building glows with yellow lights, which looks extremely beautiful. You can relax in the gardens with the stunning view of Albert Hall in the backdrop. It is certainly a great place to get a peek into the history and ancient culture of India.

Flanked by lush green gardens, the foundation of Albert Hall was laid on 6 February 1876 when Albert Edward visited India. The galleries of the museum have a collection of antiques and artifacts from the past that will blow away your mind. The ancient coins, marble art, pottery, carpets, and especially the Egyptian mummy are a treat to the eyes of history buffs. The building itself from the outside has an alluring architecture. The Indo - Saracenic inspired domes and intricately carved arches constructed from sandstone are mesmerizing.

History of Albert Hall Museum

The foundation of Albert Hall was laid during the visit of the Prince of Wales, Albert Edward to Jaipur in 1876. It was not sure how the building would be used. On the suggestion of Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II in 1880, a temporary museum was built in 1881 to display the products of local craftsmen.

The Albert Hall was completed in 1887 by the architect, Samuel Swinton Jacob, Director of Jaipur PWD. The temporary museum, whose artifacts were collected from several parts of India and its neighbors was shifted to the new museum.
The building became a fine example of Indo-Saracenic architecture.

The corridors were decorated with murals in a variety of styles and European, Egyptian, Chinese, Greek, and Babylonian civilizations were portrayed to enable the visitors to develop their knowledge of art and history. Thus, Albert Hall became a center for imparting knowledge of the history of civilizations, inspiring artisans to enhance their skills, and preserving & developing traditional Indian arts, crafts, and architectural forms.

Gallery Collections at Albert Hall Museum

The Albert Hall Museum has different amusing galleries that showcase antiques and treasures from the nineteenth century. Some of them are-

1. Carpet Gallery- The collection has the 'Persian Garden Carpet' which is the best example of Persian garden carpets in the world. Purchased at the time of Mirza Raja Jai Singh I in 1632 A.D., the carpet depicts the scene of a Persian garden. It is divided into four parts which are sub-divided into many sections. Each part with different colors makes the carpet look magnificent. Fishes, birds, turtles, and other Chinese animals can also be seen. The gallery also has doormats and circular carpets with Mughal and floral patterns.

2. Clay Art Gallery- This gallery houses exquisite clay models from the 19th century depicting yogic postures, sociological themes, craft-making, etc.

3. Coin Gallery- In this interesting gallery, you will see a wide range of coins used by the Mughals and Britishers. Punch-marked coins are believed to be the earliest in the history of coins. Many Mughal period coins belonging to Akbar, Jehangir, Shahjahan, and Aurangzeb's reigns were discovered in various parts of Rajasthan. It is fascinating to see the evolution of currency.

4. Jewellery Gallery- It has all the inexpensive ornaments that were worn by peasants in the 19th century. They were made of silver and brass. Some of the items you can see are- anklets, rings, hair pins, bracelets, and necklaces.

5. Musical Instruments Gallery- This gallery has antique Indian musical instruments like Shehnai, Dhap, Pungi Ravan Hatha, etc.

There are other exciting galleries like garments, textiles, marble art, pottery, sculptures, metal art, arms, and armor.