Indian Museum
The courtyard of the Indian Museum | |
| Established | 2 February 1814 |
|---|---|
| Location | 27, Chowringhee Road, Park Street, Kolkata - 700016 |
| Coordinates | 22°33′29″N 88°21′03″E / 22.55806°N 88.35083°E |
| Type | Museum |
| Collection size | 2.5 million |
| Director | Arijit Dutta Choudhury |
| Public transit access | Park Street |
| Website | indianmuseumkolkata |
The Indian Museum (formerly called Imperial Museum of Calcutta) is a grand museum in Central Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is the ninth oldest museum in the world and the oldest, as well as the largest museum in Asia, by size of collection. It has rare collections of antiques, armour and ornaments, fossils, skeletons, mummies and Mughal paintings. It was founded by the Asiatic Society of Bengal in Kolkata (Calcutta), India, in 1814. The founder curator was Nathaniel Wallich, a Danish botanist.
It has six sections comprising thirty five galleries of cultural and scientific artifacts namely Indian art, archaeology, anthropology, geology, zoology and economic botany. Many rare and unique specimens, both Indian and trans-Indian, relating to humanities and natural sciences, are preserved and displayed in the galleries of these sections. In particular the art and archaeology sections hold collections of international importance.
It is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The present Director of the Indian Museum is Shri Arijit Dutta Choudhury who is also the Director General, NCSM and having the additional charge of Director General of National Library.