Indian Museum, Kolkata - wikipedia Indian Museum, Kolkata Museum in West Bengal, India Indian Museum, Kolkata ভারতীয় জাদুঘর, কলকাতা भारतीय संग्रहालय, कोलकाता Courtyard Established 1814 Location Chowringhee - Kolkata, West Bengal, India Type Museum Collection size 102,646 ( as of March 31, 2004 ) Director Shri Rajesh Purohit Website indianmuseumkolkata.org The Indian Museum in Kolkata, also referred to as the Imperial Museum at Calcutta in British India era texts, is the largest and oldest museum in India and 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 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. the administrative control of the Cultural sections, viz. Art, Archaeology and Anthropology rests with the Board of Trustees under its Directorate, and that of the three other science sections is with the geological survey of India, the zoological survey of India and the Botanical survey of India. The museum Directorate has eight co-ordinating service units : Education, Preservation, publication, presentation, photography, medical, modelling and library. This multipurpose Institution with multidisciplinary activities is being included as an Institute of national importance in the seventh schedule of the Constitution of India. It is one of oldest museums in the world. This is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The present Director of the Indian Museum is Rajesh Purohit. The museum was closed to visitors due to massive restoration and upgrades from 1 September 2013 to 3 February 2014. Contents 1 History 2 Collections 3 Museum Gallery 4 References 5 External links History The Indian Museum originated from the Asiatic Society of Bengal which was created by Sir William Jones in 1784. The concept of having a museum arose in 1796 from members of the Asiatic Society as a place where man - made and natural objects could be collected, cared for and displayed. The objective began to look achievable in 1808 when the Society was offered suitable accommodation by the Government of India in the Chowringhee - Park Street area. The Indian Museum, ca 1905 In February 2, 1814, Nathaniel Wallich, a Danish botanist, who had been captured in the siege of Serampore but later released, wrote a letter supporting the formation of a museum in Calcutta which he said should have two sections - an archaeological, ethnological and technical section and a geological and zoological one. The Museum was created, with Wallich named the Honorary Curator and then Superintendent of the Oriental Museum of the Asiatic Society. Wallich also donated a number of botanical specimens to the museum from his personal collection. View of the courtyard After the resignation of Wallich, curators were paid salaries ranging from Rs 50 to Rs 200 a month. Until 1836 this salary was paid by the Asiatic Society but in that year its bankers, Palmer and Company became insolvent and the Government began to pay from its public funds. A temporary grant of Rs 200 per month was sanctioned for maintenance of the museum and library, and J.T. Pearson of the Bengal Medical Service was appointed curator followed shortly by John McClelland and after his resignation by Edward Blyth. In 1840, the Government took a keen interest in the geology and mineral resources and this led to an additional grant of Rs 250 per month for the geological section alone. A new building became a need and this was designed by Walter R Granville and completed in 1875 for the cost of Rs 1, 40,000. In 1879 it received a portion of the collection from the India Museum ( South Kensington ) when that collection was dispersed. Ivory Durga Idol, Indian Museum, Kolkata The Zoological and Anthropological sections of the museum gave rise to the Zoological Survey of India in 1916, which in turn gave rise to the Anthropological Survey of India in 1945. The Scottish anatomist and zoologist John Anderson took up the position of curator in 1865, and catalogued the mammal and archaeology collections. The English zoologist James Wood - Mason worked at the museum from 1869 and succeeded Anderson as curator in 1887. Collections Egyptian human mummy, about 4,000 yrs old, at Indian Museum. It currently ( 2009 ) occupies a resplendent mansion, and exhibits among others : an Egyptian mummy, The organs are taken out of the mummy 's body through nostrils, except heart. The heart is placed in special chambers. The body was then massaged with salt and oil. The covering was done by thin cotton cloth the Buddhist stupa from Bharhut, the Buddha 's ashes, the Ashoka pillar, whose four - lion symbol became the official emblem of the Republic of India, fossil skeletons of prehistoric animals, an art collection, rare antiques, and a collection of meteorites. stone sculpture of Devi Durga in kolkata The Indian Museum is also regarded as `` the beginning of a significant epoch initiating the socio - cultural and scientific achievements of the country. It is otherwise considered as the beginning of the modernity and the end of mediaeval era '' by UZER Places. Museum Gallery National Emblem in the Museum Elephant skeleton Showcases with different types of fossils Egyptian Exhibit Stone imprint of Buddha 's foot Buddha Palaeoloxodon namadicus, extinct elephant Ashok Stambha Skull of Indus Valley inhabitants Young goat with 8 legs The Mathura Herakles. References Jump up ^ Comptroller & Auditor General of India report No. 4 of 2005 ( Civil ) of CHAPTER III : MINISTRY OF CULTURE, p : 31 Jump up ^ History of Indian Museum, Kolkata, Ministry of Culture, Government of India Jump up ^ Government of India, Ministry of Culture, ANNUAL REPORT 2008 - 09 p. 27 Jump up ^ `` Indian Participants - National Council of Science Museums. '' Ncsm.gov.in/TenderDoc/Announcement % 20Brochure % 20India. pdf. N.p., n.d. Web. Jump up ^ `` : : : Indian Museum : : :. '' : : : Indian Museum : : :. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 December 2013. Jump up ^ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AIndian_Museum_Under_Renovation_-_Kolkata_2013-10-10_3242.JPG Jump up ^ `` History of Indian Museum ''. Website of the Indian Museum. Ministry of Culture, Government of India. 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2013. Jump up ^ `` History of Indian Museum ( second page ) ''. Website of the Indian Museum. Ministry of Culture, Government of India. 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2013. Jump up ^ Official website of Indian Museum, Biography of Nathaniel Wallich Jump up ^ Anon. ( 1927 ) A short guide to the Indian Museum. Calcutta Jump up ^ Desmond, Ray ( 1982 ) The India Museum 1801 - 1879 Her Majesty 's Stationery Office, London, ISBN 0 - 11 - 580088 - 3 Jump up ^ `` Appendix K : The Anthropological Survey of India ( The Andamanese by George Weber ) ''. 10 September 2005. Archived from the original on 25 May 2006. Jump up ^ Smith MA ( 1931 ). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. I. -- Loricata, Testudines. London : Secretary of State for India in Council. ( Taylor and Francis, printers ). xxviii + 185 pp. + Plates I - II. ( `` Anderson, Dr. John, F.R.S., 1833 -- 1900 '', p. 10 ). Jump up ^ Britannica encyclopedia. Tata Mcgraw Hill. March 2002. Jump up ^ `` Indian Museum UZER ''. myuzer. xyz. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 20. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Indian Museum, Kolkata. Official Website History of Indian Museum Indian Museum Kolkata at Google Cultural Institute Don Bosco Museum The Indian Museum Completes 200 Years by Shakunt Pandey Kolkata topics History Bengali renaissance Black Hole of Calcutta Bhurshut Calcutta Flag Dihi Panchannagram Direct Action Day Dutch Bengal Gobindapur History of Kolkata Presidency division Job Charnock Kalighat Falta Railway Kalikata Lal Dighi Maratha Ditch Robert Clive Sabarna Roy Choudhury Siege of Calcutta Sutanuti State Archaeological Gallery The Calcutta Quran Petition Warren Hastings Battle of Biderra Nabakrishna Deb Rabindranath Tagore Localities and streets Kolkata Metropolitan Area Neighbourhoods list Streets ( list ) Ethnic enclaves Bow Barracks ( Anglo - Indian ) Chinatown, Kolkata ( Chinese ) Tangra, Kolkata ( Chinese ) Armani - para ( Armenian ) Buildings Belvedere Estate Indian Museum Jorasanko Thakur Bari Calcutta High Court Marble Palace National Library of India Netaji Bhawan Raj Bhavan Sabarna Sangrahashala Shaheed Minar Victoria Memorial St. Paul 's Cathedral Metcalfe Hall Writers ' Building Metropolitan Building Grand Hotel Shobhabazar Rajbari High rises Completed Chatterjee International Center South City Tata Centre Industry House Everest House Jeevan Sudha GOI Building Hiland Park Upcoming The 42 Urbana Uniworld City Education Secondary Calcutta Boys ' School Calcutta Girls ' High School Don Bosco School, Park Circus Hare School Hindu School, Kolkata La Martiniere Calcutta Loreto Schools Ramakrishna, Narendrapur Sainik School, Purulia Scottish Church Collegiate School South Point School St. Xavier 's Collegiate School St. Paul 's School, Darjeeling St. James ' School ( Kolkata ) Higher Aliah University Asiatic Society Asutosh College Vivekananda College Marine Engineering and Research Institute Bethune College Government College of Engineering and Ceramic Technology Medical College and Hospital Calcutta National Medical College Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur Indian Institute of Management Calcutta Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management Indian Statistical Institute Jadavpur University Maulana Azad College Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology National Library of India Netaji Subhas Open University Presidency University Rabindra Bharati University Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics School of Tropical Medicine Scottish Church College St. Xavier 's College University of Calcutta West Bengal University of Health Sciences West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences Calcutta School of Music Industry and economy ABP Group Allahabad Bank AMRI Hospitals Andrew Yule and Company Baidyanath Group Balmer Lawrie Batanagar Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Berger Paints Bharat Bhari Udyog Nigam Biecco Lawrie Birds Jute and Export Birla Corporation Braithwaite & Co. Braithwaite, Burn & Jessop Construction Company Bridge and Roof Company Britannia Industries Burn & Company Burnpur Burn Standard Company Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation ( CESC ) Calcutta Stock Exchange Chandras ' Chemical Factory Coal India Damodar Valley Corporation Emami Exide Industries Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers GKB Opticals Hawkers Hind Motor Hindustan Ambassador IISCO India Government Mint, Kolkata ITC Limited Jai Balaji group Jessop & Company Kolkata Port Trust Lexulous Limtex Lux Industries Magma Fincorp National Insurance Company Peerless Group Saregama Sinclairs Hotels Limited Tata Global Beverages The Juice Station The Park Hotels UCO Bank United Bank of India VISA Steel Transportation Road Calcutta Tramways Company Calcutta State Transport Corporation Kalyani Expressway Kolkata Bus Rapid Transit System West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation South Bengal State Transport Corporation Howrah Bridge ( Rabindra Setu ) Belghoria Expressway Vidyasagar Setu Vivekananda Setu Nivedita Setu Golden Quadrilateral Rickshaw Hand - pulled rickshaw Rail Kolkata Metro Kolkata Circular Railway Kolkata Suburban Railway Eastern Railway South Eastern Railway Trams in Kolkata Kolkata LRTS Howrah Junction railway station Kolkata railway station Sealdah railway station Shalimar railway station Kolkata Monorail Sea Port of Kolkata Air Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport List of airports Culture Kolkata Book Fair Calcutta Youth Choir Coffee House Dwarkin Festivals Kolkata International Film Festival Dover Lane Music Conference Kolkata in the media Music of Bengal Nandan Priya Rabindra Nritya Natya Rabindra Sangeet Ritwik Ghatak Satyajit Ray Feluda Byomkesh Bakshi Tollywood Ghosts in Bengali culture Adda P.C. Sorcar Football Kolkata Derby Group theatre of Kolkata Places of worship Hindu Belur Math Dakshineswar Kali Temple Kalighat Christian St. Paul 's Cathedral Portuguese Church St. John 's Church Parasnath Temple Tipu Sultan Mosque Birla Mandir, Kolkata Chinese temples in Kolkata Magen David Synagogue Sports ATK Barasat Stadium B.C. Roy Trophy Beighton Cup Bengal cricket team Calcutta Cricket and Football Club Calcutta Polo Club Calcutta South Club Bengal Tigers Bhawanipore F.C. Calcutta Cricket and Football Club Calcutta Football League Dalhousie A.C. East Bengal Club East Bengal Ground Eastern Railway F.C. Eden Gardens Indian Football Association IFA Shield Kalighat F.C. Kishore Bharati Krirangan Kolkata Derby Kolkata Knight Riders No Dada No KKR Kolkata Police Friendship Cup Football Tournament Kolkata Vipers Mohammedan Sporting Club Mohammedan Sporting Ground Mohun Bagan Athletic Club Mohun Bagan Ground Netaji Indoor Stadium Pailan Arrows United S.C. Rabindra Sarobar Stadium Royal Bengal Tigers Salt Lake Stadium Sunfeast Open Southern Samity Subroto Cup Aryan F.C. Tollygunge Agragami F.C. West Bengal football team Other topics Someplace Else Princeton Club Calcutta Club Adwaita Zoological Garden, Alipore Bengal Club Central Forensic Science Laboratory Calcutta Rowing Club Electoral constituencies List of people from Kolkata Fort William Hooghly River Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden Kundu Special Chinese of Calcutta Early phase of printing in Calcutta Legendary personalities in Bengal Maidan Missionaries of Charity Rabindra Sarobar Royal Calcutta Golf Club South Park Street Cemetery Sundarbans National Park Tolly Portal Coordinates : 22 ° 33 ′ 29 '' N 88 ° 21 ′ 03 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 22.55806 ° N 88.35083 ° E ﻿ / 22.55806 ; 88.35083 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indian_Museum,_Kolkata&oldid=846367235 '' Categories : 1814 establishments in British India National museums of India Art museums and galleries in India Archaeological museums in India Natural history museums in India Museums established in 1814 Museums in Kolkata World 's fair sites in India Hidden categories : EngvarB from March 2016 Use dmy dates from March 2016 Articles with short description Coordinates on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikispecies বাংলা Cymraeg Deutsch Français 한국어 हिन्दी Nederlands ਪੰਜਾਬੀ پنجابی Polski Русский தமிழ் 4 more Edit links This page was last edited on 18 June 2018, at 09 : 06 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: where is the largest museum of india located
Answer: Kolkata