The Albert Hall Museum is the oldest museum in Jaipur, Rajasthan. It is situated in the Ram Niwas Garden. Built-in the year 1876, it was initially planned to be a concert hall. It resembles the architecture of the Victoria and Albert Hall Museum in London, so, the name. Also known as the Government Central Museum, it is a standing example of the Indo-Saracenic architecture. Albert Hall Museum holds a large collection of artefacts brought from the different regions of the world that stand divided over a whopping 16 art galleries! So in the coming sections, you would get a chance of things to know about Albert Hall Museum in Jaipur.
The museum takes on a whole new appearance as the night falls and the entire building glows with yellow lights, which looks extremely elegant. You can relax in the gardens with the remarkable view of Albert Hall in the backdrop. So, undoubtedly, a great place to get a glimpse into the history and ancient culture of India.
Bordered by lush green gardens, the foundation of Albert Hall happened on 6 February 1876 when Albert Edward visited India. The galleries of the museum have a combination of antiques and artefacts from the past which will blow away your mind. The antique coins, marble art, pottery, carpets and especially the Egyptian mummy are a gift to the eyes of history lovers. The building itself from the outside has an amazing architecture. The Indo – Saracenic inspired domes and intricately sculpted arches constructed from sandstone is marvellous.
Albert Hall Museum: History
The foundation of Albert Hall was placed during the visit of the Prince of Wales, Albert Edward to Jaipur in the year 1876. So, it was not sure how the building would be used. Due to the suggestion of Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II in 1880, a temporary museum was established in 1881 to display the products of local artisans. The construction of Albert Hall was completed in 1887 by the architect, Samuel Swinton Jacob, Director of Jaipur PWD. The temporary museum, whose artefacts were gathered from several parts of India and its neighbours moved in the new museum.
The building became an excellent example of Indo-Saracenic architecture. The corridors were adorned with decorations in a variety of styles. European, Egyptian, Chinese, Greek and Babylonian civilizations were characterised to enable the visitors to develop their knowledge of art and history. So, Albert Hall became a centre for giving knowledge of the history of civilizations. It also enabled inspiring artisans to enhance their skills and preserving & developing traditional Indian arts, crafts and architectural forms.
Albert Hall Museum: Gallery Collections
One of the major things to know about The Albert Hall Museum is that it also possesses different amusing galleries showcasing antiques and treasures from the nineteenth century. You can get to know about a few of them below.
Carpet Gallery
The collection has the ‘Persian Garden Carpet’ which is an excellent example of Persian garden carpets in the world. Acquired at the time of Mirza Raja Jai Singh I in 1632 A.D, the carpet represents the scene of a Persian garden. It is divided into four parts which are sub-divided into many segments. Each segment with different colours makes the carpet look great. You can see fishes, birds, turtles and other Chinese animals as well. The gallery also has doormats, circular carpets with Mughal and floral designs.
Clay Art Gallery
This gallery houses elegant clay models from the 19th century representing yogic postures, sociological themes, craft-making etc.
Coin Gallery
In this exciting gallery, you can see a wide range of coins used by Mughals and Britishers. Punch-marked coins remain considered to be the earliest in the history of coins. You will be able to see many Mughal period coins belonging to Akbar, Jehangir, Shahjahan and Aurangzeb’s reigns. It is interesting to see the evolution of currency.
Jewellery Gallery
You can see all the inexpensive ornaments worn by peasants in the 19th century. They were usually made of silver and brass. Some of the objects you can see are anklets, rings, hairpins, bracelets and necklaces.
Musical Instruments Gallery
This gallery has ancient Indian musical instruments like Shehnai, Dhap, Pungi Ravan Hatha etc. You can also visit other interesting galleries like garments, textiles, marble art, pottery, sculptures, metal art, arms and armour.
Albert Hall Museum: Timings
Albert Hall Museum is open on all days from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
Albert Hall Museum: Entry Fees
1. General entry ticket
Indian visitor should pay INR 40
Overseas visitor should pay INR 300
The above tickets are available only at the ticket counter.
2. Composite entry ticket
You can purchase this ticket for visiting all or any of the following sites – Amber Fort, Albert Hall, Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar, Nahargarh Fort, Vidyadhar Garden, Sisodia Rani Garden & Isarlat or Sargasooli in two consecutive days.
Indian visitor should pay INR 300
Overseas visitor should pay INR 1000
Composite entry tickets are available only at the ticket counters of Amber Fort, Albert Hall, Hawa Mahal and Jantar Mantar.
3. Nighttime entry ticket (7:00 PM to 10:00 PM)
Entry fee is nil for children below seven years. Entry of all visitors is free on specific days like Rajasthan Day, World Heritage Day, World Museum Day and World Tourism Day.
Albert Hall Museum: Best time to visit
Winters are best to explore Jaipur due to the weather conditions. November to February give you an ideal chance to visit the city. The days are warm with soothing sun rays. Avoid visiting during the summer season which starts from April and lasts until August. This is because the temperature reaches 45 degrees Celsius, and it is extremely hot.
You can visit the museum during the night time as the building looks stunning due to the yellow lights gives a different view.
Albert Hall Museum: How to reach
The Albert Hall is located near Ajmeri Gate, in Ramniwas Bagh. The most comfortable way to reach the hall is to grab an autorickshaw or a taxi. Be careful with the auto drivers as they usually charge higher from foreigners. So, you can book cabs in Jaipur to be on the safer side.
Commonly called as Albert Hall Museum, Government Central Museum is among famous places to see in Jaipur. Visit it to examine a collection of local king’s portraits, artefacts, handicrafts and paintings of the glorious past of the city and the royal families. So, book a trip with Pickyourtrail and get a glimpse of things to know about the Albert Hall Museum.
Interesting Read: Victoria And Albert Museum, The Worlds Largest Archive Of Human Knowledge