The Maharaja
Sawai Man Singh II Museum has a royal name and setting, Chandra Mahal
Palace, built Singh when he constructed his new capital at Jaipur in 1727.
Divided into five comprehensive sections, the rmuseum display in suitable
splendid surroundings the ancestral collection of former maharajas.
Paintings, manuscripts, maps, carpets, textiles, costumes, weapons and
decorative art objects depict countly life in Jaipur state between the
16th and 19th century.
Vastragar, the textile and costume
gallery, occupies the upper floor of Mubarak Mahal, the building added at
the end of the 19th century. Here, fin brocades, embroideries, patkas,
Kashmiri woollen and pashmina shawls, Sanganeri blockprints and mashru
from Gujarat jostle with royal costumes. Among the latter is an immense
atamsukh worn by the 2.1 m tall Sawai Madho Singh in the 18th century.
There are other rare and interesting objects like the giant
silver vessels, each weighing 3.5 quintals, especially made to contain
Gangajal (Ganga water). The Guinness Book of Records lists these as the
largest silver objects in the world. Among a fine collection of carpets is
one from Herat which is more than 17m long. The Silehkhana, with its
painted and mirrored ceiling, contains a large selection of weapons which
include varieties of swords and daggers, some with delicately carved jade,
ivory, crystal and hom handles and some enamelled and encrusted with
jewels.
The reserve collection contains handwritten and
illustrated copies of the Ramayana and Mahabharata translated into Persian
for Emperor Akbar's personal library; European printed books, manuscripts
on mathematics and astronomy, 18th century maps, architectural ground
plans of Jaipur, Amber and other forts and Mughal glass objects. Another
interesting collection is of mid 19th century glass negatives and
collodion prints taken by the photographer - maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II.
Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum
City Palace, Jaipur 302
002
Timing: 9.30 am to 4.45 pm
Closed on some public
holidays.
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