Asutosh Museum of Indian Art

Founded in 1937, the Asutosh Museum of Indian Art is the first public museum to be established in any University in India. The museum is named after Sir Asutosh Mukherjee, the prolific Bengali educator and the vice-chancellor of the University of Calcutta. He was responsible for introducing the study of Indology including Indian art and archaeology at the university level. The museum stands for preservation, presentation and even studies Indian art, antiquity and archaeology. While the museum had very humble beginning with only five items, today the collection exceeds 25000 artifacts. The artifacts comprise terracotta figurines, folk art objects, textiles and many more. Marvel at the row of the majestic sculptures from different parts of Bengal, Orissa and Bihar and admire the seals and beads dating back to the Pala and Sena dynasties that ruled Bengal in the 9th and the 10 century AD respectively. Apart from that, the museum houses several artifacts and sculptures dating back to the Gupta Period, upholding the classical style of Gupta art and architecture. Since the museum is a part of the Calcutta University, it provides academic support to research students from streams like Sanskrit, Pali, Islamic History, Bengali, Ancient Indian History, and Archaeology. A somewhat unique, include the Asutosh Museum of Indian Art in your tour for a memorable experience.