Indian Museum (Jadu Ghar Museum) - Museums in Calcutta

In 1814, the Indian Museum was established at Serampore which is close to Kolkata. It was founded by a Danish botanist, Dr Nathaniel Wallich. This museum is one of the oldest museums in the world and a multi-disciplinary organization of national level.

In Asia, it is the first museum of its kind and the biggest museum in India. For the period 1814 to 1878, the museum was situated in the Asiatic society at Kolkata.

The museum comprises of a glorious mansion, where the following items are exhibited – collection of meteorites, rare antiques, an art collection, fossil skeletons of prehistoric animals (eg dinosaurs), the Ashoka pillar, the Buddha’s ashes, the Buddhist stupa from Bharhut and an Egyptian mummy.

The museum also has Mughal paintings, mummies, skeletons, fossils, armor and ornaments. This museum is open from 10 am to 5 pm on all days, except Mondays and recognized holidays.

The museum closes at 4:30 pm from December to February. One has to take prior written permission from the authorities for taking any photographs in the museum. The entry fee for Indians is 0.233 USD (10 INR) and for foreigners is 3.495 USD (150 INR).