Odisha State Museum

The Odisha State Museum is a repository of a rich collection of ancient items, manuscripts, sculptures, armory, and textiles that depicts the historic culture of India and the state of Odisha. One of the most visited tourist spots, Odisha Museum has some unique and one of the largest collection of manuscripts that people from all over the country come to see.

About the Museum

Established in 1938 in Cuttack, the beautiful Odisha State Museum was shifted to Bhubaneswar when the capital was shifted. The museum houses numerous galleries that showcase the natural and ancient history of India and Odisha through various art and crafts, armory, textiles, manuscripts, coins, etc. The museum also works to collect and preserves old and unique items and maintains journals which are available online and also organizes exhibitions and seminars to enlighten the visitors.

The museum has a rich collection of sculptures, numismatics, copper plates, antiquities, and specimens. The art and the artifacts present in the museum give an overview of the tradition and rich history of India as well as the heritage of Odisha. Apart from this, the major highlight of the museum are the sculptures categorized into three groups of varied styles which are Gandhara Art, Odishan Art, and North Indian Art. The other galleries entail a rich assortment of paintings, armory, epigraphy, bronze, anthropology, and natural history.

Some of the famous galleries of the museum are:

• Epigraphy and Numismatics Gallery: The gallery displays ancient coins from the medieval period of Odisha and is of more interest to the history buffs or someone with a hobby of collecting old coins.
• Natural History Segment: This gallery showcases specimens of rare and ancient mammals and birds and depict their evolution through time.
• The Armory Gallery: The weaponry excavated from archaeological sites and some donated to the museum by the kings of Odisha are displayed in this gallery.
• The Manuscript Gallery: The museum boasts of one of the finest collections of ancient manuscripts which is also probably one of the richest and largest collection in the country as well. INTACH works on the preservation of the ancient manuscripts that are inscribed on palm leaves.
• The Paika Gallery: This is a new addition to the museum which throws light on the Paika revolution – the uprising of the Paika’s (the warrior clan of Odisha) against the Britishers.

There are other galleries as well such as Mining and Geology gallery, Archaeology, Anthropology, and Art and Craft gallery. A place rich in history and art, the Odisha State Museum is a repository of olden items that reflects the lifestyle of the people that lived in the ancient era and is an ideal place for history enthusiasts and art lovers too.