Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum

Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum is a museum situated in Mumbai near Byculla Zoo, Byculla East. It is the oldest museum in Mumbai, and houses many art works, mainly decorative and industrial arts.

The museum was established in 1855 as Central Museum of Natural History, Economy, Geology, Industry and Arts. However, it was closed to the public in 1857, and all collections inside were shifted to the Town Hall. In 1858, a committee was formed to raise money for construction of a new building, which was accomplished successfully. Eventually the foundation of the new building was laid in the year 1862 and the construction was completed in 1871.

The museum was opened on 2 May 1872 as The Victoria and Albert Museum, Bombay. In 1975, this museum was renamed as The Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum in honour of Dr. Bhau Daji Lad who was part of the committee that raised money to construct the new building for it in 1858.

In 2003, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH)  undertook the refurbishment work for the museum building. After five years of refurbishment work, the museum reopened to the public yet again in January 2008.

Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum houses a large number of archaeological finds, maps and historical photographs of Mumbai, clay models, silver and copper ware and costumes.

These are some other things part of the museum’s collections:

• A 17th-century manuscript of Hatim Tai – which is one of its most ancient and significant elements.
• An iconic Kala Ghoda statue (literally meaning black horse)
• A monolithic basalt elephant sculpture – This is installed outside the museum. It was apparently recovered from the sea, and found to have originated from Elephanta Island.

The museum is great for kids as well as adults for sightseeing, educational purposes, photography, etc.

The entry fee is INR 10 for adults and INR 5 for children (Indian Citizens) and INR 100 for foreigners. The museum is open from 10 am to 6 pm every day except Wednesdays. It is closed on public holidays.

Tickets can be booked on the official site of the museum, by registering oneself. Another point to note is that photography is allowed here but videography is prohibited. So filming cameras or video apps cannot be used inside.

Ways to reach the museum or travel from here to other places:

• Byculla railway station is the closest from here and can be reached within 3 minutes by walk. Trains can be boarded here to reacah other parts of the city.
• Buses are also available to various parts of Mumbai from Mahalakshmi station which is close to the place.
• The museum is 15.3 km away from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International airpoirt, which can be reached in about 30 minutes by road.

Some nearby attractions include:

• Bandra-Worli Sea Link
• Marine Drive
• Kanheri Caves
• Siddhivinayak Temple

There are some great restaurants close to the museum area like The Peshwa Pavilion, Mostly Grills, and Hotel Ramashray, which provide good Indian food and street delicacies.