After my visit to the Jakhoo temple in Shimla, the next place which I decided to visit was the State museum of Shimla. The Shimla State museum is known for its rich collection of amazing paintings, sculptures, coin collections, handicrafts collection and photographs of not just the state of Himachal Pradesh but outside the state too. The museum is one of the prominent attractions in the Mall area of Shimla. It has an architecture similar to colonial edifice with the sprawling lawns all around it. The museum was inaugurated in the year 1974.
The museum is open for the general public on all the days except for Mondays from 10 Am to 5 PM. It also has a wonderful library which is equipped with many historical and interesting books on the state of Himachal Pradesh along with a host of manuscripts. The purpose for which this museum was erected was to preserve this cultural heritage and legacy of the state of Himachal Pradesh and also to disseminate this knowledge and culture across the generations of state.
The museum on a daily basis is visited by many tourists who come with their children and other kids. This place is must for all the kids who are interested to know about the history of Himachal Pradesh. The paintings inside the museum depict the lives of the people living in the hills. There is also a large collection of the Mughal paintings and artefacts from Rajasthani culture. There is also a wide display of the Himachali dolls in the museum.
The place is visited by the research scholars from across the country and globe as it has good knowledge about this part of the Indian nation. There are various galleries inside the museum, some of which includes, Pre historic gallery consisting of artefacts from stone age time. The wood carving gallery has the wood remains of the ancient temples and the traditional wooden work. Similarly there are galleries like Wall Painting Gallery and Archaeology Gallery. It was a good visit to this museum.
The next place that I visited in Shimla was the Himachal State Museum.