'Central museum, Indore, India, Part-I' by K.J.S.Chatrath

I visited the Central Museum Indore a few months back.

It is located near the General Post Office in Indore. There are two galleries in the Museum. The artifacts exhibited in the museum range from the prehistoric to the modern era. It was established in 1929. It is also known as Central Museum. Address: Near GPO Square, Navlakha, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 452001

Kartikeya. From Hinglajgarh (Mandsaur), circa 10th century A.D. 

Vamana. From Hinglajgarh (Mandsaur), circa 11th century A.D. 

Laxmi Narayan. From Kumbar, Mandsaur, circa 12th century A.D. 

Laxmi Narayan. From Kumbar, Mandsaur, circa 12th century A.D.

Laxmi Narayan. From Kumbar, Mandsaur, circa 12th century A.D. 

Ambika. From Hinglajgarh (Mandsaur), circa 11th century A.D. 

Ambika. From Hinglajgarh (Mandsaur), circa 11th century A.D. 

Garudasin Vishnu. From Hinglajgarh (Mandsaur), circa 11th century A.D. 

Mithuna. From Hinglajgarh (Mandsaur), circa 11th century A.D. 

'Badri Vishal Ki Jai' by K.J.S.Chatrath

I was fortunate to be present at the re-opening of the doors of Badrinath Ji in May 2013 after the winter closure.

'Bharhut Gallery, Indian Museum, Kolkata, India' by K.J.S.Chatrath

Earlier this year, I spent a few days in Kolkata. The most satisfying day was when I visited the Indian Museum there. One day is just too short a period for a museum like this, so I tried to make the best use of my time.

 On entering the building one is welcomed by a huge statue.

 This photo is by Biswarup Ganguly Wiki

I started with the Bharhut Gallery:
 

Bharhut is a village located in the Satna district of Madhya Pradesh, central India. It is known for its famous relics from a Buddhist stupa. The Bharhut sculptures represent some of the earliest examples of Indian and Buddhist art

Bharhut sculpture, early Indian sculpture of the Shunga period (mid-2nd century bce) that decorated the great stupa, or relic mound, of Bharhut, in Madhya Pradesh state. It has been largely destroyed, and most of the existing remains—railings and entrance gateways—are now in the Indian Museum in Kolkata (Calcutta). The Bharhut style, though at times archaic and primitive in its conception, marks the beginnings of a tradition of Buddhist narrative relief and decoration of sacred buildings that continued for several centuries. Sculptures similar to the Bharhut remains are located throughout northern India, suggesting that the Bharhut site was the main place for this style type.

The magnificent remains of the railings and gateway of the Buddhist stupa discovered in 1873 from Bharhut near Satna in Madhya Pradesh are displayed in the gallery of the museum from 1878. The railings, about nine feet high, consist of pillars, cross-bars and running coping stones. The eastern gateway of the stupa bout twenty-three feet high had survived the ravages of time while others, once placed on cardinal directions were lost.

 Profusely carved in  red sandstone depicting scenes from the Buddha's pre-birth stories, floral and other animal motifs; besides yakshas, yanshinis and devtas, the Bharhut remains constitute a visual store-house for the reconstruction of the political, social, economic and cultural history of India  during 2nd - 1st century B.C.E.
 

 The sculptures of Bharhut mark a new period in the field of indigenous art tradition. Many of the scenes bear short labels in Brahmi script of the 2nd century B.C.E. and mention donors who provided funds for the construction of various parts of the stupa. On  a gateway pillar, there is an inscription recording its erection during the reign of the Sungas by Vatsiputra Dhanabhuti.

(Text based on Encyclopaedia Britannica and an explanatory board in the Indian Museum, Kolkata)

'400 year old mural in Jhanda Sahib Darbar Sahib, Uttrakhand, India' by K.J.S.Chatrath