The State is set to have a museum in each district taking their number from 16 to 30 in due course of time.
This is part of a long-pending project that is finally taking shape and each museum will reflect the heritage, culture, and archaeologically significant collections of the region.
Officials who are abreast of the developments told The Hindu that the cost per museum may be around ₹1 crore for displaying artefacts and heritage collections besides creating infrastructure for exhibition. “The project was pending since many years but is finally set to see the light of the day as the customary approvals have been secured for it,” the officials said.
They said no money will be spent on construction of new buildings and this will reduce the cost of creating the new museums. “Many government offices across the State are in the process of being shifted to the new mini Vidhana Soudhas that are completed or nearing completion. A portion of the vacant offices thus created will be utilised to display the exhibits,” said sources.
It is only when it is inevitable that a new building may be proposed but for the time being, the authorities do not foresee such a scenario. The government museums in the State are administered by the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage and in addition to 16 museums at present, there are two art galleries governed by it.
While there are 16 State-owned museums in Karnataka, there is no dearth of private museums or those attached to various institutions. Mysuru being a major tourist destination plays host to a slew of museums, including the Jaganmohan Palace (Sri Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery), Sand Sculpture Museum, Shell Museum, and the Wax Museum showcasing life-size wax statues of prominent personalities, among others. In addition, there are museums in various institutions as well.
Other museums in the city include the Rail Museum (now under renovation), Archaeological Museum at the Exhibition Grounds, Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Government Museum at Wellington House, Folklore Museum at the Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion, Mansagangotri campus, the Regional Museum of Natural History at Siddarthanagar, and R.K. Narayan’S Bungalow among others.
The bungalow of Diwan Purnaiah located at Yellandur in Chamarajanagar district has been developed to showcase some of the archival documents related to his period.
Meanwhile, as part of International Museum Day, the authorities will launch Museum on Wheels on Saturday and ferry people (who have already registered for it) around the museums of the city.