Hyderabad's Salar Jung to get more galleries by end of 2019

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad' s love for heritage has been up for display for a while with the ongoing calls against razing of the 150-year-old Errum Manzil.

Meanwhile, another proof of how important art and history remains for its citizens can be found in the fact that its Salar Jung Museum is facing the problem of excessive footfall.

So much so that the museum is forced to stop the sale of tickets each time total visitors reach a ‘saturation point’. 

In an attempt to cater to the increasing crowds at Salar Jung, new galleries are being constructed to shift artefacts from lower to upper floors, which are expected to be ready by the end of this year.

Speaking to Express, A Nagender Reddy, director of Salar Jung Museum said, “We usually stop the sale of tickets for an hour or so to let the crowd disperse on days we reach the saturation point. However, we are also adding new galleries and renovating the upper floors to accommodate wings like Islamic Studies and a separate Furniture wing. These will also help us conduct exhibitions.” 

Reddy further claims that Salar Jung is currently the second-highest revenue grossing museum in the country, after only Kolkata’s Victoria Memorial. Each year, Salar Jung attracts over 13 lakh people, which is five lakh less than Victoria Memorial, he adds.

“We earn over Rs 2 crore in revenue from tickets, including photography and videography tickets, and rents of souvenir shops. However, Salar Jung is not just a tourist location. It is an educational institution for art and history enthusiasts. So increasing crowd will take away the integrity of the place.”

He further added, “Victoria Memorial’s expanded garden area attracts more people than the museum itself. But all the 13 lakh people who come to Salar Jung, are only visiting the museum.”