Art Galleries & Museums

The Ram Katha Museum or the Ram Katha Sangrahalaya (located at the Raj Sadan in Ayodhya), the other name by which it is popularly known was established in the year 1988.

The Ram Katha Museum, India houses a very interesting collection of arts and artifacts. Common tourists are definitely drawn to it but it holds a special appeal for the lovers of history in particular. The coins, rare palm leaf manuscripts and pottery that are exhibited here throw a great deal of light on the past.

Rail Museum: In the year 1979, the Rail Museum was set up in Mysore. The museum is located at Krishnaraja Sagar Road. The development of railways is depicted in the Chamundi Gallery of the museum. The Sri Ranga marquee has two royal coaches which belonged to the Maharaja of Mysore.

The museum also has on display the first steam engine built in India. A battery operated toy train which takes the visitors round the museum grounds. Children are more attracted towards the toy train.

The museum on the banks of the Karanji Lake with Chamundi hills as its background is known as the National Museum on Natural History. The museum is dedicated to nature and the natural world.

It provides information of fauna and flora of South India, ecological interrelationships. Providing students biological studies, and to develop environment awareness among the people are the main objectives of the museum.

The museum has showcase art gallery which deals with Biological Diversity, Evolution of man kind, Ecology and preservation and growth of Man and the Environment.

150 years old Jaganmohan Palace in Mysore is one of the oldest buildings. The palace is a beautiful and ornamental building which was built by the Kings of Mysore. Before the main Mysore palace was built, the Jaganmohan palace was the house of the royal family. The palace is witness to many cultural activities and conferences as it is located in the heart of the city.

Two huge wooden doors with carvings of the Dashavatharas of Lord Vishnu can be seen in the palace. The main structure has three stories which displays the paintings and artifacts of the Kings of Mysore.

Situated in the distinguished Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion, the Folklore Museum is a telling depository of folk culture. There are about 6500 folklore articles displayed. The museum is hailed as one of the most prominent of its kind in Asia. The museum is supposed to be an important tourist spot.

This museum was founded in the year 1968 and houses around 7,000 unequalled folklore displays from all over the city. It also displays South Indian playthings, marionettes and house hold objects.

Bejai Museum, also known as Seemanthi Bai Government Museum, is located at Bejai in the heart of the Mangalore city. It is named after the mother Seemanthi Bai of an officer V.R. Mirajkar of British Raj.

It is the city's only museum, and links modern Indian history with the 16th century. The museum provides a great knowledge into the Indian history and heritage through the collections of ancient and foreign coins, some belonging to British East India Company and Pakistan, and stylish paintings among others.

The museum is located beside the Chandra Shekar Azab park. It was inaugurated in 1947. The museum has separate galleries — 18 of them — dedicated and devoted to archaeological findings, natural history exhibits, art gallery and terracotta artifacts. The museum also displays the documents and the personal effects of Jawaharlal Nehru and the Indian freedom movement.

There is a museum on the lawns with 12-13th century sculptures and the gold coins in use at the time.

Manjusha Museum is a well organized museum with amazing collections of ancient scripts written on palm leaves, religious instruments and objects such as bells, silver jewelry, house hold items and olden style type writers and cameras.