Museums in Junagadh

Junagadh which has got a prominent place in the Indian history needs more care and has got a lot of history to pass on to next generations. Some of these heritage and monuments are still safely preserved in museums in the Junagadh region.

Durbar Hall Museum in Junagadh

Developed by the Nawab of Junagadh, the Durbar hall museum is a major tourist attraction in Junagadh. The museum is actually the court house of the nawabs where court cases were dealt and was now converted into a museum. The museum is located at the entrance of the fort inside the royal palace. The museum houses a wide range of memorabilia which are divided into various sections like arms gallery, textile gallery, palanquins and kacheri. Various weapons, costumes, thrones, tapestries, carpets, chandeliers, silver articles and several other things are put on display at this museum. All these items here give a glimpse and insights of Nawabs' era and their way of living. One of the important things to watch here is the silver plated howdah decorated with silver mermaids on four corners and a tiger posing as protecting the rich velvet seats. The Darbar hall is recreated with all the old furniture and textiles and is worth watching. 

The Darbar Hall museum is open all the week except Wednesday, 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month. Working hours of museum are from 9 AM to 12: 30 PM and from 3 PM to 6 PM. 

Archaeological Museum in Junagadh

The archaeological museum is home for the major remains of the Somnath Temple. The museum preserves much historical wealth like inscriptions, stone sculptures and pottery from past many centuries. The museum has remains of an ancient shrine constructed by Chalukyan Maharaja Shri Mularaja Deva Solanki of Anhilvada Patan. Working hours are from 9 AM to 12: 15 PM and from 2:30 PM to 6 PM. 

Sakkarbaug Museum/Wild Museum in Junagadh

In 2003 a natural history museum was opened in Sakkarbaug Zoological garden. Skeltons of many wild animals like Asiatic lions, antelope, boar, deer, panther, blue bull, black buck etc are preserved here. Apart from skeletons, the museum also displays beaks, feathers and eggs of various birds. The museum will be expanded as the specimen number increases. The museum also has rare specimens, Persian Sanskrit inscriptions, stuffed animals and ancient coins. 

Science Museum in Junagadh

This is the only private science museum in Gujarat with more than 60 projects related to the field of science. The museum also has a small aquarium and an open air garden restaurant to spend some happy time with family. 

Ayurvedic Museum in Junagadh

Though India is the home for Ayurveda and ayurvedic medicines little has been done to preserve it. The ayurvedic museum at Junagadh is located at the Ayurvedic College at Sardarbag. This place provides a detailed description of ancient medicine and age old ayurvedic practices and treatments. This is really a nice place to visit for those who love and practice ayurveda. 

All these museums though small have rich and important stories to tell to the next generations. These museums are a must visit for history lovers and archaeologists.