__NOTOC__ Government Museum, Mathura, commonly referred to as Mathura museum, is an archaeological museum in Mathura city of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

state in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The museum was founded by then collector of the Mathura district, Sir F. S. Growse in 1874. Initially, it was known as Curzon Museum of Archaeology, then Archaeology Museum, Mathura, and finally changed to the Government Museum, Mathura.

Overview

The museum houses artifacts pottery, sculptures, paintings, and coins primarily from in and around Mathura, plus discoveries made by noted colonial archaeologists like

Alexander Cunningham Major General Sir Alexander Cunningham (23 January 1814 – 28 November 1893) was a British Army engineer with the Bengal Sappers who later took an interest in the history and archaeology of India. In 1861, he was appointed to the newly crea ...

, F. S. Growse, and Fuhrer. The museum is famous for ancient sculptures of the Mathura school dating from 3rd century BC to 12th century AD., during

Kushan Empire The Kushan Empire (– CE) was a Syncretism, syncretic empire formed by the Yuezhi in the Bactrian territories in the early 1st century. It spread to encompass much of what is now Afghanistan, Eastern Iran, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbe ...

and

Gupta Empire The Gupta Empire was an Indian empire during the classical period of the Indian subcontinent which existed from the mid 3rd century to mid 6th century CE. At its zenith, the dynasty ruled over an empire that spanned much of the northern Indian ...

. today it is one of the leading museums of Uttar Pradesh. The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

issued a postage stamp on 9 October 1974 on the centenary of the museum.

Notable collections

File:Archaic Mother Goddess - Terracotta - Circa up to 4th Century BCE - Showcase 17-12 - Prehistory and Terracotta Gallery - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-24 6441.JPG, Archaic Mother Goddess, Prehistory, 4th Century BCE File:Copper Age Tool - ACCN 93-51 - Prehistory and Terracotta Gallery - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-24 6248.JPG, 3000-year-old anthropomorphic copper figure (ACCN 93-51) found at Shahabad, UP File:Yaksha_Manibhadra_-_Parkham_Mathura_circa_150_BCE.jpg, Parkham Yaksha, 150 BCEDated 150 BCE in Fig. 15-17, general comments p.26-27 in File:Mudgarpani_Yaksha,_Mathura,_100_BCE.jpg, Mudgarpani Yaksha, 100 BCEDated 100 BCE in Fig.88 in File:Amohaasi Bodhisattva, Mathura.jpg, Seated

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...

, 1st century CE File:Four Fold Jain Image with Suparshvanath and Three Other Tirthankaras - Circa 1st Century CE - ACCN 00-B-67 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-24 6023.JPG, Jain chaumukha sculpture with Suparshvanatha and Three Other Tirthankaras, 1st century File:Colossal Parasol with Eight Auspicious Symbols - Circa 1st Century CE - Gita Enclave - ACCN 00-72-5 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-23 5570.JPG, Jain Ashtamangala, 1st century File:Jain Tablet Homage Set-up by Vasu the Daughter of Courtesan Lavana Sobhika - Circa 1st Century CE - Kankali Mound - ACCN 00-Q-7 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-24 5987.JPG, Ayagapata, Jain Tablet, 1st Century File:Goat-headed God Naigamesha Presiding Deity of Childbirth among Ancient Jainas - ACCN 15-1115 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-24 6067.JPG, Naigamesha Jain god of Childbirth, 1st-3rd century CE."Naigamesa was a popular deity in the Kushana period and we have at least eight figures of this god from Mathura assignable to c. 1st to 3rd century A.D. (GMM., E. 1, 15.909, 15, 1001, 15. 1046, 15. 1115, 34.2402, 34. 2547, SML., J 626, etc.)" in File:Mathura (Uttar pradesh), tirthankara parshvanatha, II sec.JPG, Parshvantha, Kushan Period, 2nd century File:Zina in Meditation - Kushan Period - ACCN 00-863 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-24 5978.JPG,

Tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''Saṃsā ...

, Kushan Period File:Great Emperor Kanishka - Greatest of Kushan Monarchs - Circa 1st Century CE - Mathura - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-23 5836.JPG, Statue of Kanishka I (c. 127 – c. 140),

. File:Buddha_in_Abhaya_Mudra_-_Circa_2nd_Century_CE_-_ACCN_00-A-4_-_Government_Museum_-_Mathura.jpg, Standing Buddha, 2nd century CE File:Head of Buddha - Circa 5th Century CE - Chamunda Mound - ACCN 49-3510 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-23 5515.JPG, Head of Buddha. C. 5th Century CE, Chamunda mound, Mathura district File:Colossal Head of Jina - Gupta Period - Kankali Mound - ACCN 00-B-61 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-23 5453.JPG, Jain colossal head, Gupta period File:Standing_Buddha_Installed_by_Buddist_Monk_Yasadinna_-_Circa_5th_Century_CE_-_Jamalpur_Mound_-_ACCN_00-A-5_-_Government_Museum_Mathura_Red_background.jpg, Standing Buddha, 5th century CE File:Rishabhanatha - First Jain Tirthankara - Circa 6th Century CE - Katra Keshav Dev - ACCN 12-2-68 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-23 5404.JPG, Rishabhanatha idol, 6th century File:Sarvatobhadra Jain - Circa 6-7th Century CE - ACCN 00-B-65 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-23 5442.JPG, Jain chaumukha sculpture, 6th century File:Jain Tirthankara Parsvanatha - Post Gupta Period - Kosi Kalan - ACCN 18-1505 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-23 5407.JPG, Parshvanatha, Post Gupta Period, 6th-8th Century CE File:Goddess Ambika - Mediaeval Period - Rataul - ACCN 88-16 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-23 5194.JPG, Goddess Ambika - Medieval Period File:Four-armed Seated Vishnu in Meditation - Mediaeval Period - Pannapur - ACCN 14-379 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-23 5275.JPG, Four-armed seated

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

in meditation. Medieval Period, Pannapur. File:Anjani with Child Hanuman - Bronze - Pallava Period - ACCN 15-524 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-24 6600.JPG, Anjani with Child Hanuman, Bronze, Pallava Period File:Jain Tirthankara Neminath - Circa 12th Century CE - ACCN 00-B-77 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-23 5079.jpg, Naminatha, 12th century File:Bodhisattva Manjushri - Bronze - Circa 15th-16th Century CE - ACCN 87-148 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-24 6572.JPG, Bodhisattva Manjushri statue, 15th-16th Century File:Buddha with Vajra - Bronze - Circa 18th Century CE - ACCN 12-274 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-24 6571.JPG, Buddha with Vajra, Bronze, 18th Century File:Balarama - Circa 18th Century CE - ACCN 80-6 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-23 5347.JPG, Balarama, 18th Century File:Baby Krishna with Ball - Bronze - Modern Age - ACCN 76-274 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-24 6624.JPG, Baby Krishna with Ball, Bronze, Modern Age File:Cast and Mould - Showcase 18-18 - Prehistory and Terracotta Gallery - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-24 6343.JPG, Cast and Mould, Prehistory and Terracotta Gallery File:Alexandrina Victoria - Bronze - ACCN 83-1-5 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-24 5865.JPG, Statue of Victoria, Empress of India

References

Bharat Online – Mathura Museum

External links

Mathura, a District Memoir
{{authority control Museums in Uttar Pradesh Archaeological museums in India History of Uttar Pradesh Museums established in 1874 1874 establishments in British India Tourist attractions in Mathura State museums in India

Overview

Notable collections

See also

References

Further reading

External links