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

Mathura Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately north of Agra, and south-east of Delhi; about from the town of Vrindavan, and from Govardhan. ...

city of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

state in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. 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 archeological museum, Mathura, India 1949

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 Engineer Group who later took an interest in the history and archaeology of India. In 1861, he was appointed to the newly ...

, F. S. Growse, and Fuhrer. The museum is famous for ancient sculptures of the

Mathura school Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately north of Agra, and south-east of Delhi; about from the town of Vrindavan, and from Govardhan. ...

dating from 3rd century BC to 12th century AD., during

Kushan Empire The Kushan Empire ( grc, Βασιλεία Κοσσανῶν; xbc, Κυϸανο, ; sa, कुषाण वंश; Brahmi: , '; BHS: ; xpr, 𐭊𐭅𐭔𐭍 𐭇𐭔𐭕𐭓, ; zh, 貴霜 ) was a syncretic empire, formed by the Yuezhi, i ...

and

Gupta Empire The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed from the early 4th century CE to late 6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the Indian subcontinent. This period is considered as the Gol ...

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

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

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 The Parkham Yaksha is a colossal statue of a Yaksha, discovered in the area of Parkham, in the vicinity of Mathura, 22.5 kilometers south of the city. The statue, which is an important artefact of the Art of Mathura, is now visible in the Mathu ...

, 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 ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

, 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 Suparshvanatha ( sa, सुपार्श्वनाथ ), also known as Suparśva, was the seventh Jain '' Tīrthankara'' of the present age ('' avasarpini''). He was born to King Pratistha and Queen ''Prithvi'' at Varanasi on 12 Jestha Sh ...

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 ''Naigamesha'' ( sa, नैगमेष, ), also known as ''Harinegameshi'', is a goat-headed or deer-headed deity, associated with children. He also appears in Jain as well as Hindu traditions, associated with the war-god Kartikeya and childbir ...

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'' (Sanskrit: '; English: literally a 'ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the ''dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a '' tirtha'', which is a fordable passag ...

, 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 Kanishka I (Sanskrit: कनिष्क, '; Greco-Bactrian: Κανηϸκε ''Kanēške''; Kharosthi: 𐨐𐨞𐨁𐨮𐨿𐨐 '; Brahmi: '), or Kanishka, was an emperor of the Kushan dynasty, under whose reign (c. 127–150 CE) the empire r ...

(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 The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed from the early 4th century CE to late 6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the Indian subcontinent. This period is considered as the Gold ...

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 Rishabhanatha, also ( sa, ऋषभदेव), Rishabhadeva, or Ikshvaku is the first (Supreme preacher) of Jainism and establisher of Ikshvaku dynasty. He was the first of twenty-four teachers in the present half-cycle of time in Jain c ...

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 ''Parshvanatha'' (), also known as ''Parshva'' () and ''Parasnath'', was the 23rd of 24 ''Tirthankaras'' (supreme preacher of dharma) of Jainism. He is the only Tirthankara who gained the title of ''Kalīkālkalpataru (Kalpavriksha in this "Kal ...

, 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 Ambika may refer to: Mythology * Ambika (goddess), an avatar of the Hindu goddesses Durga, Parvati, and Shakti * Ambika (Jainism), a Jain Yakshini goddess * Ambika (Mahabharata), the wife of Vichitravirya was also the mother of Dhritarashtra, ...

- 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 principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

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 Naminatha was the twenty-first ''tirthankara'' of the present half time cycle, Avsarpini. He was born to the King Vijaya and Queen Vipra of the Ikshvaku dynasty. King Vijaya was the ruler of Mithila (ancient), Mithila at that time. ''Naminath ...

, 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