ASI Museum, Halebidu, Karnataka

ASI Museum, Halebidu, Karnataka

ASI Museum is located in Halebidu Town in Belur Taluk in Hassan District, in the Indian state of Karnataka. This Museum is situated in front of the Hoysaleswara Temple. The museum was established in 1970 by ASI. 

The Museum

This museum consists of two sections namely closed sculpture gallery and open-air museum. The museum has collections of more than 1500 sculptures, architectural fragments, inscriptions of historical significance. All these collections are gathered from in and around Halebidu. Most of the artifacts exhibited in the museum are from 12th – 13th century CE. The open-air museum has huge collection of sculptures of artistic importance. Some of the notable sculptures are Govardhanagiridhari Krishna, Nataraja, Veena Saraswathi and Nardana Vinayaga.

It also has an 18 feet tall image of Thirthankara. It is said that the image is excavated from the ruined tank of one of the Jain Basadi in Halebidu. The sculptures of Brahma Saraswathi, Kala Bhairava, a mother and child, wooden carvings and a bronze statue of a tirthankara can be seen in the sculpture gallery. The master pieces of this museum have represented Indian art in the various exhibitions held at France, Japan and other countries. 

Timings

The museum remains open from 09.00 AM to 05.00 PM on all days except Fridays.

Entrance Fees

·        Adult:  Rs. 5 / - per head

·        Children up to 15 years free

Connectivity

The temple is located at about 100 metres from Halebidu Bus Stand, 17 Kms from Belur, 30 Kms from Banavara, 31 Kms from Hassan, 32 Kms from Hassan Junction Railway Station, 169 Kms from Mangalore, 169 Kms from Mangalore Airport, 210 Kms from Bengaluru and 232 Kms from Bengaluru Airport. The temple is situated on Banavara to Mangalore route.

Location

Archaeological Museum, Aihole, Karnataka

Archaeological Museum, Aihole, Karnataka

Archaeological Museum is located within the Durga Temple Complex, located in the heart of Aihole, an historical town, in Bagalkot District in Karnataka, India. The Museum is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India.

History

The Museum was originally planned as a sculpture shed in the year 1970 to collect and exhibit the sculptures, inscriptions, and architectural members found during excavation in and around Aihole. It was converted into a full-fledged Museum in the year 1987 and extended in the year 2000.

The Museum

The museum comprises of six galleries and an open-air gallery. The museum houses 381 antiquities mainly comprises of stone sculptures of Brahmanical, Jaina and Buddhist faith, fragmentary carved architectural members, inscriptions, hero stones, sati stones, etc. All these were dated from 6^th century CE to 15^th century CE. The huge open-air gallery is situated in front of the Museum building.

It consists of a neatly arranged, named and dated collection of ancient sculptures found within and beyond Aihole. It exhibits Hero stones, Ganesha, Sapta Matrikas, seated figures in the Chaitya arch, Jaina sculptures, Naga and Nagini figures. The artifacts in the museum are dated between 6^th and 15^th centuries. The Gallery No 1 can be found immediately after entering the Museum building.

It exhibits life-size sculpture of Lajja Gauri with lotus head, a seated Buddha, Jaina, Lakulisa, Matrikas and Ganesha etc. The entrance on the right side leads to the Gallery No 2 and Gallery No 3. Sculptures of Ardhanarisvara, standing Vishnu, Matrikas, Kalabhairava and Dwarapalakas etc. are displayed in these galleries. The Gallery No 4 houses a valley model of Aihole village.

It shows the cluster of monuments in and around Aihole in the birds eye view.  The preservation works of the Aihole monuments are shown in the trans-slides boxes around the valley model. Trilingual audio, video & document film containing information about political history, art and architecture of Aihole, Badami, Pattadakal are available in the museum. The museum also has departmental publication sales counter and a reference library with good collection of books of history, art and architecture.

Museum Timings

The Museum remains open from 09.00 AM to 05.00 PM on all days except Fridays.

Entrance Fees

Entrance Fee is Rs. 5/- per head for adults and Rs 25/- for camera. The entry is free for children up to 15 years.

Connectivity

The Museum is located at about 100 meters from Aihole Bus Stand. Aihole is located at about 13 Kms from Pattadakal, 30 Kms from Badami Railway Station, 33 Kms from Bagalkot Junction Railway Station, 34 Kms from Badami, 38 Kms from Bagalkot, 88 Kms from Gadag, 136 Kms from Hubballi Airport, 164 Kms from Belgaum Airport, 277 Kms from Goa and 446 Kms from Bengaluru. Aihole is situated on Pattadakal to Amingad route.

Location

Jain Museum, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh

Jain Museum, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh

Jain Museum is situated inside Group of Temples, located at Khajuraho town in Chhatarpur district in Madhya Pradesh, India. This Museum is considered part of the eastern group at Khajuraho. This Museum is also called as Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain Kala Sangrahalaya. It houses several ancient Jain artefacts and remains from Chandella period excavated in and around Khajuraho.

Connectivity

The Museum is located at about 1.5 Kms from Khajuraho Bus Stand, 6 Kms from Khajuraho Airport, 7 Kms from Rajnagar, 10 Kms from Khajuraho Railway Station, 13 Kms from Bamitha, 41 Kms from Chhatarpur, 47 Kms from Panna and 379 Kms from Bhopal. Khajuraho is situated on Bamitha to Rajnagar route. Khajuraho railway station connects the town by a daily train to Delhi via Mahoba, Jhansi and Gwalior. It provides a daily train connecting to Agra, Jaipur, Bhopal and Udaipur. A local daily train also connects to Kanpur, whilst Varanasi is connected three times a week. Khajuraho Airport has flights to Delhi, Agra, Varanasi and Mumbai.

Location | Photos

Kichakeshwari Temple, Khiching, Odisha

Kichakeshwari Temple, Khiching, Odisha

Kichakeshwari Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Goddess Chamunda located in Khiching village in Mayurbhanj District in Odisha, India. The Temple lies in between the two hill streams of Khairabandhana and Kantakhaira.

Legends

As per legend, Goddess Kichakeshwari was worshipped by king Kichak, a character in the epic Mahabharata.

History

The original temple dates back to 7^th or 8^th Century CE, with periodic renovation over the centuries. Goddess Kichakeshwari is considered as the family goddess of the ruling chiefs of Mayurbhanj. Goddess Kichakeshwari was not only Ishta Devata and Kuladevi of Bhanj dynasty but also the State deity of Princely State of Mayurbhanj ruled by them. The temple was in dilapidated state in the early 20^th Century CE. King of Mayurbhanj, Maharaja Pratap Chandra Bhanjdeo reconstructed the temple in 1934 CE. The temple is under the control of Archaeological Survey of India, Bhubaneswar Circle.

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2021/01/kichakeshwari-temple-khiching-temple.html

Temple Opening Time

The temple remains opens from 5.00 am to 12.00 noon and 3.00 pm to 10.00 pm.

Connectivity

The temple is located at about 14 Kms from Singada Chowk, 16 Kms from Singada, 27 Kms from Karanjia, 31 Kms from Jashipur, 44 Kms from Keonjhar Railway Station, 49 Kms from Keonjhar, 69 Kms from Rairangpur, 126 Kms from Baripada, 164 Kms from Balasore, 241 Kms from Bhubaneswar and 245 Kms from Bhubaneswar Airport. The temple is located at about 14 Kms to the north of the National Highway No. 06, from Singada Chowk. Regular bus services are available from Singada, Karanjia, Rairangpur, Jashipur, Baripada and Keonjhar.

Location | Photos

ASI Museum, Sirpur, Chattisgarh

ASI Museum, Sirpur, Chattisgarh

ASI Museum is archeological museum run by Archaeological Survey of India, located in Sirpur Village in Mahasamund District in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It is situated in the Lakshmana Temple premises.

The Museum

This is a small museum, situated in Lakshmana Temple premises. The Museum houses the artefacts like sculptures and archaeological ruins found during excavations in the 1950s and in the 2000s. Most of these artefacts belong to Shaiva, Vaishnava, Buddha and Jain religions. These artefacts are variously dated to between 6^th and 12^th centuries. Sculptures and idols of Lord Vishnu, Mahishasura Mardini, Surya, Saptamatrika, Chaturmukha Shiva Linga and Buddha in Bhumisparsha Mudra in this museum are worth mentioning.

Connectivity

Sirpur is located at about 37 Kms from Mahasamund, 38 Kms from Mahasamund Railway Station, 45 Kms from Arang, 74 Kms from Raipur Airport and 82 Kms from Raipur. Sirpur Village is situated on the banks of the river Mahanadi in Mahasamund District in the state of Chhattisgarh. Sirpur is accessible from Raipur by a four-lane National Highway 53. Regular bus services connect Raipur and Sirpur. The nearest railway station is Mahasamund Railway Station. The nearest airport is the Swami Vivekananda airport at Raipur with daily flights to major cities in India.

Location

Shri Bhavani Museum, Aundh, Maharashtra

Shri Bhavani Museum, Aundh, Maharashtra

Shri Bhavani Museum is located in Aundh Town in Satara District of Maharashtra, India. The museum is situated at the mid of the picturesque Aundh hill where Yamai Temple is located. The Museum was established from the private collection of the Maharajas of Aundh.

History

The Raja of Aundh, the late Bhawanrao Pantpratinidhi in 1938, built the Shri Bhavani Museum & Library. It is now being looked after by the State Government and is the only museum out of the 13 state museums in Maharashtra, housed in a building constructed for the purpose of displaying art, and not in a palace.

The Museum

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2020/05/shri-bhavani-museum-aundh-museum.html

Museum Timings

The museum remains open on every day between 10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. except on Mondays.

Connectivity

The Museum is located at about 1 Km from Aundh Bus Stand, 22 Kms from Rahimatpur Railway Station, 40 Kms from Satara, 42 Kms from Satara Railway Station, 43 Kms from Satara Bus Stand, 155 Kms from Pune Airport and 312 Kms from Mumbai. There are regular buses from Satara to Aundh.

Location

ASI Museum, Alampur, Telangana

ASI Museum, Alampur, Telangana

ASI Museum is a Museum run by archeological survey of India, located in Alampur Town near Kurnool in Jogulamba Gadwal District in Telangana, India. It is located at the entrance of the Bala Brahma Temple. The Museum was started in 1953 by then Vice President of India Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.

The Museum

The museum is a large hall with an open-air section at the center and a small enclosure towards the eastern side. The museum houses a collection of 188 sculptures (124 stone sculptures & 64 loose sculptures) and 26 inscriptions recovered from the Navabrahma Temples and surroundings of Alampur. These artifacts are dated between 6^th and 16^th Centuries CE belong to Kakatiyas, Chalukyas, and Vijayanagara dynasties. The entrance to this museum is a sculpted but an unmarked temple doorway.

All the artifacts are spread across the hall. Some of the important sculptures in the museum include 7^th century Surya, Nataraja, Lord Vishnu, Subrahmanya with Valli, Lord Shiva & Parvathi riding on Nandi, Saptamatrikas, Nagabandhas, Mahishasura Marthini, Nagnanaka Bandha, Ashtadikpalakas, Nagas among others. The Surya sculpture has participated and won several awards in International Art Exhibition in Germany in 1984. The Nataraja sculpture with 8 hands from 11^th century is beautifully carved.

Mahishasura Marthini from 7^th century is wonderfully carved which showcases different facial expressions from different angles. The sculpture of Nandi carrying Siva & Parvathi is one of its kind and rarely appeared scene. Ashtadikpalakas figures are similar to those of Papanasi temples. The museum has a horizontal, circular black-stone sculpture of Nagnaka Bhanda, the Lotus-headed goddess in naked form.

Nagnanaka Bandha represents Renuka Devi in nude and women seeking children perform pooja to Renuka Devi. Similar sculpture exists in Bala Brahma Temple where poojas are performed by women on Tuesdays.  There are several figures of warriors in the museum. Some of these figures showcase warriors being taken to Heaven after their heroic death in the war.

At the centre of the hall there are two large, square shaped Kakatiya ceiling panels which are placed facing up. The one towards left has three rows, each showing the images of Naga, Indra and Agni. The one towards the right shows the common motif of Siva, who is surrounded by Ashta Dikpalas. The far wall is adorned by a beautiful image of Siva as Mahesha and a polished granite doorway which then leads to back room.

The right wall displays images of Surya, and of Siva in Asuravadhamurti and Bhairava Avtar. There is also a unique split piece with Nataraja on top accompanied by Agni on the bottom panel. The centre of the hall houses a stunning black sculpture of Nataraja and this is faced by a large granite Nandi. The museum also has ruins of reliefs that narrate Hindu epics and other texts such as the Panchatantra.

The inscriptions are from the Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Kakatiyas and Vijayanagara rulers. The initial inscriptions were a mix of Kannada and Telugu script. Some of the inscriptions have drawings of Surya, Chandra, Shivalinga, Cow and a knife, which means all the donations should only go to Shiva as long as Surya and Chandra exists and stealing these donations is equal to the sin of killing a cow.

Timings

The Museum remains open from 10.30 AM to 01.00 PM and 01.30 PM to 05.00 PM. The Museum is closed on Fridays

Entry Fees

·        Adults ₹ 5

·        Children ₹ 3 

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 500 meters from Alampur Bus Stand, 10 Kms from Alampur Road Railway Station, 27 Kms from Kurnool Bus Stand, 28 Kms from Kurnool, 28 Kms from Kurnool Railway Station, 58 Kms from Kurnool Airport, 126 Kms from Mahbubnagar, 200 Kms from Hyderabad Airport and 215 Kms from Hyderabad. NH7 is the nearest highway passing close to this village and you can easily get down at Alampur Cross Roads and hire a taxi/auto or bus to reach the temple, which is located roughly at a distance of around 15 Kms. APSRTC run frequent buses from Kurnool to Alampur Temple village. The nearest railway station is Alampur Road Railway Station, but not many trains halt here. Major Railway Station is Kurnool Railway Station.

Location | Photos