Government Museum, Mathura

Government Museum, Mathura commonly referred as Mathura museum is an archaeological museum in Mathura city of Uttar Pradesh state in India. 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.^[1]

Overview

The museum in 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, F. S. Growse, and Fuhrer.^[1] The museum is famous for ancient sculptures of the Mathura school dating from 3rd century BC to 12th century AD., during Kushan Empire and Gupta Empire.^[2] today it is one of the leading museums of Uttar Pradesh.^[3]

The Government of India issued a postage stamp on October 9, 1974 on the centenary of the museum.

Notable collection

• 
  Archaic Mother Goddess, Prehistory, 4th Century BCE
• 
  3000-year-old anthropomorphic copper figure (ACCN 93-51) found at Shahabad, UP
• 
  Jain Tirthankara head, 2nd century BCE
• 
  Naigamesha Jain god of Childbirth, Shunga Empire, 2nd century BCE or earlier
• 
  Jain chaumukha sculpture with Suparshvanatha and Three Other Tirthankaras, 1st century
• 
  Ayagapata, Jain Tablet, 1st Century
• 
  Parshvantha, Kushan Period, 2nd century
• 
  Statue of Kanishka I (ca. 127 – ca. 140), Kushan Empire.
• 
  Head of Buddha. C. 5th Century CE, Chamunda mound, Mathura district
• 
  Jain chaumukha sculpture, 6th century
• 
  Rishabhanatha idol, 6th century
• 
  Parshvanatha, Post Gupta Period, 6th-8th Century CE
• 
  Goddess Ambika - Medieval Period
• 
  Four-armed seated Vishnu in meditation. Medieval Period, Pannapur.
• 
  Anjani with Child Hanuman, Bronze, Pallava Period
• 
  Naminatha, 12th century
• 
  Goddess Ambika, Orissa, 12th century
• 
  Bodhisattva Manjushri statue, 15th-16th Century
• 
  Buddha with Vajra, Bronze, 18th Century
• 
  Balarama, 18th Century
• 
  Baby Krishna with Ball, Bronze, Modern Age
• 
  Cast and Mould, Prehistory and Terracotta Gallery
• 
  Alexandrina Victoria statue

See also

• Mathura lion capital

References

• Bharat Online - Mathura Museum

Further reading

• Sharma, R. C. 1976. Mathura Museum and Art. 2nd revised and enlarged edition. Government Museum, Mathura.
• Growse, F. S. 1882. Mathura A District Memoir.
• Kumar, Jitendera. Masterpieces Of Mathura Museum. Sundeep Prakashan. ISBN 81-7574-118-X.

External links

• Mathura Museum
• Mathura, a District Memoir

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Coordinates: 27°29′34″N 77°40′50″E / 27.4928°N 77.6806°E / 27.4928; 77.6806