Bharat Kala Bhavan started in 1950, as a university museum
is famous for its unique collection of paintings. It lies within the
sprawling grounds of Banaras Hindu University. Its outstanding collection
of sculpture, paintings and textiles began with the private collection of
the enlightened Rai Krishnadasa.
It has a rich collection of Rajasthani paintings, 'pichhwais' and
'pahari' paintings. It also houses exquisite specimens of Nepalese and
Tibetan 'thankas', company paintings as well as paintings of contemporary
artists. Illustrated 'mrigavati', 'kalpa sutra', 'chopra-panchsika',
'Laura chanda', 'shahinama' and some pages of 'hamzanama' are the prized
possessions of this museum.
The sculpture collection includes terracotta and clay objects, stone and
bronze and cast metal objects. Ancient terracotta varying from ritual
icons to toys to utilitarian objects date to the Indus Valley
civilisation, Mauryan, Sunga and Gupta periods. Among the stone sculpture
are red sandstone reliefs from the 2nd century BC, Buddhist stupa at
Bharhut and rare images and statues from well known schools like Gandhara,
which witnessed the synthesis of Greek and Indian styles. Mathura,
a powerful art centre during the Kushana period also flourished during
this period.
The Textile section has the most impressive collection of Banaras silks
and brocades, embroidered shawls from Kashmir and the rare Chamba rumals,
once used to wrap ceremonial gifts. The Mughal, Rajasthani and Pahari
miniatures are exhibited here with main themes revolving around the
various aspects of the life of Krishna.
The museum is open all days except Sundays and university holidays. From
July to April, the museum opens at 11o'clock in the morning and closes at
4.30 pm. From May to June, it remains open from 7.30 am to 12.30 pm.
