200 Years Indian Museum, Kolkata 2014 India stamps

The Indian Museum (Kolkata) originated from the Asiatic Society of Bengal which was created by Sir William Jones in 1784. The concept of having a museum arose in 1796 from members of the Asiatic Society as a place where man-made and natural objects could be collected, cared for and displayed. The objective began to look achievable in 1808 when the Society was offered suitable accommodation by the Government of India in the Chowringhee-Park Street area.

The Indian Museum is the largest and oldest museum in India and has rare collections of antiques, armour and ornaments, fossils, skeletons, mummies, and Mughal paintings.* It was founded by the Asiatic Society of Bengal in Kolkata (Calcutta), India, *in February 2, 1814, The founder curator was Nathaniel Wallich, a Danish botanist.*

The museum, known in the beginning as the “Asiatic Society Museum”, subsequently came to acquire the elevated status of the “Imperial Museum”. The familiar name of course was the “Indian Museum”described by the ordinary visitors as “Jadughar” or a ‘House of Wonders’. Since 1878, at its present edifice, the Indian Museum has been rendering its services to the people of India as a centre of art and culture in India.

It has six sections comprising thirty five galleries of art & cultural to science,  At present, it includes six cultural and  scientific sections, viz. Art, Archaeology, Anthropology, geology, zoology and economic botany, with a number of galleries under each section. Many rare and unique specimens, both Indian and trans-Indian, relating to humanities and natural sciences, are preserved and displayed in the galleries of these sections. the administrative control of the Cultural sections, viz. Art, Archaeology and Anthropology rests with the Board of Trustees under its Directorate, and that of the three other science sections is with the geological survey of India, the zoological survey of India and the Botanical survey of India. The museum Directorate has eight co-ordinating service units: Education, Preservation, publication, presentation, photography, medical, modelling and library. This multipurpose Institution with multidisciplinary activities is being included as an Institute of national importance in the seventh schedule of the Constitution of India. It is one of oldest museums in the world.

At present this is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

Department of Posts issued Mainature  sheet comprising of three Commemorative Postage Stamps on Kolkata  Museum.

Issued Date : 02.02.2014
Denomination:500, 2000, 2000 paise