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Bharat Kal a Bhavan, the art and archaeological museum of Banaras Hindu
University, is an
internationally known institution. No university in
India has a museum of this dimension. Its 100,000 holdings include
historically important archaeological materials, paintings, textiles and
costumes, literary materials, decorative arts and Indian philately. The
museum has twelve galleries where only 2 per cent of the total
collection is exhibited but the museum organizes periodical exhibitions
with the materials taken out of the reserves. Research scholars and
teachers of about a dozen academic disciplines visit the Museum for
study and research. A Master Degree course in Museology
is conducted in this museum. The museum is also frequented by large number of scholars
in the related field from various parts of India and abroad and is
visited daily by many tourists both national and international.
Participation in national and international exhibitions has been one of
its activities. Its other activites include organization of memorial
lectures, periodical lectures, seminars and symposia, workshop on
various aspects of Indian history and culture. The museum houses a
well-organized library with particular references to books on Indian art
and culture. One of the major activities of this museum has been its
publication programme. So far it has twenty-three publications. The
Museum owes its origin and subsequent development to Padmavibhusan Rai Krishnadasa. Nobel Laureate Poet Rabindranath Tagore had been its
first
Honorary Chairman. Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi visited the museum
thrice and
appreciated the collection. Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru laid the
foundation of the present building in the University in 1950 and in 1962
when the building was ready, he inaugurated it for the people.The museum has been declared as a University Museum of National
Importance.
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