The Lahore Museum, is a museum located in Lahore, Pakistan. Founded in 1865 at a smaller location and opened in 1894 at its current location on 'The Mall' in Lahore during the British colonial period, Lahore Museum is Pakistan’s most visited and famous museums and remains one of the major museums in South Asia. The museum, along with the Zamzama Gun located directly in front of the building, were made famous in the celebrated British novel Kim, written by Rudyard Kipling - whose father was one of the museum’s earliest curators. The museum is now also renowned for its extensive collection of Buddhist art from the ancient Indo-Greek and Gandhara kingdoms. It also has collections from the Mughal Empire, Sikh Empire and the British Empire in India.
History
Lahore Museum was originally established in 1865-66 on the site of the current Tollinton Market - a hall built for the 1864 Punjab Exhibition. The present building was constructed as a memorial of Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria held in 1887, and financed through a special public fund raised on the occasion. The foundation stone of the new museum was laid on 3 February 1890 by Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Queen Victoria’s grandson. On its completion in 1894, the entire museum collection was transferred to present building with its new name as Jubilee Museum. The museum’s collection was later shifted in 1894 to its present location on The Mall, in Lahore’s British-era core. The present building was designed by the well-known Lahori architect, Sir Ganga Ram. Rudyard Kipling’s father, John Lockwood Kipling, was one of the museum’s first curators, and was succeeded by K. N. Sitaram. Over 250,000 visitors were registered in 2005.
Collections
The museum has a number of Greco-Buddhistsculptures, Mughal and Pahari paintings on display. The collection contains important relics from the Indus Valley civilisation, Gandhara, and Graeco-Bactrian periods as well. The Fasting Buddha, dating from the Gandhara period, is one of the museums most prized and celebrated objects. The ceiling of the entrance hall features a large mural by renowned Pakistani artist Sadequain who originally made the mural in 1972 and 1973. The museum also contains fine specimens of Mughal and Sikh carved woodwork and has a large collection of paintings dating back to the British period. The collection also includes musical instruments, ancient jewellery, textiles, pottery, and armory, as well as some Tibetan and Nepalese work on display.
Scope
The museum displays archaeological materials from pre-historic times to the Hindu Shahi period. It has one of the largest collections of archaeology, history, arts, fine arts, applied arts, ethnology, and craft objects in Pakistan. It also has an extensive collection of Hellenistic and Mughal coins. There is also a photo gallery dedicated to the emergence of Pakistan as an independent state, the Pakistan Movement Gallery.
