Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Victorian-era museum in Byculla, India
The Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum occupies a pale green two-storey building in Jijamata Udyan, Byculla East, Mumbai, completed in 1871. A wide stone staircase leads to three arched ground-floor openings, the central one a recessed doorway beneath a white plaque inscribed "DR. BHAU DAJI LAD MUSEUM" in Devanagari and Latin script. Pale pilasters divide the facade, which ends in a balustraded parapet topped with small urns; three tall windows with balustraded sills sit on the upper floor, and green cast-iron lamp posts flank the steps.
The institution opened in 1872 as Victoria and Albert Museum and was the first museum in the city. It later received its current name honoring a 19th-century Indian scholar and physician.
The museum's name honours Bhau Daji Lad, a Sanskrit scholar, physician and surgeon who was the first Indian Sheriff of Mumbai and secretary of the museum committee. Its galleries hold clay models, historical photographs and maps of Mumbai, silver and copper ware, costumes and a 17th-century manuscript of Hatim Tai.
Guided tours in English, Hindi, and Marathi take place every Saturday and offer insights into the collections. The museum is open daily except Wednesdays from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM.
A manuscript of Hatim Tai from the 17th century is among the special objects in the collection. A monolithic basalt sculpture of an elephant was brought from Elephanta Island and stands in the courtyard.
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