Hyderabad’s Salar Jung Museum unique collection on view online

Those who love history and are eager to see and study rare artifacts and exhibits but are unable to do so because of lack of time or resources, can now do so online. Taking initiative in this direction one of the world’s largest and well-known museums in India, Hyderabad’s Salar Jung Museum in Telangana, has commenced a special online event showcasing its rare collection of paintings, carvings, sculptures, manuscripts, textiles, artefacts and ceramics.

All these objects that belong to collections that are centuries old are on display on the Google Art and Culture platform along with details which include their history.

Among the notable objects included in the event are a variety of swords and portraits and paintings of rulers and Nawabs. In the section “Symbols of Glory” viewers will find on display swords of Salar June II including the double-edged sword and ceremonial sword of Salar Jung III, Shamshir and Nagan among others.

Several wooden artefacts form a part of the display under “Wonders in Wood” while the “A Game of Thrones, How Chess Conquered the World” depicts how the game evolved over a period of time across the world. The “Nizam II of Hyderabad on a Expedition” looks at the court artist’s Rai Venkatachallam’s royal Deccani artwork through an in-painting journey drawing the viewers’ attention to varied details.

“Joy of Holi” captures the history and action of this colourful and vibrant festival through paintings in the museum including “Krishna and Holi”, “Joyous Holi”, “Spring Festival”, and “Lord Krishna Playing Holi” among others.

In “South Indian Bronzes” enables exploration of exquisite bronze images in the Museum from 800 AD to 1800 AD while “Durga In Art” shows images of the Goddess from a period 1200 AD to 1999 AD.

The “Textile Treasures: Shawls and Sarees” bring to the fore the history, beauty and craftsmanship of India’s most iconic textiles while “Deccani Style & Men’s Fashion: Splendour Revisited” is a collection which is vast and varied and includes some Deccani specimens.

According to Anuradha Reddy, Convenor of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage digitisation of artefacts provides access to people who can’t visit the museum and also provides a preview for those intending to go there personally. With the museum having a large collection, it becomes difficult and tedious for people to locate objects of their interest and interpret them and online displays provide them with a solution.

The exhibition has been organised in collaboration with LIFE Photo Collection and other museums like Lahore Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The British Museum and Indian Museum Kolkata among others.