Odisha State Museum is a museum in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. In its original form it was established in 1932 and later moved to the current building in 1960.The museum is divided into eleven sections, viz, Archaeology, Epigraphy, Numismatics, Armoury, Mining & Geology, Natural History, Art & Craft, Contemporary Art, Patta Painting, Anthropology and Palmleaf Manuscripts.The museum is headed by a superintendent and the administrative control lies in the hands of Cultural Affairs Department, Government of Odisha.
Odisha State Museum has two life size dancing welcome statues in Odissi dance posture at its entrance. In the museum are housed archaeological objects, art and craft objects, natural history objects, Bronze Age tools and stone sculptures. Established in 1948 by N.C. Banerjee and Professor Ghanshyam Dash of Ravenshaw College, the museum also contains bronze images, traditional and folk musical instruments, coins, copper plates, prehistoric objects, ethnological objects and armoury.
Well-known and famed for its huge collection of manuscripts on palm-leaves, the museum was formally declared by the Government of Orissa in 1938. In the museum, tourists can view palm leaf manuscript of 12th century devotional poem Gita Govinda. By a collection of traditional and folk musical instruments and sculptures of different shapes and sizes, the museum expresses the vivid history and cultural traditions of Orissa.
Collections of the museum also include copper plates, coins, stone inscriptions, manuscripts written on the palm leaves and age-old bronze tools. At the museum, tourists can also get an insight into rare epigraphic records stored in Epigraphy Gallery, handicraft, small paintings, collection of patta paintings, brassware, stone sculptures and delicate decoration.
Timing: 10 am - 5 pm (Daily)
Closed on Monday and public holidays
