Sri Krishna Museum, Kurukshetra, Haryana India

Kurukshetra is one of the most sacred places in India. It is also associated with Lord Krishna’s Bhagavadgita- the song celestial or the sermon delivered to Arjuna on the battlefield of Mahabharata. It is but appropriate that there should be a museum to present and preserve the multifaceted personality of Krishna whose thoughts and preaching are not only perennial source of learning but also profoundly realistic and practicable at all times and climes. Having had this concept in mind, the idea for the establishment of a museum got conceived in the year 1987. The Kurukshetra Development Board under the founder chairmanship of Sh. Gulzari Lal Nanda, as a part of its cultural activities set up the museum in a small manner in a hall now christened as lecture hall. Having collected various objects on the theme, the museum was shifted to the present building in the year 1991 and a new block was added to it in the year 1995. The artefacts displayed here have been collected from various parts of India. These artefacts represent Krishna as godhead, an avatara of Vishnu, a great Philosopher, an epic hero, an astute statesman and a supreme lover.

The museum has six galleries, three each in two blocks. The exhibits displayed in the galleries are the exquisite wooden panels, wood carvings, ivory works, bronze casting, archaeological artefacts, stone sculptures, palm- leaf etchings, miniature paintings from various schools of art such as Kangra, Basholi, Mankot, Bundi, Mewar, Nathadwara etc., pichhvaies from Rajasthan, applique works from Orissa and Gujarat, tableaux on Mahabharata and Bhagavata episodes made of Papier-mâché and clay.