Gujarat is a land brimming with history and traditions, and the ideal way to explore that is by visiting some of the best museums of Gujarat. From a museum of Indian textiles to a museum full of dolls, you have to visit some of these places when you plan a trip to Gujarat! In this blog, we talk about the 12 best museums of Gujarat that you must not miss.
Smritivan Earthquake Memorial Museum
Location: Bhujio Dungar, Bhuj
Timings: Smritivan – 5:00 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Museum – 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Closed on Mondays)
Entry fees: INR 1000 for foreigners
Spread across 470 acres, the Smritivan Earthquake Memorial Museum was originally built for the families affected by the 2001 earthquake. Today, it has become a tourist attraction, featuring a sun-point with stunning views of the city, the largest Miyawaki Forest in the world, and 50 check-dam reservoirs that sustain the surrounding ecosystems and commemorate earthquake victims. It is the largest memorial and museum in India today.
The museum spans 11500 square meters, with seven unique galleries offering an interactive experience for guests. They showcase the history of the earthquake, along with the rescue operation and disaster mitigation.
Smritivan Earthquake Memorial Museum
Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery
Location: Sayaji Baug Zoo, University Road, Dak Bungalow, Sayajiganj, Vadodara
Timings: 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Closed on public holidays)
Entry fee: INR 250 for foreigners
Founded by Maharaja Sayaji Gaekwad, the Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery is one of the oldest museums in India. The two buildings in the complex are built in the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture and are a mix of European and Indian elements. The museum was established in 1894, while the picture gallery was completed in 1914.
The museum building was designed by R.F. Chisholm, and blends traditional Maratha elements with European details. The picture gallery, on the other hand, was designed by Major R.N. Mant, has Indian columns and open spaces.
The museum houses antique artwork from Europe, Egyptian sculptures, Tibetan arts, and Akota bronzes dating back to the 5th century AD. it also has a skeleton of the enormous blue whale!
Baroda Museum and Art Gallery
Gandhi Memorial Museum
Location: Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya, Ashram Road, Ahmedabad
Timings: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Closed on Mondays)
Entry Fee: INR 10
Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, also known as Gandhi Sangrahalaya, is a museum dedicated to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. The museum was designed by the famous architect Charles Correa, and was inaugurated in 1963.
The museum has 3 galleries: Gandhi in Ahmedabad Gallery, Painting Gallery, and My Life Is My Message Gallery. The museum also houses the Ashram’s library.
The museum offers a glimpse into the life and philosophy of this freedom fighter through personal belongings such as paintings, letters, the writing desk and spinning wheel he used.
The museum also has some rare photographs and a vast collection of books about Gandhi.
Gandhi Memorial Museum
Calico Museum of Textiles
Location: The Retreat, Airport Road, Jain Colony, Shahibag, Ahmedabad
Timings: 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (Closed on Wednesdays)
Entry fee: Free entry
The Calico Museum of Textiles, situated in The Retreat (Sarabhai Foundation), showcases a collection of fabrics and textiles hand spun in India, with special emphasis on on the indigenous fabrics of Gujarat.
Built by Gautam Sarabhai and Gita Sarabhai in 1948, the museum has two wings: the Haveli displays religious textiles, Indian bronzes, Jain art, and miniature paintings. The Chauk shows royal tents, Persian carpets, costumes of the people from the Mughal court between 15th and 19th century, and regional ethnographic textiles. The museum also has on display chain mail, helmets, and shields used by the warriors from the Mughal era.
There are many rules and regulations here, such as no phones or cameras allowed in the premises, no photography/videography allowed, no baggage, and children below 10 years of age are not granted entry in the museum.
Calico Museum of Textiles
Rotary Midtown Dolls Museum
Location: Opposite Heera Panna Complex, Dr Yagnik Road, Rajkot, Gujarat
Timings: 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Closed on Mondays)
Entry Fee: INR 25, Camera fee: INR 35
Established in 2001, the Rotary Midtown Dolls Museum is spread over two levels. The museum has over 1600 dolls from 102 countries, with many dolls from India. A lot of dolls have been donated by Rotary Clubs from all over the world.
The backdrop, outfits and hairstyles of the dolls showcase the traditional culture and ethnicity of the region. The displays also have notes that explain the origins of the dolls. The museum is a great place for kids and adults alike.
Rotary Midtown Dolls Museum
Aina Mahal
Location: Darbargarh, Bhuj, Kutch District
Timings: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Closed on Thursdays)
Entry Fee: INR 20, Photography fee – INR 30
Located near Prag Mahal, Aina Mahal was commissioned by Maharao Lakhpatji and was built in 1752. The museum is a blend of European and Indian design. It is renowned for its 18th century mirrored interior with marble walls and gold laces, a Venetian-glass chandelier, and a Harding lithograph series.
The museum showcases a collection of paintings from across the world, along with Kutch art, jewelry, and weaponry. The museum also has a 15.2 meter long scroll. The top floor of the museum was lost to an earthquake.
Aina Mahal
Auto World Vintage Car Museum
Location: Dastan Estate, Sardar Patel Ring Road, Kathwada, Ahmedabad
Timings: 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Entry fee: INR 50
If you love vintage cars, you must visit the Auto World Vintage Car Museum in Ahmedabad. Established by Pranlal Bhogilal, one of India’s renowned car collectors, the museum features more than a hundred vintage cars, motorcycles, buggies, and antique vehicles. From limousines to convertibles and sports cars, there are vehicles from established luxury brands such as Bentley, Cadillac, Packard, Mercedes, Maybach, Lincoln, Chrysler, Buick, and more.
The cars have been imported from many different countries from around the globe, and many of them were customized according to individual specifications by some of the most famous car makers in the world.
The museum also has a cafeteria and a souvenir shop. There is also a station where you can take a ride in a vintage cart!
Auto World Vintage Car Museum
Maharaja Fatehsingh Museum
Location: Lakshmi Vilas Palace Estate, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Vadodara
Timings: 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Closed on Mondays)
Entry Fee: INR 100 for foreigners
A part of the Lakshmi Vilas Palace, the Maharaja Fatehsingh Museum houses a collection of objects of the Gaekwads of Baroda, especially Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III.
Designed in a Saracenic-Indo architectural style, the museum has paintings by Raja Ravi Verma, sculptures by Venetian artist Fellicci, Japanese and Chinese artifacts, European paintings, Greek and Roman displays, miniatures, 18th century French furniture, and personal heirlooms and artifacts more than 200 years old.
The vast collection of the museum will leave you surprised.
Maharaja Fatehsingh Museum
Sardar Vallabhai Patel National Museum
Location: Gandhi-Sardar Smruthi Chowk, Shahibag, Ahmedabad
Timings: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Closed on Mondays)
Entry Fee: Free entry
Sardar Vallabhai Patel National Memorial Museum was built in 1978 to commemorate the birth centenary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel in Shahibaug Palace.
The museum houses the personal belongings of this simple, hard-working man, such as his clothes like the khadi shirt, jacket, and dhoti, his shoes, two aluminum lotas, a tin trunk, tiffin box, spinning wheel, his pen, the holy Bhagwad Gita, and more. There are also books, letters, pictures and photographs from his life here.
There are two halls in this museum which showcase the life of Sardar Patel through a pictorial exhibition. His personal furniture is displayed on the first floor.
Sardar Vallabhai Patel National Museum
Patang – The Kite Museum
Location: Sanskar Kendra, Bhattacharya Road, Paldi, Ahmedabad
Timings: 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Closed on Mondays and public holidays)
Entry fee: Free
Ahmedabad in Gujarat is renowned all over the world for its International Kite Festival. Bhanu Shah, a kite-lover from Ahmedabad, took the initiative of building Patang – The Kite Museum. He donated his collection to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, and the corporation granted space in the Sanskar Kendra for a kite museum.
There is a huge variety of kites, made with more than 400 different types of paper. You can find Japanese kites, holy kites with pictures of Indian deities like Radha-Krishna, kites with mirror-work on them, and even 16-feet long kites!
This museum is the first of its kind in India, and the second in the world.
Patang – The Kite Museum
Vikram Sarabhai Space Exhibition Centre
Location: Jodhpur Tekra, Near BRTS Bus Stop, Ahmedabad
Timings: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Closed on Mondays)
Entry fee: Free entry
Situated in the middle of the city, the Vikram Sarabhai Space Exhibition Centre in Ahmedabad is an interactive museum about India’s achievements in the field of space. This kid-friendly museum was the vision of scientist and astronomer Vikram Sarabhai. With many exhibits, a 3D auditorium, and a dedicated section for kids, the VSSE is a fun and educational experience for children and adults alike. There is a science playground, science shop, workshop, and even laboratories where visitors can engage themselves!
Vikram Sarabhai Space Exhibition Centre
Kutch Museum
Location: Ghanshyam Nagar, Bhuj
Timings: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Closed on Wednesdays and public holidays)
Entry fee: INR 50 for foreigners
Commissioned by Maharao Khengarji, the Kutch Museum was built in 1877, making it one of the oldest museums in Gujarat. The building was previously known as Fergusson Museum which displayed a vast collection of coins from around the world. It also displayed the local currency of Kutch, called Kori.
Today, the Kutch Museum also showcases musical instruments, paintings, metalwork, and metal statues from India. It also has a large collection of tribal costumes, jewelry, and headgears. The relics are organized into separate sections, such as textiles, archaeology, shipping, stuffed animals, and more. The museum focuses on the practices of the tribals who were the original inhabitants of Bhuj.
Kutch Museum
Which of these museums will you be visiting on your next trip to India? Let us know and we will plan a perfect itinerary for you, personalized according to your requirements!
About Aishwarya Shete
Aishwarya Shete is a content writer at India Someday. Her passions are writing, photography, and more importantly, food. She hopes to travel the world someday and document it through her pictures and words.
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