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| The Government Museum,Bengaluru,goa.app |
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| The Government Museum,Bengaluru,facebook.com |
Located off the busy Kasturba Road, the museum, housed in more than 150 year old structure is said to be the second oldest museum,next to the Government Museum, Chennai,TN.
Because of lack of periodic maintenance, the old structure had suffered a lot externally and internally. The development of chipped roofings, patches on walls caused caused by leaks during rainy seasons had an impact on the buildings look and the strength structure. One could see the plaster of the ceiling peeling off wall hat the entrance of the building, giving ita shabby look.
Internally the museum with various displays was poorly maintained as confirmed by the absence of lighting in many showcases and artworks. At vantage points the the hall lights were not switched on generally.Consequently, enthusiastic visitors were seen using flashlights to view the sculptures, etc. As for the shelves ,they were in a poor condition.No care was paid on the display items.The artefacts and sculptures were devoid of detailed curation and descriptions, thereby denying the visitors any useful information.
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| Government Museum, Bengaluru Facebook.com |
The maintenance of the museum was poor owing to fund crunch. According to the Department of Archaeology, much of the funds was spent on salaries, etc and with poor funds available, proper attention was not paid to the building's upkeep as well as display items, shelves, etc. Considering the heritage aspects of the structure and the cultural and historical significance of the old museum established during the colonial era the government allocated 8.5 crore in June,2023 to restore the building with additional facilities such as auditorium, canteen, gift shops etc.
Despite the fact that there are more than 20 types artefacts, only six types of artefacts, sculptures and paintings,etc are on display, the rest being in storage,perhaps because of lack of space and proper facilities. After restoration, it the government is proposed to include rest of the artefacts tobe on display. Special attention will be given to wood carvings and musical instruments displayed properly.
Presently due to the appalling condition of the heritage structure and of chaotic display of objects within the museum, the Department of Tourism, Govt of karnataka has authorized the Karnataka Tourism Infrastructure Limited (KTIL) to undertake not only the upgradation, but also conservation and curation of the museum. The project aims to renovate the old block and curate thousands of stored artifacts, with completion delayed to late 2025/2026.
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| .Closed museum,Bengaluru for restoration youtube.com |
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| Govt. Museum, bangaloremirror.in |
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| Government Museum,Bengaluru deccanherald.com |
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| Govt. Museum Bengaluru museumsofindia.or |
Current Status: The museum remains closed to the public. Restoration work is progressing in phases due to space and funding constraints.
Anticipated Timeline: Reports from late 2025 and early 2026 suggest that the museum is likely to remain closed for one more year, aiming for a full reopening in early 2027.
Venkatappa Art Gallery: There is good news for art lovers! The adjoining Venkatappa Art Gallery, which was also closed for safety during the museum's heavy restoration, was recently reopened (August 2025) after a comprehensive revamp of its lighting and display spaces.
Conservation of the Halmidi Inscription
As the "crown jewel" of the collection, the Halmidi Inscription requires specialized care. Being a 1,500-year-old sandstone slab, it is highly susceptible to environmental degradation and "stone disease" (weathering caused by moisture and salts).
The conservation team is employing several advanced techniques:
Desalination: Using paper pulp poultices to draw out harmful salts trapped within the porous stone, which prevents the surface from flaking.
Ultrasonic Cleaning: Non-invasive cleaning to remove decades of dust and grime without abrasive scrubbing that could damage the delicate Kadamba script.
Digital Preservation: Also included is a high-resolution 3D Laser Scan to create a "digital twin." This ensures that even if the physical stone suffers further wear, a perfect micrometric record of the text exists for scholars. The digitisation of antiquities at the Government Museum and Venkatappa Art Gallery in Bengaluru, which began in 2016, remained incomplete un till June 2022 efforts are now made to speedup the delayed work. Only bronze artifacts, metalware, stone sculptures, and sandalwood items had been digitised until 2022.
Environmental Shielding: Upon reopening, the original slab will be housed in a climate-controlled glass enclosure with LED lighting designed to prevent UV damage and minimize moisture fluctuations.
https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/heritage-makeover/articleshow/101318241.cms
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_Museum,_Bengaluru
https://shop.museumsofindia.org/node/252
