The Cubbon Park Government Museum is a place of high historic relevance. Spread over a vast landscape of over 100 acres, the idea of the park as a place for rest and relaxation for the general public was conceived by Major General Richard Sankey. The park is home to the Government Museum, a place where there is an impressive collection of local artifacts, old coins, artwork of historical importance and precious antiquities.

History

With its history going back to over 100 years, the Cubbon Park is easily one of the oldest parks in the country. It was established in the year 1870 by Sir John Meade and was named Meade’s Park in its initial days. The name of the park was later changed to Cubbon Park in honor of Lieutenant General Sir Mark Cubbon, who had a role to play in its subsequent development and planning.

What To See in the Park

Cubbon Park lies in the heart of the Bangalore (now Bengaluru) city. Bangalore became popularly known as the Garden City of India after rising popularity of Cubbon Park. The Park also has a well-maintained Rose Gardens, the famous Aquarium House, a children’s amusement park and a public library. Some of the key landmarks of the Cubbon Park are the Venkatappa Art Gallery, the Visveshwaraya Technological and Industrial Museum and the Karnataka Government Museum. These places can be reached by using the Kasturba Gandhi Road.

The Museum

The Cubbon Park Government Museum enjoys the distinction of being one of the oldest museums of the country.  The design of the main museum building was conceived by Colonel Sankey. It was constructed in 1876. Subsequently, a number of sections and wings got added to the main building over a few years time. The Bangalore Government Museum was opened up for public viewing in 1986, ten years after the concept was conceived.

Arts and Artifacts

The Cubbon Park Government Museum has two large exhibition floors. They are further separated into eighteen galleries. Each of these galleries has different sections such as geology, numismatics, natural history, art and sculpture. The museum has a rich display of various types of ancient arts and artifacts such as coins and artwork from the past, Visitors can also view relics from the Indus valley civilization including those from the Mohenjo-Daro, Halebid and Vijayanagar. It is believed that quite a large number of relics kept at the museum are more than 5000 years old and hence of immense historical value.

The museum also has a large collection of prehistoric artifacts from the Neolithic period. They were discovered during the excavations carried out at Chandravalli. Other interesting items that are on display and attract much public interest include an amazing assortment of jewelry from South India. Apart from these viewers will be stunned by the display of paintings, coins, stones, inscriptions and other iconic items such as miniature paintings and textile items.

Visitor Information

The Government Museum in Cubbon Park is open on all days from 10 AM to 5 PM on all days except Wednesdays and public holidays. There is a nominal entry fee of INR 5 per head for all adults.

How to Reach

By Road

The Government Museum in Cubbon Park is about 8 km from the main bus stand of Bengaluru. There are buses as well as autos and taxis available to travel to the park from the bus stand.

By Rail

Bengaluru Railway Station is the nearest railway station

By Air

The airport nearest to the museum is the Bengaluru International Airport