Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Museum Indology also commonly known as the Museum Indology is located in Ahmadabad, Gujarat. It was set up in 1984 and still stands tall as a museum of historical art, archaeology and culture. The Museum Indology has always been known for adorning itself with manuscripts, paintings, sculptures and miniature artefacts from the pre-mughal era, the times of Buddha and also the Jains. The museum has received its rich adornment through generous donations of Smt. Madhuri D. Desai who was an art connoisseur and also the daughter-in-law of Sri. Bulabhai Desai. The Museum Indology has an entire gallery dedicated to her which exhibits various artefacts, miniatures and paintings which are of utmost historic importance. Another part of the museum has been transformed into a gallery, which is in the name of Muni Punyavijayaji. Each of these galleries, exhibit a variety of archaeological artefacts from a time even prior to the Mughal period. These unique collections of the museum have made it a centre of attraction for tourists to visit and enrich themselves with the history of India. The museum also houses a laboratory in itself which looks after the conservation of the paintings and miniatures and other archaeological items. This conservation laboratory is known as the L.D Museum Conservation Laboratory. The Museum Indology has immensely grown over a period of time and has now become an active and well-known tourist spot of historic importance.

The exact and precise location of the Museum Indology is highly accessible for the tourists as it is only seven kilometres away from the railway station and twelve kilometres away from the airport. The museum is surrounded by educational institutes in the Western part of the Gujarat city and is placed in the middle of a huge campus full of greenery. The museum is an attractive spot which emanates the rich culture and history of India from every nook and corner of it.

History

The Museum Indology, Ahmadabad has been storing and preserving manuscripts and artefacts of rare origin of various kinds since 1956. It exhibits a variety of historic collection not only during and prior Mughal period but also showcases items of variety of gods and goddesses and historic items of the Buddhan period. A scholar monk called Muni Shri Punyavijayji and Sheth Kasturbhai Lalbhai who was an industrialist of Ahmadabad was responsible of establishing this museum. They had envisioned of collecting artefacts like paintings, manuscripts, sculptures etc and therefore the Museum Indology was a product of their vision. The collection of the museum kept on increasing with time and that consequently resulted in constructing an annexe building which was later opened in 1984 for public and tourist visits.

The museum has been demarcated into various galleries each exhibiting paintings, sculptures, miniatures and other artefacts belonging to a particular historic period of India. Each one of these galleries has been dedicated to patrons and creators of the museum and has therefore been named after them.

Collections of Madhuri D. Desai Gallery

One of the galleries of the Museum Indology has been dedicated to its most important patron of the museum, Smt. Madhuri D. Desai. She was an art connoisseur  and made major contribution to the museum and this gallery showcases the largest head of Buddha from the Gandhara period which dates back nearly to 3rd and 4th century. It also houses the cult image of Lord Rama during the Gupta period, a rare image of goddess Aindri, the bronze images of Adinath from Sirpur and also other bronze sculptures of the Jaina period. All these paintings, images and sculptures date back to the 6th and 7th century from various regions of India like Devgadh, Shamlaji, Sirpur and Ghogha respectively. It also houses rare images of Buddha from Sarnath, Tibet, Nalanda and Mathura and also proudly exhibits Chola sculptures of the 12th century. The unique aspect of this gallery is that it exhibits the representation of the history of India from its various regions, showcasing its exclusive style, culture and tradition.

Collections of Muni Shri Punyavijayji

This particular gallery of the Museum is adorned with paintings in the specific style of Gujarati Jain which were painted even before the Mughal period. The collection of this gallery includes “patlis” which are book covers made of wood and are intricately painted and beautifully illustrated. They were made to protect manuscripts especially those made out of palm-leaves. It proudly houses some of the earliest paintings not only from the Mughal period but also of the Jains. These have illustrations of specific regional style of art and architecture during those times- how people lived, how the rulers treat the ruled and sometimes they even had cosmological illustrations of their beliefs. This Museum Indology located in Ahmadabad is one of its kind and is a must visit for tourists.

Timings and Tickets

The entry to the Museum Indology is not free. The specific fee structure depends on the basis of tourists- whether Indian or foreigners. One aspect that all tourists should keep in mind is that they do not allow entry with pets. The museum is accessible from Tuesday to Sunday from 10.30 in the morning till 5.30 in the evening. During summer (1st May to 15th June) the entry timing changes to 8 in the morning till 1 in the afternoon. However, the museum is not open for visit on public holidays.