Your history books must have taught you about the various kings and queens who ruled over Uttar Pradesh.  There are many museums located in this state, which will actually take you back to the era of monarchical rule. As you walk past these museums, you will find rich collections of these kings that are treats to your eyes. Weapons used in battles, armoury worn, precious and semi-precious stones used those days, coins that were in use, dresses, personal collections of kings like portraits, manuscripts and the likes have been stored here for many centuries along with the period to which they belong and with a small note on them.  History students and people who have an eye for heritage are keen visitors to these museums.

In some other museums, you will be able to find sculptures of temples, idols destroyed by Muslim rulers during their invasion, old collection of photographs explaining how Uttar Pradesh looked during the Mughal and British era and many other rare glimpses of the past that help people to understand the various stages of evolution that Uttar Pradesh has gone through in so many years. Aligarh, in Uttar Pradesh, was and continues to be a hub for Muslim learning. Here there is a museum full of books and documents explaining about medicines of the Medieval Era and has an amazing collection of medicinal books and journals, collections of manuscripts of all eminent physicians of all eras, medicinal catalogues and the like. Due to its sheer strangeness of collection, this museum was once recognised as one of the world’s ten weirdest medical museums by CNN Travel. Such is the variety offered by the museums in Uttar Pradesh.

Some of the museums take you back to the period of Independence Movement in India. These museums have the details of various important freedom movements that took place in the state and in other parts of the country, leaders who visited here during that time, rare photographs of Independence struggle and other relevant information. A feeling of patriotism automatically seeps through you when you visit these museums. Other than these, there are museums that are symbols of art and culture as well in the state. These museums house some of the most exquisite and rarest pieces of art like handicrafts, handloom, stone sculptures belonging to various eras, exclusive collection of paintings and photographs of famous artists, manuscripts of famous leaders and authors, plaster cut replicas and many more.

Famous Museums in Uttar Pradesh

There are quite a few museums in Uttar Pradesh and each one is famous for its rich variety of collections. Some of the well-known museums in the state that also serve as huge tourist attractions are:

Government Museum, Mathura

Set up during 1874, this museum is one of the oldest in the state and contains various pieces of history that were instrumental in the development of Mathura city. The place is known for its exquisite findings from archaeological excavations that happened here between the 3rd century and 12th century BC. You can find lots of rare sculptures here that make the place a must-visit site in Mathura. Some of the rare collections here are a copper figure that dates back to 3000 years ago, 5th century Buddha Head, Statue of Vishnu belonging to the medieval period and the likes.

Sarnath Museum

Being the hub of Buddhism, it is quite obvious as to what you can expect in Sarnath. A huge collection of Buddhist sculptures and relics welcomes you at Sarnath. All the collections found here belong to a period between 3rd century BCE and 12th century AD. A host of famous items like Lion Capital of Ashoka, cross-legged Buddha, several sculptures of Bodhisattvas, Buddhist artefacts and various other Buddhist figurines and figures belonging to the era of Mauryan, Kushana and Gupta dynasties are found here in plenty. When you come here, you will understand how deeply Buddhism had penetrated into this part of the world during those years.

Allahabad Museum

This is a huge tourist attraction in the historic city of Allahabad. This museum houses rich collections belonging to various eras that will transport you back to a time that was ruled by kings and queens. Kausambhi terracotta images, manuscripts of famous authors and politicians, portraits by renowned painters, miniature carvings and paintings of Rajasthan, sculptures of Mathura, Bhumra and Jamsot etc. are some of the collections that are found here.