The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), one of India’s best museums, serves as a major cultural fixture of Mumbai. Formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum, this incredible piece of heritage architecture is an Aladdin’s cave with a stunning collection of priceless works and artefacts dating back over five thousand years. The museum at the gateway of India houses ancient sculptures, art, manuscripts, decorative art, historical artifacts and archaeological artifacts and offers an immersive experience in culture, art, science, and civilisation. CSMVS is a building of unique grandeur and historical importance as it showcases an impressive assortment of artefacts representing India and several other civilizations for millennia.Major Attractions: Heritage museum, ancient sculptures, miniature paintings, natural history galleries, decorative arts collectionsTop Activities: Museum exploration, photography, educational tours, art appreciation, cultural learningDuration: 2–4 HoursBest Time to Visit: October to MarchBuilt at the inception of the 20th century, The museum building itself, designed by George Witter of the architectural firm Palmer and Turner, is another marvel of history having Indo-Saracenic style of architecture incorporating elements of Mughal and Maratha architecture and displaying an impressive dome in the middle along with elegant arches, decorative stonework, and beautiful landscaped gardens. In spite of being 100+ year old, the museum remains a treasure trove with thousands of objects adorning the floors from numerous galleries, spanning over various sections of art and history. The museum has several galleries including the Archaeology gallery with its array of ancient sculptures that includes Buddhist, Hindu and Jain art examples. Also, the Museum has many small miniature paintings of Indian styles- including the miniature painting styles from Mughal, Rajastani, and Deccan areas that you will see. The decorative arts gallery with its elaborate tapestries, textiles, jewelers, pottery, ivory carvings, silverware and royal objets art showcase the skills of the craftsmen from different regions of India. The museum showcases the arts and crafts collections from China in addition to Japan. The Museum offers collections of Europe and Near Eastern arts that will add on to your knowledge. The gallery has the museum also offers fascinating decorative arts from European, Japanese and even Chinese countries. Noteworthy, the NATURAL HISTORY Section is designed to entertain and inform kids about the wildlife, flora and Fauna in addition to different types of plants. You can see specimens of birds, reptiles, marine lives as well as fossil rocks. Interactive exhibits and special educational programs make the museum especially interesting for young minds. You also see exhibits of animals and specimens, fossils rocks as well as some interesting and diverse mineralogy displays too. Being one of the greatest architectural specimens and a wonderful repository of the arts in the city, you can dedicate one day of your South Mumbai heritage walk exploring CSMS with its serene surrounding gardens where people relax and spend time soaking in a serene ambiance and visit nearby attractions like Gateway of India, Kala Ghoda, Colaba Causeway etc. Regular temporary exhibitions and art workshops are being held here time and again, a good variety which makes this museum worthy of several visits.
