Museums
in Orissa - With a very few numbers of museums present in the state,
the most famous museum at Orissa is the State Museum which began as a
subsidiary of Ravenshaw College's History Department.With a wide range of antiquities being added every year, the museum has gradually become one of the premier institutions of the state standing as mute evidence to the rich cultural heritage of the region. Archaeology, epigraphy, numismatics, armory, mining, geology, painting, anthropology and manuscripts, you can have them all in the museum.
One of the most significant aspects of this museum is its manuscript gallery. Some of the rare palm leaf manuscripts about 50,000 in number are housed in this gallery. Covering diverse subjects like religion, philosophy, astronomy, astrology, poetry, science, medicine, mathematics, warfare and the crafts, these manuscripts are a repository of artistic expressions of that time.
These manuscripts were made by the incision of Oriya script on a dried palm leaf with a stylus. The manuscripts at the museum depict highly symbolic scenery with costumes, jewellery, hairstyle and facial expressions similar to stone sculptures of Orissa.
Abhinava Gita Govinda is believed to be one of the earliest palm leaf manuscripts dating back to 1496. The museum also houses an illustrated manuscript of Gita Govinda written by the 12th century poet Jayadeva. Displaying an advanced writing technology, it has 80 folios in rich primary colors that have remained intact even after such a long period.
Orissa State Museum, Bhubaneshwar - This Museum in bhubaneshwar shows India most artistic traditions with influences form Buddhism, Jainism, and Brahminical styles. The Museum also showacase archaeology and numismatics, armoury, natural history and contemporary art.
