Prince of Wales Museum

Prince of Wales Museum is located in South Mumbai near Gateway of India/ Hutama chowk. It was named after prince George and designed by George Wittet. It was opened in 1923.

A mid the hustle and bustle of Mumbai stand stately buildings, remnants of the British Raj. Among them is that of the Prince of Wales Museum, named after Prince George (Later George V) who visited India in 1905 and laid the foundation stone of the building. Not far from the museum, its architect George Wittet also built the famous Gateway of India on the seafront, near the Taj Mahal Hotel. Through the arch the Prince made his royal entrance to India as King George V for the Delhi Darbar in 1911.

History: The building was completed in 1914, converted to a military hospital during World War I, and finally opened in 1923 by Lady Lloyd, the wife of Sir George Lloyd, the then governor.

It is built in Indo-Saracenic style, the facing is done in yellow and blue stones quarried from the Mumbai region. The dome is modeled after the Gol Gumbaz in Bijapur, Karnataka. It incorporates a variety of details from different Indian styles, small bulbous cupolas on towers, Saracenic arches with Muslim 'Jalis' as fillers, semi-open verandahs and Rajput 'Jharokhas'.

The structure forms a long rectangle of three storeys, raised in the centre to accommodate the entrance porch. Above the central arched entrance rises a huge dome, tiled in white and blue flecks, supported on a lotus-petal base. Around the dome is an array of pinnacles, each topped by a miniature dome. Indian motifs such as brackets and protruding eaves are combined with so-called Islamic arches and tiny domes.

The plan of the Museum is simple, with a central hall from which the staircase leads to the two upper floors with galleries branching out on the right and left. An extension on the right-hand side of the main building ( as you stand facing its front entrance) houses the natural history section. The second floor houses the Indian miniature painting gallery, the pride of the Museum, and next to it are the galleries of decorative art and, to the left of the central well of the staircase, the gallery of Tibetan and Nepali art. Above, on the second floor are the European painting, armoury and textile galleries.

Timings: 10:15 am to 6:00 pm, Closed on Mondays.

Nearest Station: Churchgate (Western Railway) Mumbai CST (Central Railway). Visitors can easily access the museum by buses run by BEST from both these rail terminals.

 

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