The only hill station in western and central India - Mount Abu has been a centre of cultural activity since the prehistoric period. It was the capital of the Parmars in 13th century AD and later on came under the Chauhans.


The museum was set up in 1962 within the premises of Raj Bhawan to preserve the archaeological wealth of the region

Exhibits / Collection
The first section has been adorned by a diorama of local tribal hut with their usual living style by adding a gallery of weapons, musical instruments, ladies ornaments like 'barly', 'damani', 'karna', 'guthma toda', 'gaga wala thoomar', 'kanksi berla' and various types of earrings and garments etc. belonging to hill dwellers.

The second section has a series of miniature paintings based on raga-raginis, lain images from Sirohi, medium sized shields, a small canon called 'Topdi' and some pieces of carvings on local wood.

The notable collection of this museum, is the finely carved out statues of Devdasi or Nartakis (Dancer) ranging from 6th century AD to 12th century AD procured from an ancient township called Chandravati, 7 kms away from Abu. There is an image of the Chakrabahu Shiva having a 'trishul' (trident) in one hand and a 'khadag' in the other and sitting on Nandi, the bull. On each side of Shiva are dancing girls.

In the Abu collection consisting of 404 sculptures, the most distinctive exhibit is the Vish Kanya (snake goddess), which is 3 feet high. It is shown breast-feeding a snake. The figures are well executed and the attitudes are impressive and natural. It also has the Surya (8th century AD) found in Achalgarh, the Shiva (10th century AD) brought from Dilwara temple, the Chanvar Vahini and Laxmi (12th century AD) also from Chandravati and Chanmunda (8th century A D).

The Sculpture Gallery has some memorial inscriptions collected from nearby areas e.g. Chapa's inscription, (local heroine of Achalgarh).

General Information
Built In
1962 AD.

Location
Raj Bhawan, Mount Abu, Rajasthan

Timings
Timing : 10.00 A.M. to 4.30 P.M.
Closed : Friday and gazetted holidays.

Main Attraction
Sculptures, Tribal Work, Paintings.

Prime Attractions of Mount Abu
Dilwara Temples
This complex consisting of five marble Jain temples is one of the finest in Rajasthan, worth braving the queues and ferocious guards. These beautifully carved temples built between 11th & 13th century AD are sheer elegance in marble, dedicated to the Jain Tirthankaras. The Vimal Vasahi Temple is the oldest of these, dedicated to the first Tirthankara. Built in 1031 AD (by Vimal Shah- a merchant and representative of the then Gujarat ruler), it is a superb example of temple architecture.

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