Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Museum — Attraction in Gujarat

Amazing, beautiful and charming place

Amazing, beautiful and charming place, with some rare ancient and beautiful statues, some rare painting and also some rare coins.. all in an architecturally appealing building and well displayed.. surprisingly had missed this place so far, despite several visits to ahmedabad.. Definitely recommended for museum buffs and museum visitors, in fact turned out to be hidden gem, amongst india's many museums.. Honestly i was almost speechless when i finished!

Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Museum was a brain child of a revered Jain saint Agamprabhakar Muni Shri Punyavijayji Maharaj, and a philanthropic industrialist Shri Kasturbhai Lalbhai who together collected 45,000 printed books of different languages like Apabhramsa , Hindi , Old Gujarati , Pali , Rajasthani , Sanskrit, etc . and 75,000 manuscripts . Their collection covers a wide variety of topics from Buddhism , Jainism and its darshans , grammar , tantra and poetics to Vedas , agama to the different branches of Indian philosophy. The internationally acclaimed architect Shri Balkrishnabhai Doshi visualized & designed the museum and the same was inaugurated in 1984. Some of the renowned art collectors are honoured by the Museum by naming gallaries after them :

The ‘Muni Punyavijayaji Gallery’ includes the choicest compilation of paintings . Some of them are the Champaner jain pilgrimage painting of 1433 , the Agra Vijnaptipatra by Mughal painter Ustad Salivahana in 1610 . Highly appreciated illustrated manuscripts which we saw here were the Mandu Kalkacharyakatha of 1430 , the Matar Sangrahanisutra of 1583 , the Naldamayantirasa of 1610 in Mughal style , etc . A rare cosmological diagram Ashtdvipa of 1440 was a gem. There were paintings of pre Mughal era in Western Indian painting style and some rare illustrated wooden book covers created for palm leaf manuscripts including that of Vidyadevis circa 12th Century .

‘Madhuri D. Desai Gallery’ holds in its collection the largest head of Buddha circa 3rd - 4th Century in stucco from Gandhara , the standing Visnu of the same period from Mathura , a rare small figure of Ganga from the same place dating back to 4th century , the earliest cult image of Lord Rama (early 6th century) of Gupta period from Devagadh , the Sanmukha Kartikey of the same period from M . P . , and some of the finest Chola sculptures circa 10th -11th Century . The ‘P.T. Munshaw Gallery’ showcases a rare collection of coins like the finest punch-marked ‘bentbar’. ‘Shri Arvindbhai Collection’ displayes Chola style Nataraja, a Nepali or Tibetan Bronze Mandala and Chinese or Japanese style cupboard in wood . Shri Kasturbhai Lalbhai Collection of Indian Drawings from Calcutta represents drawings for Indian Miniature paintings belonging to various regional schools

The museum not only showcases some of the finest works in history but also puts in efforts towards their proper conservation in the Conservation Laboratory , where cleansing and preservation works are carried out.

A visit to Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Museum of art & archaeology made us humble as we learnt the great work carried out by...

I visited Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Museum a while ago and it still stays in my mind. The moment I walked in I felt this calm and inspiring vibe like I had stumbled upon something really special. The museum is clean, well maintained, and the way the exhibits are displayed makes you want to slowly explore every corner.

The collection is really impressive. There are ancient sculptures, manuscripts, miniature paintings, and carvings so intricate that I found myself staring at some pieces for minutes. One small sculpture had details so tiny I had to bend a little to see everything. I also loved the manuscripts; the handwriting and old illustrations make you realize the effort people put in centuries ago. Each piece feels like it has its own story to tell.

The staff are friendly and helpful without being overbearing. I asked about a few paintings and manuscripts and they explained things in a way that made it interesting without feeling like a lecture.

One thing that annoyed me a little is that photography is not allowed. I understand the need to protect exhibits but it felt a bit unnecessary because there is nothing confidential or sensitive. I really wanted to take a few shots to remember the visit.

There is a quiet corner where I sat for a while just observing and soaking in the calm atmosphere. I even noticed a couple of kids looking very fascinated by some sculptures and their laughter added a nice touch to the peaceful vibe. After spending a few hours inside, I stepped out and walked around the streets nearby, grabbing some chai from a local stall which felt perfect after the serene museum experience.

If you are in Ahmedabad whether you love history and art or just want a peaceful place to spend a few hours this museum is a must visit. I left feeling inspired and calm and I will definitely go back next time. It is truly one of Ahmedabad’s hidden gems and worth...

"If you don't know history, then you don't know anything. You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree." – Michael Crichton

History connects us with our roots. Museum is the humble abode where it conserves, nurtures and protects history in its womb and makes it come alive for the present generation. The L.D. Museum envisions the same path. The perfect mingling of art and history can be observed here. During 1956, Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Institute of Indology was established with the joint efforts of Shri. Kasturbhai Lalbhai, a wellknown and prominent Ahmedabad based industrialist, and Jain Acharya Muni. Punyavijayji. Muni. Punyavijayji donated his personal collection of illustrated and un-illustrated manuscripts, bronzes and cloth paintings at time at the establishment of Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Indological Institute. With the passage of time the collection grew more and more prominent which created a need for an exclusive display of the artifacts. Thus, in 1984 a new building adjacent to the L.D. Institute of Indology was built by internationally acclaimed architect Shri. Balakrishna Doshi. The L.D. Museum was formally inaugurated by Shri. Brajkumar Nehru, the then Governor of Gujarat in 1985.

The museum was inaugurated with two designated galleries, Smt. Madhuri Desai Gallery (Ground Floor) and Muni Punyavijayji Gallery (First Floor). In 2004, a third gallery Priyakant T. Munshaw Gallery of coinage was designed.

Through the passage of time, museum has developed, flourished and added many new artifacts in its rich collection like Arvind Collection, Kasturbhai Lalbhai Collection, Gopi-Anand Beadwork Collection, Lilavati Lalbhai Woodwork Collection and The latest exclusive sectian included in this list is Pahari School Ramayana Drawings of Ayodhya Kanda collection...