Himachal State Museum — Attraction in Himachal Pradesh

State Museum is located 2.5 km west of the Scandal Point on the Inverarm Hill. The history of the building dates back to the colonial times when it was the private residence of Lord William Beresford. He was the Military Secretary to the then Viceroy of India, Lord William Bentinck. When he left India, the mansion was inhabited by Sir Edwin Collan and thereafter by Sir Edward Law. After independence, it served as the residence of Indian Government officials. It was transformed into a museum on January 26, 1974 with the sole aim of collecting and preserving the historical, artistic and archaeological items of the Himachal Pradesh State.

The museum boasts of having a grand collection of ancient historical sculptures, coins, paintings and photographs collected from all over the state and the country. It also houses a library which has around 10,000 books, journals and magazines. Sculpture gallery has metal, wooden and stone sculptures. In the painting section, Pahari and Rajasthani Miniature Painting, religious paintings, contemporary paintings and Mughal paintings have been put on display. Other than these rare artifacts, the museum also has a unique collection of Himachali dolls. Art and history lovers must visit the museum while touring Shimla. Before using the house for constructing the state museum, it served as a private residence Lord William Beresford, who was the military secretary of the then Viceroy, Lord William Bentick. After he left the country and his post, the house was inherited by Sir Edwin Collan and the next owner was Sir Edward Law, who was a prominent member of the Finance Council. After independence, the house was lived in by various ranks of government officials and finally, it went on to house the Shimla State Museum.

The museum always supports different forms of publicity. Recently, different activities like All India Art Expo took place in the year 2011, workshops, seminars, competitions, shows and lectures are also arranged.

The museum also has a library, which stores manuscripts and books on history and archeology.

The collection of Mughal and Rajasthani paintings is world renowned here.

There are different sections, which are called galleries, like Archeology gallery, Photographs gallery, wood carving gallery, Bronze gallery, pre historic gallery, miniature Pahari paintings gallery and many more.

At present, the museum holds around 9000 items, paintings and objects in all.

Visiting Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Open all days. (Close on Monday & Public Holidays)

Entrance Fee:

For Indians: Rs. 10

Foreign...

Lots and lots of history in the museum! The place is well kept and showcases the history of Himachal. If you are walking to the building, it is bit of a steep road. Himachal State Museum Shimla is housed in an old Victorian mansion ‘Inverarm’ which was carefully altered to adapt it to the museum. Inverarm was a small mud roofed house in the early 1860 and belonged to General Innes, which later owned by the ruler of Sirmour and later taken over by the Imperial Government. It was then enlarged, and became for many years the private residence of Lord William Beresford, Military Secretary to the Viceroy. After Lord William Beresford left India it was occupied for some years by General Sir Edwin Collen, and next by Sir Edward Law, financial Member of the Council. Lately it had been the temporary home of Sir Sankaran Nair, and Sir Mohamed Shah and other Government officers. In 1973 the building was transferred to open the Himachal State Museum and on 26th January, 1974 museum was inaugurated by the then Governor S. Chakravarti. A visit to Shimla would be incomplete without setting ones feet at this amazing store house of artifacts of yesteryears preserved so nicely over the years.Located in close proximity to the Doordarshan Kendra,on a hill top, the museum is very nicely kept.Once inside, it is a sheer visual feast for the visitor going around the gallery which houses murals,paintings,coins,utilitities,weapons,manuscripts etc of the historic period and of the local places around.These pieces have been sourced from around the state being used during different periods of the history and by different rulers.They indeed show case the rich heritage of the amazing Indian...

I visited this place along with my daughter during December 2021. You need at least 2-3 hours to fully enjoy this museum. Very well maintained and preserved. Starting from preserved old stone sculptures (or remnants thereof) dating back to 3rd century BC, wooden carvings, traditional paintings etc, this place is a treasure for those who love to read/learn about history/culture. Ground floor has stone sculptures, wooden sculptures, archeology, jewellery, clothing etc. First floor has paintings section (Rajasthani, contemporary, wall-paintings), Army section, Cultural section (you get to see brides of different states of India, dances of India), Vintage cameras section, Stamps, Coins, Scripts and many others. On the second floor, you witness a old conference hall filled with many old and unique books collection.

Note: Cost of ticket for adult is 50/-, For children it is 30/- and for camera permission it costs 100/-. You can get into a HRTC van (20 rupees per person) from Middle/Lower bazaar bus stand to reach here, and go back the same way. You may even prefer to walk all the way from The Ridge to here (covering Army Training centre, Vidhaan Sabha, Doordarshan etc). Cab folks charge you hefty amounts which, I personally feel, is not worth the cost for such a short distances. Rather you enjoy the walk...