Gyan Museum — Attraction in Rajasthan

A visit to Gyan Museum at Jaipur - a hidden gem to visit

As we were landing into Jaipur airport I had my Google Map ON and powered by GPS, I was seeing the approach at Jaipur Airport.. A place near the Airport GYAN MUSEUM came up and it intrigued me and I checked the website after landing.. It was a museum housing hundreds of artifacts collected by Shri Gyan Chand Dadha (Jain), which was his private collection, now opened for public viewing after his death, as allowed by his sons, as a homage for their Dad. Visit is by invitation only and we can request a viewing after sending them an email and after getting a confirmation back from the curators, who like to restrict the number of people who could visit, at the same time.

I emailed them requesting for a booking, however I got no reply in the 1 hr of sending it, being lunch time. I was close to the museum area and had a little time on hand and hence decided to reach unannounced and hoped we would manage to get a viewing, as we were unsure of the visit there on the following day. We got lucky and the curators let us have a viewing.

The visit was everything as promised on the museum website and the artifacts on display were marvelous pieces collected by Gyanji during his lifetime from various places and sources.

His collection, 1st started with 2 silver Hookah mouth pieces which were gifted to him on his 16th birthday. He thereafter collected various Hookah mouth pieces and their base, the largest no of pieces of Hookah which are on display at any museum. This was as informed by the curators.

There are a large number of textiles, clothes, specs, watches and clocks, coins from the various periods of history, guns, antique pieces, a library which has a lot of books which pertain to the eras gone by. There were Jain manuscripts and exquisite miniature paintings done with a 0 size paintbrush or with a single/few hairs of a squirrel. The ganjifa cards, originating from Sawantwadi in Maharashtra and also pendants which were fully made and some which were incomplete, as they were missing the hoops, were also on display. I really loved the chess set which had the pieces of both sides made with ruby and emeralds.

A book which caught my eye was "30,000 years of Art". The oldest paintings as discovered in India are dated from about 10,000 BCE - old cave paintings at the Udaygiri Caves and at Bhimbhetka in MP. So I really would like to know more about the 30,000 year old Art from across the world. I will look into that in due course, during my travels when possible.

Gyanji - a jeweller by profession, had a vast, very exquisite jewellery pieces which were on display, which was from his private and his family collections, bought and collected across the years by him.

The Gyan Museum is a lesser known place of visit and I had never heard of it during the more than 20 years of frequent visits to Jaipur, but I am pardoned because this place has opened for public viewing only in the last 10 years during which time my visits to Jaipur were majorly reduced.

I highly recommend this as a to-do place to visit and the curators mentioned that they are featured on Trip Advisor as a place to visit while in Jaipur and I fully support that, although I just chanced upon the place by looking on Google Maps. Being away from the main city, and closer to the Jaipur Airport, even then it is a place worth seeing and by spending a few hours visiting while you are in Jaipur. The curators, Nikita and Adib explained the artifacts in great detail and I applaud them as well. A must do during a visit to...

Magnificent and overwhelming are the words that come in mind as you enter and browse through the stuff presented here. From vintage hookah pipes to gems, jewellery and antique watches, its wonderful how one person could collect such a diverse collection in one lifetime. Situated below the museum is the manufacturing facility of Gem Plaza which is equally stunning and well organized. You can also buy stuff just outside the museum if you fancy colored stones and compressed carbon atoms. Remember to increase that credit card limit though....

Visited Gyan Museum and was truly amazed! The museum’s collection spans over 3,000 years and features stunning antiques, vintage jewelry, miniature paintings, silverware, textiles, armory, and more—all beautifully displayed in a modern, serene space. The guided tour was insightful, and the passion behind the collection made the experience even more special. If you appreciate art, history, and exquisite craftsmanship, Gyan Museum is a hidden gem in Jaipur—absolutely...