List of museums in Karnataka, India.
| S.No | Museum Name | City | Type | Established | Jurisdiction | Collections | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Zoology Museum, Karnatak Science College | Dharwad | Zoology | 1947 | Karnatak University | Established in 1947 by Prof. P.W.Gideon. This museum houses some of the rare specimens of Pisces, Amphibians, Reptiles, Aves and Mammals. They are nearly 2500 animals are present in this museum. | |
| 2 | Government Museum[1] | Bangalore | 1865 | Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, Karnataka[2] | Museum has a rare collection of archaeological and geological artifacts including old jewellery, sculpture, coins and inscriptions. The museum is also home to the Halmidi inscription, the earliest Kannada inscription ever found (450 AD).[3] | ||
| 3 | Aloyseum | Mangalore | 1913 | St. Aloysius College (Mangalore) | Museum has a rare collection of archaeological and geological artifacts including Roman coins, swords from Abyssinia, Berlin Wall remnants, Italian drawings, whale skeleton, etc. | ||
| 4 | Kempegowda Museum | Bangalore | Heritage center | 2011 | Government of Karnataka | Museum is dedicated to Yelahanka chieftain Kempegowda (1513-1569) who is the founder of Bangalore city. The museum has Kempegowda's statue as well as posters and pictures of forts, temples, reservoirs and inscriptions from his time. | |
| 5 | Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum[4] | Bangalore | Science Museum | 1965 | National Council of Science Museums[5] | Museum was instituted as part of the centenary celebrations of the engineer-statesman Sir M. Visvesvaraya (1861–1962). Artifacts related to Engines, transportation, telecommunication, aviation, rockets, computational device. | |
| 6 | HAL heritage and Aerospace Museum[6] | Bangalore | Aerospace | 2001 | HAL | Museum showcases the growth of the Indian aviation industry and HAL for six decades. The Museum is maintained by HAL (one of Asia's largest Aerospace companies). Showcases of Indian aviation industry & HAL. Aircraft, helicopters, engine models, Flight simulators, a mock Air Traffic Control Tower. | |
| 7 | Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath | Bangalore | Folk life, art | Janapada trust[7] | Museum is located in a 15-acre campus at Kumara Park West. It has an excellent collection of Folk puppets, costumes, utensils, instruments, weapons and masks. Folk music collections and folk dance videotapes. | ||
| 8 | Gandhi Bhavan | Bangalore | Gandhi's life | 1965 | Gandhi Smarak Nidhi | The Museum at Kumarapark is showcase of Mahatma Gandhi's life. It houses a photo gallery, his letters, a library and audio visuals. | |
| 9 | Madras Sappers Museum & Archives | Bangalore | 1979 | Madras Sappers | Museum showcases the history of the Madras Engineer Group (called the Sappers, established in 1803). The Madras Sappers are the oldest regiment of the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army. The museum chronicles their history and achievements and houses armoury used by the regiment, medals, their attire and a sports gallery. This museum can be accessed with special permission from the Army. | ||
| 10 | Bangalore | Anatomical Museum | Department of Neuropathology, NIMHANS | Museum showcases the human brain and its functions. It is located at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS).[8] The Museum seeks to help visitors see the brain, understand how it works and get an insight into the kind of diseases that can affect it. The museum has a diverse collection of over 600 brain samples and is the result of over 30 years of research. | |||
| 11 | Law Museum | Bangalore | Law | 2006 | Karnataka High Court | Museum is dedicated to the legal profession. It was the brainchild of Karnataka High Court Chief justice Cyriac Joseph. The museum houses an original print of the Constitution of India, articles and documents related to the legal profession, seals, insignia and books. It also showcases the history of the High Court and the development of courts over the ages. | |
| 12 | Philatelic Museum | Bangalore | Philatelic Museum | - | General Post Office | Museum is located at the first floor of the Bangalore General Post Office near Vidhana Soudha. It showcases numerous stamps from various time periods. | |
| 13 | Legends Motorcycle Museum | Bangalore | Vintage motorcycles | defunct | Private collector | The Museum is a collection of 20 plus vintage motorcycles in working condition whose vintage dates back to 1924. The Museum is the lifelong collection of motorcycle enthusiast SK Prabhu. The museum walls are covered with biker memorabilia and photographs. The collection includes a 1924 BSA 250 cc, a Cezeta 1962 and some rare motorcycles from World War II: the BSA M20 1942 500 cc, James ML 1942 and the Norton 500cc 1942. | |
| 14 | Regional Museum of Natural History[9] | Mysore | 1995 | Ministry of Environment and Forests[10] | |||
| 15 | Folklore Museum[11] | Mysore | Folklore exhibits | 1968 | University of Mysore[12] | 6500 exhibits covering folklore, large dolls, literature & art. | |
| 16 | Jayachamarajendra Museum | Mysore | Art Gallery and Palace | 1915 | 2000+ paintings of Mysore, Mughal, Shantiniketan styles. Ravivarma and Roerich's work. | ||
| 17 | Mysore Rail Museum[13] | Mysore | Rail heritage. | 1979 | Indian Railways | Photos & objects related to the development of rail. Royal coaches of Mysore Maharaja from 1899. | |
| 18 | Government Museum, Rangaiahna Bagilu, Chitradurga | - | Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, Karnataka | Collection of archaeological and geological artifacts. | |||
| 19 | - | Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, Karnataka | Collection of archaeological and geological artifacts. Palacial residence of Shivappa Nayaka, 17th-century chieftain of the coastal areas and successors of the Vijayanagara Empire. The palace has two levels and is built of wood. The museum is housed in the courtyard and has numerous exquisitely carved sculptures, many of them from Balligavi, Kalkere and Somapura. Some of the notable pieces of work are Ugra Narasimha and Mahishasura Mardhini. | ||||
| 20 | Government Museum, Hassan | 1976 | Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, Karnataka | Museum is home to 400-year-old chariot from Sowmyakeshava temple of Ambuga village. 70 sculptures from nearby Belur and Halebidu temple towns. A variety of palm leaf manuscripts of Indian ancient epics like Ramayana (Sundara Kanda, Ayodhya Kanda, Yudha Kanda), Sri Krishna Charitra and the Shukasaptadikatha. 300 sculptures of Vishnu, Shiva, Veerabadra and other deities. An enormous collection of rare historical objects and weapons of the Vijayanagara kings, Hoysalas and the Palegars. A rare collection of 110 copper coins from the era of Tipu Sultan, Mysore Maharajas, Portuguese, the East India Company and Queen Victoria are displayed here.[14] | |||
| 21 | Government Museum, Madikeri | 1970 | Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, Karnataka | Collection of archaeological and geological artifacts. Museum contains costumes of the Coorg rulers and the British, bronze statues, inscriptions, coins, armaments, sculptures and wooden carvings from the 11th century. | |||
| 22 | - | Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, Karnataka | Collection of archaeological and geological artifacts. | ||||
| 23 | Government Museum, Gadag | - | Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, Karnataka | Collection of archaeological and geological artifacts. | |||
| 24 | K.R.C.M. Government Museum, Kittur | - | Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, Karnataka | Collection of archaeological and geological artifacts. | |||
| 25 | - | Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, Karnataka | Collection of archaeological and geological artifacts. | ||||
| 26 | Government Museum, Raichur | - | Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, Karnataka | Collection of archaeological and geological artifacts. | |||
| 27 | Government Museum, Gulbarga | - | Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, Karnataka | Collection of archaeological and geological artifacts. | |||
| 28 | Government Museum, Basavakalyana, Bidar District | - | Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, Karnataka | Collection of archaeological and geological artifacts. | |||
| 29 | Museum of Anatomy and Pathology[15] | Anatomical Museum | - | Manipal University | Specimen of human body parts and organs, large collection of animal carcasses, skeletons and bones. | ||
| 30 | Tipu Sultan Museum, Srirangapatna[16] | - | Archaeological Survey of India | Collection of archaeological and geological artefacts. | |||
| 31 | History Museum | Archaeological | - | Karnataka University | Collection of archaeological artefacts. | ||
| 32 | Geology Museum | Geological | - | Karnataka University | Collection of geological artefacts. | ||
| 33 | Manjusha Museum | Antiques, Cars | - | Private collection | Collection of coins, antiques, paintings, artifacts, temple chariots, vintage and classic cars | ||
| 34 | Janapada Loka | Folk arts | - | Private collection | Collection of the village folk arts | ||
| 35 | R. K. Narayan Museum[17] | Historic house museum | 2016 | Mysore City Corporation | Residence of famous author R. K. Narayan. Books, awards and personal artifacts. Residence was reclaimed by activists prior to demolition. Location: Backside of Akashvani, Mysore. 10.00 am to 5.00 pm. Tuesday Holiday. Free entrance. | ||
| 36 | Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) | Bengaluru | Visual culture | 2022 | Private museum | A private art museum based in Bengaluru that is a custodian to a collection of Indian art, textiles, photography, craft and design objects spanning from the 12th century to the present. The collection has over 20,000 artworks, predominantly from the Indian subcontinent. | |
| 37 | Dharwad | Science centre and museum | 2012 | Private museum | Museum is based in Dharwad Karnatak University campus which has artilleries and galleries related to science. | ||
| 38 | Shortwave Radio Museum & Knowledge Centre | Bangalore | Science & Technology Museum | 2021 | Private Museum | Museum with 180 Vintage Radios from 1928 to 1970. Valve radios, their technology and history displayed. Also technical knowledge center for youngsters, new generation people, to know about by gone tube technology.. |