Albert Hall Museum (Central Museum)

Albert Hall Museum, officially the Central Museum, stands in Ram Niwas Garden just outside the walls of the Old City in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. Opened to the public in 1887, it is the oldest museum in the state and was designed in the Indo-Saracenic style, which blends Mughal and Rajput forms with Victorian planning. The building has arched arcades, domed kiosks and a long frontage of sandstone and marble, and it is floodlit after dark. Inside, the galleries hold a varied collection: decorative arts, brass and metalwork, ivory carving, carpets, textiles, sculpture, weapons and Rajasthani miniature paintings. An Egyptian mummy displayed in the basement is a well-known draw, and a gallery of musical instruments and costume covers regional traditions. Visitors typically spend one to one and a half hours inside. A daytime visit suits those who want to see the collection, while the evening session, open until 10:00PM, mainly offers the lit exterior and cooler air. Dusk is the best time for photographs, when the facade turns gold before the lights come on, and the garden lawns in front give a clear vantage point. Crowds are heaviest on weekend evenings, when local families gather in the garden, while weekday mornings are calm. Ram Niwas Garden also contains a zoo and a small park, so the museum can be paired with a stroll. The museum sits about two kilometres from Sindhi Camp bus stand and a short auto-rickshaw ride from the Old City. Labels are in English and Hindi, and some galleries are dimly lit, so a small torch or phone light helps with fine miniature paintings.