Allahabad Museum

The Allahabad Museum is located on Kamla Nehru Road inside Chandrashekhar Azad Park in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. It was founded in 1931 under the municipal board of Allahabad, and the Nehru family and Indian nationalist figures supported its early growth, with Jawaharlal Nehru laying emphasis on it. After independence it came under the Indian government as an institution of national importance under the Ministry of Culture. The museum moved into a new, large building in the park, and a major renovation was completed in the 2010s, reopening with modernised galleries.

The collection is wide, covering natural history, archaeology, art and the freedom movement. One of the strongest sections is the terracotta collection from Kaushambi, an ancient city near Prayagraj, with figurines, plaques and toys from the Shunga and Kushan periods. The sculpture gallery holds stone images from the Gupta and medieval periods, and a major display of miniature paintings includes Rajput, Pahari and Mughal-influenced works. The museum also holds a large group of works by the Russian painter Nicholas Roerich and a collection of modern Indian art. A significant part of the display is devoted to the Nehru family, including items related to Jawaharlal Nehru and the Anand Bhawan household, and to the national movement. A natural history gallery has dioramas and specimens.

The museum is arranged by theme and period across a number of galleries, combining archaeological display with modern art and the story of the independence struggle. The renovated galleries use modern lighting, display cases and interpretive panels. The park setting is also historically notable, as the site where the revolutionary Chandrashekhar Azad died in 1931. Visiting the museum gives a wide survey of Uttar Pradesh's history as seen from Prayagraj and is often combined with Anand Bhawan and the fort. Opening hours and gallery availability can change, so visitors should confirm at the entrance. The museum is closed on Mondays, and galleries may be partly closed during maintenance or rearrangement.