Albert Hall Museum

Jaipur is the city of vibrant culture, royal history and extra ordinary heritage. But if you want to know about the culture and traditions, no place is better than a museum, isn’t it? In a city of beautiful culture, the Albert hall Jaipur is the most stunning museum. Situated in the Ram Niwas Bagh Jaipur, this Albert Hall Museum or Government Central Museum is one of the best visiting places for tourists. This beautiful museum is modeled along the popular Albert Museum of London and deeply represents the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture.

History – In the honor of Prince Albert of Britain who was the husband of Queen Victoria, this beautiful place was named as the ‘Albert Hall Museum’. In 1876, during his tour of the Indian Subcontinent, this museum was built to tempt him to visit the Pink City. Maharaja Ram Singh really wanted the prince to visit the Pink City because due to this visit, their ties to the British Royal Court will be improved and strengthened. He also performed other extravagance like the whole Jaipur city was painted in pink color which was the symbol of welcoming. This tradition continues to be followed through to today.

The famous British Architect, Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob, designed this beautiful Albert Hall very gracefully. While designing this place, he used the combination of India Islamic Architecture along with the Neo-gothic. This Neo-gothic pattern was very trendy and popular in the Victorian era. This combination and pattern of design was further referred to as Indo-Saracenic. Albert Hall Museum is one of the best example of such kind of style.

On the 6th of February 1876, the first stone of foundation ceremony was performed. The first stone of the place was laid by the Prince Albert and the place was also named after him. It took ten years to complete the construction of this beautiful building. By the reign of Madho Singh II, the construction of this building was over. As per the desire of Madho Singh I, Madho Singh II declared that this beautiful Albert Hall will be used as the museum instead of a government building. This beautiful museum is about 131 Years Old and houses the Excellent Collection Of Rajasthan royal Paintings, Traditional Royal outfits, crafts And Sculptures.

History of Albert Hall Museum
The foundation of Albert Hall was laid during the visit of the Prince of Wales, Albert Edward to Jaipur in 1876. It was not sure how the building would be used. On the suggestion of Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II in 1880, a temporary museum was built in 1881 to display the products of local craftsmen. The Albert Hall was completed in 1887 by the architect, Samuel Swinton Jacob, Director of Jaipur PWD. The temporary museum, whose artefacts were collected from several parts of India and its neighbours were shifted in the new museum.
The building became a fine example of Indo-Saracenic architecture. The corridors were decorated with murals in a variety of styles and European, Egyptian, Chinese, Greek and Babylonian civilizations were portrayed to enable the visitors to develop their knowledge of art and history. Thus, Albert Hall became a centre for imparting knowledge of the history of civilizations, inspiring artisans to enhance their skills and preserving & developing traditional Indian arts, crafts and architectural forms.

Albert Hall Museum Timings
The museum is open for the tourists from 9 in the morning and it remains open until 5 in the evening. On Holi, the museum remains closed as it is the local holiday of Jaipur. The last Tuesday of each month from October to March, the museum remains closed on an account of maintenance. Also, the last Monday of each month from April to September, the Museum remains closed for maintenance.
On great occasions and days of the year such as on World Museum Day, Rajasthan Day, World Heritage Day and World Tourism Day, the entry to the museum is free. Whereas, entry for students is free in the museum from 10 AM to 12 PM.