One of the finest museums in India is located right in the heart of Mumbai, along Mahatma Ghandi road.  It is a short distance from the Gateway of India, another historical landmark. You probably guessed it by now because it’s none other than Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya. If you were thinking of the Prince of Wales Museum, it’s one and the same. 

Inaugurated in 1922, the museum was originally commissioned as a commemorative building after the visit of the then Prince of Wales, King George V in 1904. Decades later, in 1999, the museum was renamed after Shivaji who was the founder of the Maratha Empire. The English name was however somewhat retained which is presumed to be for the benefit of the non-Indian speaking population as this was after all a major tourist attraction for Bombay and still is.

This magnificent bit of architecture was designed by Architect George Wittet with a specific instruction from the bosses to make it strictly Indian. The result was a gorgeous, mosque-like, palace of a building surrounded by a perfectly laid-out garden of flowers, greens and palm trees, sitting splendidly in the midst of a crescent-shaped piece of land.

The museum itself houses a vast collection of historical arts and artefacts, not only from the local Indian heritage but from other cultures as well, including Chinese and Western. It also boasts of three major sections which are the following, namely architecture section, art section, and the much visited natural history section.

Perhaps one of the most impressive pieces in the museum’s collection are the decorative art collectibles which are normal, everyday household items like bowls, cups and jewelry boxes. They are exquisitely and elaborately handcrafted, carved or painted with such grandeur that using them for the purpose they were made would definitely be a violation of some sort. 

As a heritage building, the structure in itself is worth making the trip already. It’s gorgeous inside and out, it’s certainly fit for royalty. Considered by many photographers as a picture-perfect subject, it will please tourists to know that they can take shots of this beauty anyway they can and come out taken like a pro. 

Consisting of more than fifty thousand artefacts, both ancient and contemporary and the in-betweens, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya is considered a prominent part of Indian society and tradition which will last through the ages because of its authenticity and uniqueness. Even as Bombay further progresses onwards, the museum remains a constant reminder, a beacon from the past to the future, for this and the succeeding generations.

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