State museum or Ranchi museum is situated at the Tribal Research Institute building at Morabadi. It is one of the important tourist destinations of Ranchi, the capital of the Indian state of Jharkhand. The museum draws crowd from various distant places. It was opened for the public in the year 1974. The aim of the State museum is to preserve the history and cultural heritage of Jharkhand. The museum is home to prehistoric implements, stone sculptures, terracotta, numismatics, ethnological objects and arms. The museum also showcases the culture and life of the tribal people of Bihar.
History of State Museum
Way back in 1974, State museum was established in the premises of the Tribal Research Institute at Morabadi. At that time, it was known as Ranchi museum. Jharkhand is home to a wide range of cultural, historical and artistic heritage but the museum was not sufficient to showcase the huge collection. There was a need of well spread out space to display the rich heritage of this region. This requirement led to the formation of the State Museum in 2009 at the new building at Hotwar in Ranchi. It was inaugurated by His Excellency Vice President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari.
Collection of State Museum
The State Museum has ethnological gallery, sculptural gallery, pottery gallery, painting gallery, library and auditorium.
Ethnological Gallery - This gallery throws light on the day-to-day life of tribes of Jharkhand. It has models of various tribal communities like Asur, Munda, Birhor representing their physical features, residential quarters, hunting and agricultural practices. The Asurs form a very important part of Jharkhand, known as smelting and producing iron objects. The Mundas are also an important tribe of Jharkhand. Agriculture is their main profession, however, occasionally they also involve in hunting for their livelihood. The Birhor is a very ancient tribe which unfortunately now is on the verge of extinction. They are accomplished hunters. The ethnological gallery also houses tribal musical instruments, weapons and several other objects of these communities.
Sculptural Gallery - This section takes one back to the early medieval period of Jharkhand. It exhibits the sculptural pieces and architectural fragments belonging predominantly to that era. The gallery also comprises of several architectural members, such as pillar fragments, the decorative panels, door jambs etc. bearing iconographic depictions.
Pottery Gallery - This gallery displays potteries of history and pre-historic period. It has some important ceramics collection of protohistoric Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. It also has another interesting collection of the potteries that comes from Khukhragarh.
Paintings Gallery - Paintings from artists of various states of India such as West Bengal, Odisha etc are displayed in this gallery. The gallery is full of paintings that focus on the spirit of sports, competition, youth strength, aim, prosperity etc.
Library - The library houses a wide collection of books. A major section of the books narrates about the heritage and rich culture of Jharkhand.
Auditorium - The auditorium is designed to capacitate around three hundred people. It is equipped with latest gadgets and facilities.
The museum is open on all days from 10.30 am to 5pm except Sundays and gazetted holidays.
