The Orissa State Museum Bhubaneswar

    The Orissa State Museum was conceived in the year 1932, when an idea was mooted by two Professors of History; i.e. Prof. Ghanashyam Das and Prof. N.C.Banerjee to conserve the archaeological remains of the state in the premises of Ravenshaw College, Cuttack. In due course, as the number of exhibits multiplied, the foundation stone of a new building was laid on 29th December, 1957 by Dr. Rajendra Prasad at Bhubaneswar for the present museum.

The age-old treasures of the state have found a good repository in the different galleries of the museum; i.e. Archaeology, Armoury Mining & Geology, National History, Art & Craft, Contemporary Art, Gopabandhu Gallery, Anthropologyand Manuscripts, etc.

The Archaeology Gallery
At the very entrance, the visitor is greeted by the weather-beaten face of a colossal lion of coarse grained sand-stone belonging to the 5th century A.D., found in a pit about forty feet from the northern door of the Bhaskaresvara  temple, Bhubaneswar. The Archaeological collection with the magnificent lion adorning the entrance as well as the rich and rare sculptural exhibits ranging from the third century B.C. to the  late medieval period which are well displayed in the three specious halls of the Archaeology Gallery give a memorable experience to the visitors.

The earliest specimen of this section is the portion of an Asokan Pillar (3rd  century B.C.) brought from Patna Museum, followed by the colossal Yaksha  and Naga  images( 1st  century B.C)  collected from the surrounding areas of Bhubaneswar. Out of more than a hundred collections from different parts of the state, mention may be made of the exquisite images of: Buddha  (7th century A.D.), Nataraj Kartikeya (9th century A.D.), Kubera (8th century A.D.), Simhabahini Durga(7th century A.D.), Mahisa Mardini Durga (9th century A.D.), Manjushri  (9th century A.D.), Mahavir(8th century A.D.), Ajitnath & Santinath(9th century A.D.). No less interesting are the sculptures of Tara(10th century A.D.),Parvati(9th century A.D.), Chamunda (8th century A.D.), Uma-Mahesvara(9th century A.D.) and Krishna-Vishnu (12th-13th  century A.D.). The imposing headless image of Loknath (11th century A.D.) which was lying buried in the vicinity of Brahmeswara temple, Bhubaneswar is certainly a star attraction.

The Epigraphy Gallery
In the Epigraphy Gallery, the visitor can have a glimpse of the earlier pattern of writings following different dialects and languages. This section displays 22 stone inscriptions, 87 copper plate grants and a number of plaster cast impressions. Mention may be made of the Bhadrikali inscription in Prakrit language dating back to the 3rd century A.D.; portion of the Asokan inscription of the Ganga Queen Chandrika Devi.

The Numismatics Gallery
In the Numismatics Gallery, the earlier evidence of the use of metallic currency in India is furnished by the display of silver punch-marked coins dated to the 4th century B.C., collected from Salepur(Cuttack) and Mayurbhanj. Here one finds rare coins ranging from the 1st  centry B.C. to the 16th century A.D. which include the Indo-Parthian copper coins(2nd century B.C.), Indo-Greek Copper Coins(2nd century B.C.), Satavahana Coins(1st century B.C.), Samudragupta Gold Coin(3rd century A.D.), Chandragupa-II Gold Coin (4th century A.D.), Puri Kushan Copper Coin (5th century A.D.), Silver coin of Shershah (15th century A.D.), Copper Coin of Akbar(16th century A.D.).

The Armoury Gallery
The silent witness of the chequered military career of the Orissa people is the Armoury Gallery with its rich collection of fifty traditional swords including the Talwar, Khadga, Bayonet and Axe etc., twelve muzzle-load guns six rifles and thirty one cannons.

The Mining Gallery
A gallery of Mining and Geography has been opened by the Directorate of Mines. The content of this repository consists of different minerals like Bauxite, Limestone, Quartzite, Graphite, Iron-ore, Manganese, Chromite Garnet, Copper, Monazite and different types of rocks like Igneous, Sedimentary, Sandstone, Marble and soap-stone etc.Of special interest is the meteorite from Subarnarekkha river basin, the plant fossil of  200 million years old from Talcher and a log of 300 million years old from Phulbani.

The Natural History  Gallery
Quite irresistible is the colourful Natural History Gallery consisting of two spacious halls where the display has been organised with the help of dioramas, projecting mammals like leopard, tigers, red panda, jungle cat, black buck, Indian bison and birds like peacock, ducks, pelicans etc., in  their natural setting.

The Art & Craft Gallery
In the two halls of Art & Craft Gallery are displayed the exquisite traditional art & craft pieces of stone carvings (conspicuos being the Mridanga player and cymbal player, both of Konark replica); wood carvings (Jaganath Balabhadar & Subhadra inside a temple); terracotas, horn works, ivory works(ivory table from Jarada palace of Ganajm and ivory palanquin from Jeypore in Koraput district); bamboo and cane works, lacquer work, applique works(canopy umbrella); bronze work, metal craft, leather craft, patta paintings, textiles, etc

. The Contemporary Art  Gallery
For the lovers of painting, spending sometime in the Contemporary Art Gallery is a must. Organised by the Orissa Lalit Kala Academy, this gallery is a repository of the representative collection of some notable artists belong to the early, middle and later phases.

The Personnalia Gallery
The Personnalia Gallery on Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Dash, the celebrated poet, social worker and saviour of the down-trodden was set up in 1979 on the eve of his birth centenary with a view to immortalising his selfless service.

The Anthropology Gallery
No less irresistible is the Anthropology Gallery spread over there spacious halls where, tools of early stone age and copper age, microliths and neoliths have been well displayed.

The Manuscript Gallery
The Manuscript Gallery is a treasure house of rare palm-leaf manuscripts and illustrated palm leaves. The notable illustrated palm-leaves include the Gita Govinda, Amaru Sataka, Usha Harana and Chitrakavya Bondhodays. The most interesting treasure of this sections is the manuscript containing Gita Govinda written on seven ivory plates and the palm-leaf garland containing Bhagabat Gita, made of fifty-five small ball-like beads.
The Orissa State Museum, with its rich heritage continues to be the Star attraction of this Temple City.