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| Museums,
Galleries, etc. in Khandala |
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Raja
Dinkar Kelkar Museum:
Location: Pune, Maharashtra
Displays: Vast Collection
Of Paintings, Handicrafts, Armour-Suits,
Musical Instruments And Many Other
Objects Of Art
Significance: Contains
The Collections Of Dedicated Lover
Of Indian Art, The Late Dinkar
Kelkar
Architecture: Rajasthani
Style
Raja
Dinkar Kelkar Museum in Pune houses
an enormous number of over 20,000
collections of objects and artifacts
collected from all over the world.
Built in a Rajasthani-style, the
museum has a vast collection of
paintings, handicrafts, armour-suits,
musical instruments and many other
objects of art.
The galleries give the onlooker
a clear depiction of the life
and culture of the Marathas. The
museum contains the collections
of dedicated lover of Indian art,
the late Dinkar Kelkar. He has
spent almost 60 untiring years
traveling and purchasing objects
form the remotest villages and
towns of India. Kelkar's passion
and sense of humour are reflected
in every item of the collection,
and his contribution to the study
and preservation of art has already
become a legend.
Galleries In The Museum
The
museum is divided into 36 sections
and confines its collections to
the arts of everyday life: pots,
lamps, containers, nutcrackers,
pen stands and like - objects
that one would find in the homes
of the village landlord, the farmer,
the merchant and shopkeeper. It
also has a display of 17th century
lamps and other articles belonging
to Mughal and Maratha periods.
A masterpiece of the museum is
the 'Mastani Mahal' that was erected
here in its original site.
The entrance of the ground floor
gallery displays carved doors
and windows along with their panels
and frames. These are set in such
a way that they give you a feeling
of being just in front of the
then existing house from where
the particular doors have been
collected. A huge section of the
museum occupies the Vanita Kaksha
- the women's parlour giving an
insight to the lives led by the
women during that period. |
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Musical
Instruments:
The
first floor has a collection of
musical instruments of various
kinds namely drums, flute and
the string. The museum proposes
to pour music into these instruments
by making them enjoyable through
cassette recording. There are
samples of Indian textiles, puppets
and other household objects too.
Metalware:
Part
of the second floor displays a
range of metalware - from locks,
to ink pots, ritual bowls, 'Hookah'
stands (hubble-bubbles), nutcrackers
and lamps is quite remarkable.
Lamps with sacred emblems like
the peacock, the Goddess Lakshmi,
elephants and birds, and hanging
lamps that are suspended on heavy
brass chains, and standing lamps
used in the temple and the home
are on display in the museum.
A Unique Lock Collection:
The
collection of locks includes some
humorous, rather playful locks
in the form of dogs, horses and
even a scorpion. These locks were
used on doors and trunks, and
had ingenious locking mechanisms
and keys. There are also nutcrackers
embellished with impossible figures
of embracing couples, Goddesses,
riders on horseback and many other
designs - some quite bizarre,
others quite elegant.
With
the traditional customs of betel-
nut chewing and Pan (betel-leaf)
eating came the boxes and intricately
designed containers for these
leafy digestives. Perforated boxes
(to keep the leaf fresh) gave
the craftsmen scope for unlimited
experimentation in form and embellishment,
and a generous sample of these
boxes is on view at this museum.
The Exquisite Chitrakathi Paintings:
There
is also an interesting collection
of the Chitrakathi painting of
Maharashtra. These scroll paintings
were used by the village storyteller,
to the accompaniment of music
and song. The pictures are bold
and very graphic. Something of
the leather puppet traditions
of Karanataka and Andhra Pradesh
are also reflected in these Chitrakathi
paintings.
On the third floor there is room
for holding exhibitions, which
cannot be displayed in the permanent
show. An exact reproduction of
the aesthetically designed Mastani
Mahal built by the Bajirao Peshwa
during the 19th century for his
mistress Mastani captivates the
visitors. |
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