Visit The Prince of Wales Museum in Mumbai: A Slice of Indian History (2024)

About The Prince of Wales Museum in Mumbai:

The Prince of Wales Museum, now known as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangralaya, is in Fort, Mumbai, and a popular tourist spot in Mumbai. The Museum is an excellent piece of art and architecture, and just looking at the interiors is an experience that takes you into the past. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangralaya is one of the many organizations dedicated to preserving the culture, heritage, and history of India. If you plan to visit this Museum, read on to know what your experience might be.

The Prince of Wales Museum has more than 50000 exhibits of ancient India, right from the Valley Civilization to the Mughal, Maratha, and the British Empire. The Museum also has artifacts from the Indus Valley civilization.

The best way to explore the Prince of Wales Museum is to take note of the various departments it has. In the art section, we have statues and sculptures that are as old as the 10th Century. The Museum is a history student’s dream.

You will see some archaeological remains from the pre-historic times as well as the sculpture collections of the Guptas as well as the Chalukyan era, the early 5th Century. While the Prince of Wales Museum has a lot to offer to History students, it also now has a department that showcases nature and natural habitats. You will see several animals here, like tigers, the Indian bison, and flamingoes.

The Prince of Wales Museum has a contemporary art department as well, which houses a range of paintings from the 1880s to the 1950s. You see several paintings which are the works of such stalwarts like Raghunath Dhondopant Dhopeshwar, Raghuveer Govind Chimulkar, Rasiklal Parikh, Abalal Rahiman, Syed Haider Raza and others.

The Prince of Wales Museum has evolved consistently and added to its experience as well. In 2010, it opened the textile gallery, the only textile museum in the city. The gallery is an example of the various textile manufacturing techniques, the traditional Indian attire, and attire collections from regions in the country.

Other Places to Visit After Visiting The Prince of Wales Museum

The Prince of Wales Museum is a wholesome experience for everyone interested in culture and Indian history. You can spend about two to three hours at the Museum. Fort and the surrounding areas have a lot to offer.

After the Prince of Wales Museum, you should visit the Jehangir Art Gallery. And next, head over to the National Gallery of Modern Art as well as the Delhi Art Gallery. You also have the Asiatic Art Gallery in the vicinity, so make it a point to visit that as well.

These galleries have impressive art from the minds and hands of some of the most influential and inspiring names, both Indian and foreign.

Wish to take a breather? Head to Horniman Circle Garden, which gives you a calm and serene experience right in the middle of the city. The Garden is one of the older structures in Mumbai, the building of the structure began sometime in 1821. The garden overlooks some of the famous offices and buildings, giving you a surreal experience of being surrounded by greenery and the concrete jungle, all at one.

Nearby, you have Kala Ghoda, which is not just an art festival destination every February, it is also a strip of land that has some of the most exquisite art, designs, and fashion on sale. Some of the big names here are Kulture Shop, Filter, Fab India, and others. Though Fab India now has outlets everywhere, shopping from the Kala Ghoda outlet of Fab India is a whole different experience.

And if you wish to shop, head over to Crawford Market, the place that towers over every shopping experience place in Mumbai. From fruits to fashion to accessories to home gadgets, you will be able to buy anything and everything at the Crawford Market, provided you have the time and the wherewithal to bargain at the prices.

Looking for more shopping options in the evening, head over to Fashion Street, the famous/infamous street that is now only a skeleton of what it was in the nineties. But even so, you will be able to get cheap ripoffs of brands, cosmetics, electronic gadgets, toys, and everything under the sun that you would want. Fashion Street is an excellent option to buy clothes that nobody will ever see you wearing, and gadgets that people will never know you use.

After your museum visits, head over to the Gateway of India, which is just two minutes away from the Museum. You get an incredible view of the sea and can soak in the spirit of Mumbai, looking at the people who mill around the Gateway of India. The Gateway is also the place where you catch a Jetty to go to the other destinations in Mumbai, like Elephanta Caves and Alibaug, so you will be able to see another slice of Mumbai life – tourists looking for a quick getaway from the city.

Where is The Prince of Wales Museum Located in Mumbai?

The Prince of Wales Museum is in Fort, in Churchgate. The simplest way to reach there is via the train. Churchgate is the farthest railway station in the South of Mumbai. So, you need to board a train that goes towards Churchgate. The beginning points of these trains are from Borivali or Virar. Once you get down at Churchgate, you can board a cab to go to Fort. Pro-top, there are no autorickshaws in Mumbai post-Bandra. So, while the traveling costs might increase slightly, you also get the experience of traveling in the iconic Kaali-Peeli (old taxis) of Mumbai.