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Place to See >>
Sri Sadul Museum
 Over
several generations of the Bikaner Royal Family a vast
amount of materials has been amassed consisting of many
old Bahis and Kharitas, Records maintained by hand in
the olden days, thousands of files from the period of
Maharaja Ganga Singhji and Sri Sadul Singhji, a great
number of library books also from this period and a rich
collection of photographs some dating to the period of
Maharaja Dungar Singhji. Bikaner has always been a very
progressive State and thus all the written and pictorial
material was in fact. Maharaja Dr. Karni Singhji found
that he has inherited all of the above and much more in
the shape of beautiful Miniature Paintings, Ornaments,
Medals and Trophies and many other Historical Artifacts.
As a man dedicated to history and committed to looking
after the legacy of his ancestors he wanted to vest all
these articles in one museum. The purpose would be to
maintain the records for serious research scholars and
also to let the general public see these magnificent
artifacts.
 It
was during the early seventies that Maharaja Dr. Karni
Singhji asked his elder daughter Rajyashree Kumari to
assist him in this venture. It was the beginning of an
adventure that went on for many years as slowly one
stone room after another was inspected and dusty corners
explored and the treasure hunt went on in many
properties and over a great period of time. The end
result was that a large collection of artifacts was
collected and it was large collection of artifacts was
collected and it was then decided to house them in the
Sadul Niwas wing of Lallgarh Palace. Maharaja Dr. Karni
Singhji dedicated the museum to the memory of his father
and thus Sri Sadul museum came into being came into
being in 1976.
It has long been considered that Bikaner had the largest
collection of old photographs some of which were used by
Naveen Patnaik in his book "The Desert Kingdom" which
was very popular. The museum houses a vast array of old
photographs albums and Miniature Paintings, Pieces of
Armor and Exquisite Textiles, Citations, Medals and
Trophies belonging to Maharaja Ganga Singhji and a
comprehensive collection of photographs depicting the
Target Shooting Careers of Maharaja Dr. Karni Singhji
and his daughter Princess Rajyashree Kumariji. Both
father daughter were awarded the Arjun Award, which are
now on display in the Museum.
The museum was created to encourage and assist research
scholars and access is readily given to all those who
apply to the Museum. The museum also cossmissions books
from time to time from the material that it contains.
Restoration and conservation of old books and material
is another aspect the museum is very concerned with.
The Museum is in the constant process of upgrading
itself as it strives to modernize its display. It hopes
in time to have a small cinema in the many historic
events that look place in the past such as the opening
of the Gang Canal in 1927 and the Golden Jubilee of
Maharaja Ganga Singhji in 1937 can viewed by a
modern audience.
The trust has introduced a small bookshop in which post
card and books can be purchased. The museum encourages
visits from school and colleges and grants discount on
the ticket fee. |
