• Jan 25 2016
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Prachina Museum

Established in 2000, Prachina Museum was set up by Princess Siddhi Kumari in Bikaner with an aim to display the culture and heritage of Bikaner. The Museum displays paraphernalia belonging to three generations of royal women along with furniture and silver used by erstwhile Maharaja of Bikaner, Narender Sinhji. The Museum was set up in a karkhana or workshop that belonged to Princess Siddhi Kumari’s grandmother. Women from the royal family of Bikaner traditionally supervised workshops or ‘karkhanas’ where local artisans practised their craft. The Museum is a part of the grand Junagarh Fort complex that was used by the Royal Family as their residence before Lalgarh Fort was built.

Some of the galleries at the Museum include the Contemporary Art Gallery, the Ritual Art Gallery, the Bikaner Period Room, the Aristocratic Textiles and Costume Gallery and the Gallery of Aristocratic Transportation. The Ritual Art Gallery includes idols of local deities such as Gangaur, Isar, and various clan goddesses. Embellished raths or bullock-driven carts, preceding the horse-drawn carriages of the British era are displayed in the Gallery of Aristocratic Transportation. The Contemporary Art Gallery displays art of the famous Usta artists of Bikaner. Ustas are craftsmen trained in stone carving, stucco work, and embellishment of camel hide oil bottles. Works of artists such as Zahiruddin Usta and Hanif Usta are exhibited in the gallery. Two additional galleries within the museum are dedicated to ornate, floral ceiling and wall paintings which have been traditional to Bikaner. These paintings are mostly done on limestone surfaces either using raised work with gold ornamentation - known as Sunahari Munnawati Nakkashi - or by painting directly on the surface - known as Rangabaiji. The paintings in the Museum date back to the time when the building was still used as a workshop. When discovered, they were exclusively restored for the galleries.