Exhibition marks formation day of Salar Jung Museum

Darulshifa: On the occasion of Salar Jung Museum Formation Day, a special exhibition was organised at the western block of the museum on Monday. It was inaugurated by Dr A Nagender Reddy, Director of the museum. He noted the historical significance of the museum and the famed collections of Nawab Mir Yousuf Ali Khan Bahadur.

According to the Director, Nawab Mir Yousuf Ali Khan Bahadur popularly known as Salar Jung-III had vivid knowledge about his rare collections of art, antiquities and curiosities, brought from various parts of the world. They were put together in the form of a museum which was declared open to public on December 16, 1951 by late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

The death of Salar Jung-III had come suddenly on March 2, 1949. He remained bachelor throughout his life and had no direct descendants. As such, the Government of India appointed a committee by virtue of a special ordinance to administer the affairs of the Salar Jung Estate.

The venue of the museum was to be the "Dewan Deodi" itself, the ancestral palace of the Salar Jungs and the place where Mir Yousuf Ali Khan lived all his life. The control and the supervision of the affairs of the museum is with the Salar Jung Estate Committee.

After organising the Salar Jung Museum at Dewan Deodi, the oriental and the western collections were displayed in 77 big and small rooms. The children's section and the library, in two separate wings of the Dewan Deodi, were the two other important sections of the museum. In addition, there was photography section and a chemical conservation laboratory.

In the Dewan Deodi, the collections on display are divided into three main sections – Eastern section, Western Section and the Jade Room – apart from the children's section which includes exhibits pertaining to the interest of children. The Salar Jung Museum was in Dewan Deodi till 1968.