Rajasthan is the land of vibrant and rich history. Even, its name simply translates to “Land of Kings”. And of course, with kingdom comes feudal culture and a history of warfare, which has given Rajasthan India’s some of the finest warriors. Many of the legendary battles have been fought in this region including, Maharana Pratap’s popular stand against Mughal emperor Akbar in ‘the Battle of Haldighati (1576)’ that saw 10,000 Mewaris fight 100,000-strong Mughal soldiers. The weapons used in these battles are today represents a part of Rajasthani history. As they say, trip to any destination is not complete without visiting its museums. So, why would you not explore the history and appreciate some of the fineest weaponry and royal stuff displayed at its various museums. If you are planning a visit, then read on and be familiar with famous museums of Rajasthan.
The City Palace Museum
This museum is a part of City Palace, which is located in Udaipur. It has an exceptional Royal Courtyard dedicated in the honour to Maharana Pratap and his famous warrior horse ‘Chetak’. The museum gallery displays the original armor and weapons which were used by the king himself during the Haldighati battle. The most unique thing to note about this museum is the unique trunk like armor which was worn by the horses. It has been said that this armor was used to disguise the royal horses and enemy elephants to avoiding attacks from other elephants of the Mughals. Some of the other possessions of this museum are the arms of Maharana Pratap. Apart from that, it also holds the best collection of hand guns, arrows, knives and axes that were used by the Mughals.
Mehrangarh Fort (Museum)
Maharaja Gaj Singh II laid the foundation of the Mehrangarh Museum, with an aim of setting up a state-of-the art museum in the blue city- Jodhpur. This museum is a paradise for people interested to see in traditional and war weapons. The museum exhibits a wide heritage of the arms used by the Rathores of this region. Mehrangarh museum also has the rarest and finest collection of arms from different periods, including the royal shields and swords which were used by emperors of Jodhpur. The most unique weapon in the collection of this museum is the sword, which was used by Akbar.
Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur
Albert Hall Museum is situated in the Pink City- Jaipur. It is the oldest Museum in the state of Rajasthan and functions as the “State Museum of Rajasthan”. This museum is named after King Edward VII (Albert Edward) and has a fine collection of rare historical objects including sculptures, jewellery, wooden objects, marble statues, tribal costumes, weapons of various emperors and kings of different time periods.
Government Museum, Akbar’s Fort in Ajmer
It is a striking museum situated inside the Akbar’s fort and was built by Lord Curzon in the year 1908. This museum displays a wide range of sculptures, miniature paintings, arms and weapons. The weapons section has all kinds of arms and armor that were used in the battles of mediaeval periods. The weapon collection includes daggers, different kinds of swords, guns, helmets, hilts and other weapons used by the Rajput warriors. Unlike other museums, it also houses a canon.]]>