It was my 3rd day in Mumbai and I was just starting to get used to the heat and the new time zone. However, a family emergency came up for Lubna, and she was going to have to let me fend for myself. She offered me use of the family’s vacation home in Goa. I decided to take her up on that. But for this last day in Mumbai, she decided to take me to the most amazing museum, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya. Translated from ‘King Shivaji museum’, the museum is frequently abbreviated as CSMVS. It was formerly named the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India during the British Raj. It is the main museum in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
The Museum
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, abbreviated CSMVS, is located a short distance from The Gateway to India. The museum is a wonderful introduction to the long history of Indian civilization. Containing over 50,000 examples of ancient Indian history, it also has objects from other lands. These items are categorized into primarily 3 sections: art, archaeology and Natural History. Construction on the museum began in 1905 to commemorate a state visit by HRH George, Prince of Wales. He would later become George V. The museum was renamed in 1998 after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of Maratha Empire.
Yet, for a neophyte to understand India is almost impossible. First, the civilization is one of the oldest, dating back 5100 years to around 3000 BC. During that time, they’ve been trading with the Middle East, the eastern coast of Africa, China, and the islands of the South Pacific. They’ve been invaded from the Middle East and from Europe several times over.
Layer upon layer of history, religions, civilizations, and different kingdoms and cultures all stack on top of each other. Presented to you in one fell swoop, here is India. The sheer amount of information can be overwhelming. I read a few books about India before I came to help me understand a little. One of those books is called Land of the Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India’s Geography by Sanjeev Sanyal, published by Penguin Books. Yet it wasn’t until I entered the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya that I was able to visually understand what the books had told me.
A Journey into India’s Past
Situated on 3 floors are room upon room of ancient treasures, featuring the different cultures and different civilizations that make up India’s rich history. The museum explores the different religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. It shows how they all clashed and influenced each other through the ages, which is evident in the exhibits at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.
The weather in Mumbai was extremely humid during my visit, and the AC at the museum had a hard time keeping up with the heat. Yet, there are several locations throughout the museum where you can stop and get a refreshment, including a lovely tea room where they serve an English high tea. After 4 hours of wandering through the width and breadth of India’s deep history, I was exhausted. So, we left to go get lunch in a cooler environment. Yet, I highly recommend the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya as a wonderful introduction to helping understand something of India’s amazing cultures and civilization through the ages.
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Museum, 159-161, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400023, India.
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