Present Bangladesh National Museum (1983) is the successor to the Dhaka Museum. Lord Carmichael, the Governor of Bengal inaugurated the Dhaka Museum on 7th August 1913. Mr. M. Bonhamcarter and Nicholas D. Beatson Bell played a very significant role in establishing this museum. Dr. Nalini Kanta Bhattasali, a young historian of immense potentiality, was made the first curator of the museum in 1914 and he served the museum in that capacity till his death in 1947. An acclaimed scholar, dedicated organizer and a professional of untiring missionary zeal Dr. Bhattasali made this Museum a very solid one in this part of the world. Since inception, its collection has grown enormously covering a wide range of objects. On 20th September, 1983 Bangladesh Jatiya Jadughar (National Museum) ordinance came into operation and the Dhaka Museum Board of Trustees ordinance 22nd April, 1970 was repealed. Bangladesh National Museum was shifted to its present premises at Shahbag near Dhaka University in 1983.
A four-storied building with a total exhibition area of more than 20,000 sqm. and 44 galleries. The Bangladesh National Museum is one of the largest museum in South Asia. The Museum building comprises three auditoriums for holding seminars and cultural functions and a temporary exhibition hall for arranging special exhibitions. The Museum has a rich Library, an Audio-visual section, a Conservation Laboratory and a Photographic section.
Buddhist and Brahminical stone sculptures, architectural pieces, Arabic and Persian inscriptions and pieces of calligraph are the most significant objects of this museum from the point of view of artistic value and iconographic importance. The coin cabinet of the National Museum is especially rich for the study of history and numismatics of medieval Eastern India.
History
The Museum has a good collection of Sanskrit and Bengali manuscripts, written on hand-made paper, palm leaf. Among the terracotta objects in the museum plaques, figures, stamped and inscribed slabs, votive seals, moulded and decorated brick representing the different phases of this art of Bengal.The Persian documents. Paintings in the museum collection range in date from 17th century. They include lacquer painted wooden manuscript covers, late Mughal miniature, water color drawings of Eid and Muharram processions of Dhaka. With a gallery of Shilpachariya Zainul Abedin's painting, the contemporary art gallery is rich with paintings, sculptures and tapestries of famous artists of Bangladesh.
Besides these, medieval arms and weapons, porcelain, metal work, specimens of famous filigree work of Dhaka, exquisite embroidered quilts, outlandish pieces of ivory works, superb wooden furniture, a rare piece of world famous Dhaka Muslin, dioramas of folk and tribal life, model of boats of Bangladesh, tribal and folk arts and crafts are displayed in the galleries. Collection of natural history specimens includes flora and fauna, fossils, rocks and minerals of Bangladesh and some impressive dioramas depicting the forest life and sundarbans milieu. The galleries of liberation war (1971), mementos of martyred intellectuals (1971) and Language Movement (1952) have added a proper dimension to Bangladesh National Museum. At present, Bangladesh National Museum has, in its possession, more than 85 thousand objects representing Hindu-Buddhist civilization of olden times, Islamic heritage of Bengal, and life, culture and society of contemporary Bangladesh.
Visiting Hours :
April to September
Saturday to Wednesday : 10:30 to 17:30
October to March
Saturday to Wednesday : 09:30 to 16:30
Friday : 15:30 to 19:30
Holidays :
Thursday and Government holidays.
Office Hours (BNM):
April to September
Saturday to Wednesday : 10:00 to 18:00
October to March
Saturday to Wednesday : 9:00 to 17:00
Holidays :
Thursday and Friday.
