Town Hall Museum, Kolhapur - Timings, Entry Fee, History & Artifacts

At a distance of 1 km from Mahalakshmi Ambabai Temple, and 2 km from Kolhapur Railway Station, Town Hall Museum is a museum situated at Shaniwar Peth, Kolhapur. It is one of the interesting places to visit in Kolhapur.

The Town Hall Museum is situated in a heritage building with elements of neo-Gothic architecture. The building served as an administrative office during the British period and later became home to the diwan of the local monarch, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj. The structure was built along with a bandstand during 1872-76 under the supervision of a British engineer, Charles Mant, and required an investment of 80,000 from the royal treasury. The museum was inaugurated in the year 1945.

The museum was established to preserve the items obtained from excavations at the Brahmapuri Hills in the 1940s that belonged to the Satavahana, and Shilahara-Bahmani periods. Later paintings of renowned local artists were added to the collection in 1953. The collection of the museum includes figurines of the Greek god Poseidon, riders on an elephant, and a medallion with Hellenistic figures (replica only). Also, the museum exhibits pottery fragments, beads, and coins from the Brahmapuri civilization. It exhibits fantastic sculptures that are rescued from the popular Mahalakshmi Temple. One of the most eminent pieces of sculpture displayed at this museum is that of a female attendant who bears the fly-whisk from Panhala. The museum also displays a magnificent bronze bell which was brought from Vasai in the year 1979. There is a gallery dedicated to arms at one end of the museum.

The museum campus also has Chhatrapati Pamela Raje hospital which was built by Mant in 1881-84. . The entrance of the hospital displays Corinthian columns with monkeys and demonic heads incorporated into the arches above. The museum premise is decorated with beautiful fountains, exotic species of plants, shrubs, and trees.

Timings: 10.30 AM - 1 PM & 1.30 PM - 5.30 PM, Closed on Monday

Entry: Rs. 10 for Adults & Rs. 5 for Children