Napier Museum

 

Napier Museum and Art GalleryThiruvananthapuram, Kerala

                           History

Napier Museum and Art Gallery is a part of the Napier Museum campus, which is situated in the middle of Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram), Kerala. One should at not miss the tour of this museum, to get a feel of the authentic cultural heritage of ‘The God's Own Country’. Named after the former Governor General of Madras, Sir John Napier, the Napier Museum was constructed in the 19th century. The museum was constructed in the Indo-Saracenic style. The Napier museum is an abode of a number of different exotic and rare assortments of archaeological and historic relics, ancient ornaments, bronze idols, ivory carvings. One can also find a chariot, which has been designed beautifully with a number of tribal arts.

Napier Museum & Art Gallery also boasts of maintaining an ergonomically designed naturally cooled compound, which is designed according to the principles of physics and architecture. Hence, it saves a lot of fuel and electricity. The use of plastic has been banned inside the premises of the museum, which is another thing that makes the Museum premises eco-friendly. The Napier Museum complex stores a number of artifacts, which exemplify the prosperous cultural heritage of Kerala. The museum itself is a wonderful piece of architecture, with its picturesque green surroundings.

Napier Museum is popularly known as the Government Art Museum. It will be quite interesting to note that the museum’s building is a rare amalgamation of the Kerala, Mughal, Chinese and Italian architectural styles. The Sree Chitra Art Gallery inside the Napier museum features a rare collection of paintings by Raja Ravi Varma, Roerich and some fascinating works from the Rajput, Mughal and Tanjore schools of painting. The museum is also home to an exotic collection of paintings that are native to Japan, China, Bali and Tibet. This collection offers a visual treat and acknowledges the art and culture of these countries. The Museum holds some of the artifacts that clearly exhibit the cultural harmony between Indian and other cultures. These exhibits are the evidence of relation between India and the neighboring countries like China.