Agra Museum

There are two main museums inside the city of Agra.

1. Taj Museum

Famous For History Buffs, Photo Fanatics
Fee 750 per person
Visiting Time All days 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Except Friday)
Duration of Visit 1 to 2 hours

Located inside the mausoleum tagged as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, this museum hosts many original Mughal artifacts, art works and much more. Those who visit Taj Mahal, make it a point to visit the museum and explore the preserved elements of Mughal regions.

Location

This museum is located inside the Taj Mahal complex, on the western side to the entrance of Taj Mahal.

Inauguration

The museum was created between 1899 and 1905. Later, in 1982, the museum was modernized by Khan Bahadur Hussan.

Timing

Museum is open from 9 am to 5 pm. It is closed on Fridays. The entry ticket to the monument includes the cost of museum visit too.

Rooms And Galleries Inside The Museum

There are in total, three galleries in the museum:

First Gallery

This gallery is dedicated to Calligraphic art. It is said that Shah Jahan was a fan of Calligraphy and you can find many carved jade articles with calligraphic art. You can also find household items used during Mughal region, in this gallery. This includes bowls, celadon dishes, lotus vase, jade articles, porcelain items and so on. It is said that the celadon utensils change their colors, when poison is served in it. On the final section of the display, you will find arms of Mughal era like dagger, swords and others.

Second Gallery

This gallery is dedicated to paintings, mostly of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. This gallery holds many paintings of different sizes and shapes, made on different objects. You can find paintings made on ivory too. Miniature painting collection is also found in this section.

Third Gallery

This gallery is also dedicated to drawings and paintings. However, these paintings and collections are related to the mausoleum. You can find paintings and photographs of Taj Mahal during different decades. There is also the site plan of Taj Mahal on display. Every step of the building process had been recorded during the ancient times. This section also contain coins gallery, which displays silver and gold coins of Mughal reign, which were minted in Akbarabad.

Main Room

This room holds many exclusive items like

Manuscript of Chechel Majlis of 17th century, which holds signature of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and the royal seal of his reign.
Royal documents of the court during the time of Shah Jahan
Paintings of Taj Mahal made during 18th century
Document related to the fruit auction of the produce from Taj Mahal garden
Land grant documents
Copies of documents explaining supply of Makrana Marble from Rajasthan
Map, with indication of spots, where the stones used in the monument came from.
A few samples of the stones used in decorating Taj Mahal

2. Spiritual Museum Of Agra

Famous For History Buffs, Photo Fanatics
Fee Free
Visiting Time All days 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Duration of Visit 1 to 2 hours

This is a lesser-known museum of Agra and is famous for cultural artifact and relics belonging to the Mughal region. This is the newest museum of the city.

Location

This museum is located a few kilometers away from Agra. You can find cabs, buses and other transportations from any part of the city to the museum.

Inauguration

The museum was inaugurated by Brahmakumari movement.

Timing

Museum is open from 10 am to 5 pm.

Entry Fee

Entry to the museum is free. If you are choosing to attend the meditation classes and yoga classes conducted inside the museum, you need to pre-register. There is no charges for the classes too.

Cost of hiring a guide – INR 100 to INR 200 (based on the season)