Aihole Museum
| Place | Bagalkot |
|---|---|
| State | Karnataka |
| Virtual Museum | No |
| Year of Establishment | 1987 |
| Museum Type | Archaeological, Site Museum |
| National Importance Museum | Yes |
| Address | Aihole, Karnataka 587124 |
| Visiting Time | 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Closed on Fridays) |
| Entry Fee | ₹5 for Indians and SAARC/BIMSTEC visitors ₹100 for Foreigners (Note: The museum fee is often separa |
Museum Introduction
Located within the Durga Temple complex, this museum was originally established as a sculpture shed in 1970 and upgraded to a full-fledged museum in 1987. It serves as a vital repository for artifacts recovered from Aihole, a site known as the "Cradle of Indian Temple Architecture." The museum preserves the rich heritage of the Early Chalukya dynasty.
General Collections
The collection includes stone sculptures of Brahmanical, Jaina, and Buddhist faiths, hero stones, sati stones, and inscriptions. It also houses fragmentary carved architectural members and a scaled bird’s-eye view model of the Aihole valley and its monument clusters.
Unique Historical Collections
A rare and significant mutilated anthropomorphic figure from the Megalithic period, and a magnificent 7th-century sculpture of the Jaina deity Ambika.
Additional Information
| Archaeological Survey of India | Yes |
|---|---|
| Notes | The museum is divided into six indoor galleries and a large open-air gallery. It features a trilingual audio-visual show regarding the political history and architecture of the Aihole-Badami-Pattadakal circuit. |
| Artifacts | Sculpture of Ambika, Kalabhairava, Nataraja, Varaha, Saptamatrikas, Lajja Gauri, and various Hero Stones (Viragals). |
| Highly Descriptive | Yes |
| Contact Details | 08351-284551 |
| Email ID | mus.aihole@gmail.com |