The Government Museum and Art Gallery is located at Sector 10, in
Chandigarh. Started in 1947, the museum has a rich collection of
Rajasthani miniature paintings and about 619 Gandhara sculptures. There are 92 ancient sculptures from other periods. The miniature paintings are mainly from the Punjab Hills but with some Persian,
Mughal and
Pahari schools. There is also a huge collection of fossils of prehistoric man and his implements, unearthed in India.
Museum of Evolution of Life, one of the important wings of the museum, depicts the origin of the earth and the evolution of life. The art gallery is located close the museum. The gallery has separate sections for Brahminical and Jain Sculpture Gallery, Gandhara Art Gallery, Miniature Painting Gallery and Terracotta Sculpture Gallery. These galleries mainly feature the works of individual artists and ancient art works.
Government Museum and Art Gallery was designed by Le Corbusier; the design is based on grid system of columns and beams. The main building features a reception hall, foyer, reserve collection storage, conservation laboratory, cafeteria, temporary exhibition hall and auditorium. A system of top lighting is provided to the museum.
The museum has a reference library with a collection of over 6000 rare books on art and culture. There is a conservation laboratory, photo laboratory, an air-conditioned auditorium and a cafeteria.
Visiting hours are set between 10:00 to 16:30 hrs, on all days except Monday and official holidays.
