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Like any other city of India, Bombay is not deprived of museums. Each museums in Bombay withholds a significant piece of history. There are museums which are dedicated to different disciplines like art and craft. These museums helps to recapitulate the history of the forbidden past by showcasing products of legendary past.

Some of the famous museums in Bombay are Nehru Planeterium, Prince of Wales Museum, National Maritime museum. All these museums are exquisitely built and thereby create a desire in tourists to explore them.

Jehangir Art Gallery

Technically in the same compound as the Prince of Wales Museum, though approached from further up MG Rd is Jehangir Art Gallery. The construction of the Gallery was completed in 1952. It is Mumbai’s best-known venue for contemporary art and is frequently used for art and photographic exhibitions. Here, the visitor can get an idea of modern Indian painting and sculpture. The Gallery is open for five days: Monday to Friday from 10 am to 5 pm. Just outside the entrance, at the junction of Rampart Row and Mahatma Gandhi Road is one of the finest statues in Bombay, an equestrian statue of King Edward VII, by Boehm.

Nehru Planterium

Location
This museum falls adjacent to the planetarium, and houses a Childrens Science Park and a permanent gallery which showcases exhibits relating to the properties of life. An array of tramcar, railway engine, supersonic jet and steam lorry.

Origin
Inaugurated by late Smt. Indira Gandhi on march 3, 1977, the Nehru Planetarium soon acquired a distinct identity on the map of Bombay. It has grown into a Centre for scientific study of astronomy and for meeting of scientists and scholars for discussions and lectures, arranged periodically on various stellar and astronomical events.

It has a Mini Planetarium also, which is taken out to remote rural areas to project its shows for people and children to make them aware of the astronomical progress. These shows are highly popular and in great demand.

Programmes
The programmes arranged by the planetarium are aimed at inspiring students. These include Science quiz contests, Astro-painting, Science elocution, Astro-poetry and Astro-quiz competitions. Special arrangements are made to watch, study and photograph Solar & Lunar eclipses, and many such other events. Telescopes are installed outside the Planetarium to enable eager visitors to watch these phenomena.

Facilities
Nehru Planetarium is a large domed building Inside, various cubicles estimate your weight on each of the nine planets of the Solar System while in the domed interior, daily shows uncover the timeless mysteries of the cosmos. In the basement there is a marble-panelled auditorium having marvellous acoustic effects, a capacity of almost 1000 seats and equipped with all the state-of-art facilities.The auditorium usually arranges classical music and dance recitals, concerts and plays

National Maritime Museum

Location
It has been set up by the Navy and it preserves the historical treasures of India obtained from other countries and the models of ships built in Mumbai. It is established particularly in Mumbai for the reason that the city has a natural harbour, developed by the British, and it handles around 40% of the country’s maritime trade. Access to this splendid museum is not a big deal , for Mumbai has an excellent transportation network with an abundance of BEST buses, taxis, auto- rickshaws, and local trains.

The Museum at a Glance:
Set up : Joint Legged Animals.
Special features : Treasures of historical significance obtained from other countries. Models of ships built in Mumbai.
How to get there : Buses, taxis, auto-rickshaws.

Timings
Opening Timings : 10 AM to 6 PM

Mani Bhavan M G Museum

Timing : Daily 10am-5:30pm

Location
Located on leafy Laburnum Road, a quiet lane named after its shady trees.

About Mani Bhawan
Mani Bhavan is the old Mumbai residence of Mahatma Gandhi. It's a pretty, two-storied structure that now houses a reference library with over 2000 books, a photo exhibition of the Mahatma's life, and well preserved memorabilia, including an old charkha or spinning wheel that Gandhiji used to use. Today, its only a symbolic exhibit that lies unused, but many old Gandhians still visit the place to pay homage to their hero and demonstrate the noble art of spinning your own yarn!

Prince Of Wales Museum

Prince of Wales museum is a distinctive Raj-era building on the Mahatma Gandhi Road. The museum houses a superb collection of paintings and sculpture. The collection is so vast that one needs a full day to see everything and several visits to get into the details of each and everything. The foundation stone was laid in 1905 by the future King George v, then Prince of Wales. The design of the museum was carried out by George Wittet-the architect of Gateway of India.

Architecture
A classic work of artist, the museum is the epitome of the hybrid Indo-Saracenic style, it is said to be an “educated” interpretation of fifteenth and sixteenth-century Gujarati architecture. The building is topped by a massive Moghul-style dome. The central hall, overlooked by a carved wooden balcony, provides a snapshot of the collection inside. There are beautiful Moghul paintings, Jade work, weapons, miniature clay figures from the Mauryan and Kushana periods. Two sculpture gallieries on either side of the hall open onto the front garden. The one on the right side houses the museum’s natural history, which contains a large collection of stuffed birds, fish and animals.

Rich Collection
The main sculpture room on the ground floor displays some excellent fourth-and-fifth century heads and figures from the Buddhist state of Gandhara. There are vital Hindu sculptures like seventh century Chalukyan bas-relief, sensuously carved torso of Mahisasuramaraini, the goddess Durga with tripod. There are mysterious seal moulds and antique Jewellery. The main attraction however is the sperb collection of Indian paintings including that of Gita Govinda. On the second floor, there is a huge collection of porcelain, jade and ivory items. There is also a collection of weapons like swords, daggers belonging to Mughal Warriors. Textile room showcases brocaded saris, turbans, shawls etc.