The Watson Museum & Library commemorates the work of Colonel John Watson, political agent (administrator) from 1886 to 1889. It’s a jumbled attic of a collection, featuring 3rd-century inscriptions, arrays of arms and delicate ivory work overseen by an unamused marble statue of Queen Victoria.
About Watson Museum & Library in Rajkot, Gujarat :
The Watson Museum in Rajkot, is one of the oldest and the largest museums of Gujarat and is considered one of the best amongst similar museum in the Saurashtra region.
The Watson Museum was set up in the Queen Victoria Memorial institute building in Jubilee Garden, Rajkot, in the year 1888 and building was completed and opened to the public in the year 1893. It got its name from the British Political Agent of Kathiwad, Colonel John Watson, who initiated the citations and documentation of the history of Rajkot and artifacts in respect to the royal families in that region. The museum is run by the State Government of Gujarat because of its invaluable contents and artifacts.
The museum contains a library paintings and artifacts donated by the several royal families, a wide-ranging memorabilia of Colonial rule. It also depicts the influence of textiles and jewelry in Bharwads, Ahirs, Darbars and other native people of the region. There is also an interesting collection of Indus Valley Civilization artifacts collected from various sites around the Saurashtra region.
The Watson museum is divided into various sections namely; paintings and manuscripts, textile, inscription, sculptures, coins, anthropology, folk embroidery and handicraft, musical instruments, wood work, natural history and rocks and minerals.
Best time to visit :
The best to visit the Watson Museum is between October and March as the climate is dry and cool and makes sightseeing enjoyable. The Watson Museum organizes a week long festival, Bhartiya Shilp Samrudhi every year in the second week of January, making it a good to go and see the celebrations.
Trivia:
Watson Museum is considered to be one of the largest and finest wide-ranging museums of Gujarat containing artifacts dating back to the 13th century and the Indus Valley Civilization. It holds invaluable articles of facts relating to the history and culture of Gujarat and the surrounding regions.
Timing :
Mondays to Saturdays – 9:00 am – 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm. The Watson Museum is closed on public holidays, Sundays and every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month.
How To Reach Watson Museum & Library:
By Road: Rajkot is well connected by road to most of the major cities of Gujarat and other neighboring states. State Transport buses are regularly available from Rajkot to other cities of Gujarat. The ST bus stand is 2 km, west of Bedi Gate on the other side of Ranmal Lake. Auto rickshaws are the best way into the town, though one might also choose to walk in. Private buses are also available for Ahmedabad, Baroda, Mumbai, Bhuj, Bhavnagar, Una, Mount Abu and Udaipur.
By rail: Rajkot is a junction on the Western Railway Ahmedabad-Hapa broad gauge line. Inter City Express, Saurashtra Mail and Sau Janata Express are some of the few trains that pass through the station. The railway station known commonly as the Rajkot Junction is almost 6 km away from the Teen Batti triple gateway. Rajkot is well connected with important cities in Gujarat and India by rail. Trains for Delhi, Mumbai, Cochin, Coimbatore, Kolkata, Amritsar, Patna and Bhopal are available from Rajkot.
By air: Reaching Rajkot by air is quite a possible option as the city has a domestic airport linking it to Mumbai. Air India has daily flights from Mumbai, while Jet have daily flights. A rickshaw ride into the city from the airport costs approximately Rs 25/-.