The Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum is situated in the Chandra Mahal Palace, built by Sawai Jai Singh when he constructed his new capital at Jaipur in 1727. Divided into five comprehensive sections, the museum displays the ancestral collections of former maharajas - paintings, manuscripts, maps, carpets, textiles, costumes, weapons and decorative art objects depicting courtly life in Jaipur state between the 16th and 19th century.
In the Vastragar (the textile and costume gallery), fine Mughal brocades, embroideries, Patkas, Kashmiri wollen and Pashmina shawls, Sanganeri blockprints and Mashru from Gujarat jostle with royal costumes. Among the latter is an immense atamsukh worn by the 2.1 m tall Sawai Madho Singh in the 18th century.
There are other rare and interesting objects like the giant silver vessels, each weighing 3.5 quintals, especially made to contain Gangajal (Ganga water). The Guinness Book of Records lists these as the largest silver objects in the world. Among a fine collection of carpets is one from Heart which is more than 17 m long. The Silekhana, with its painted and mirrored ceiling, contains a large selection of weapons that include varieties of swords and daggers, some with delicately carved jade, ivory, crystal and horn handles and some enameled and encrusted with jewels. |
