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Kashi · काशी
Facade of Bharat Kala Bhavan museum with its pool, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
Shared heritageMuseum

Bharat Kala Bhavan, BHUभारत कला भवन, काशी हिन्दू विश्वविद्यालय

  • Timings10:30–16:30 Mon–Sat; May–June 07:30–13:00; closed Sun and national holidays
  • Entry₹20 (Indian) · ₹250 (foreign) · ₹10 (students with ID) · free for BHU students and staff
  • Time needed1–2 h
  • Best timeWeekday mornings after opening; closed on Sundays and national holidays

The art and archaeology museum of Banaras Hindu University, begun on 1 January 1920 as the Bharat Kala Parishad and part of BHU since 1950.

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Visit at a glance

Good to know

  • In May and June the museum keeps summer hours, 07:30–13:00, so go early.
  • BHU students and staff enter free; students from elsewhere pay ₹10 with a valid ID card.
  • Look for the Nicholas Roerich paintings of the Himalaya and the Gupta-period Krishna lifting Govardhan; the Alice Boner Gallery was listed as under renovation on the museum's page.
Read the full story

Its holdings of more than one lakh objects are best known for miniature paintings and sculpture, shown with Banarasi textiles, coins and terracottas across fourteen galleries. The present building was inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962.

The collection grew out of the lifelong work of Rai Krishnadasa, a Hindi writer and pioneering art historian of Banaras. It moved to the Kashi Nagari Pracharini Sabha in 1929, where it took the name Bharat Kala Bhavan.

Sources: Bharat Kala Bhawan — About the Museum (Banaras Hindu University) · Bharat Kala Bhawan — Nicholas Roerich Gallery (Banaras Hindu University) · Wikipedia — Bharat Kala Bhavan (coordinates) · OpenStreetMap — Bharat Kala Bhavan (way 322459733) · Bharat Kala Bhawan — Home (Banaras Hindu University): timings and ticket charges · Incredible India (Ministry of Tourism) — Bharat Kala Bhavan

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