A Virtual Tour of the Lahore Museum

Amid the global coronavirus pandemic, we have seen many museums and art galleries around the world open up virtual tours, to help add some light note to the news intensive content that the majority are consuming, something that is adding to their anxiety.

Unfortunately, museums in Pakistan are not equipped with the technology to shift to this medium. This should be a reminder for those resisting the addition of technology, as to how important it is to incorporate it to the current system because that is not just the need of the hour but a key resource that will help highlight the importance of these institutions.
While we will have to wait and see if our institutions have seen the writing on the wall, I am going to create my own virtual tour for you of the Lahore Museum, here.

The Lahore Museum was founded in 1865 at the site of the Tollinton market, a much smaller location and was reopened in its current location in 1894, during the British Raj. It is now Pakistan’s top museum with the most foot traffic. Rudyard Kipling’s novel Kim, has a huge role in making the museum and the Zamzama gun across the building famous. The author’s father, John Lockwood Kipling, was one of the earliest curators of the museum.

There is an extensive collection of the Gandhara kingdom, Buddhist art from Indo-Greek period, the Indus valley, the Sikh Empire, Mughal Empire and the British Empire as well among others.

Lahore Museum’s current building was designed by the city’s renowned architect, Sir Ganga Ram, who is known for many prized buildings of the city, charities and for designing the Model Town society. Its entrance hall ceiling features a large mural by Sadequain, who originally made it in 1972–73.

Following is the pictorial compilation of some of the key exhibits of the museum. If you have not been there or it has been a while, I would suggest that once we are through this do pay a visit, it is worth your time.

Copyrights for the pictures — Fatima Arif

Originally published at https://pk.mashable.com on March 25, 2020.