Sarnath Museum, Varanasi

Sarnath Museum, Varanasi (India)

Sarnath Museum is the oldest site museum of the Archaeological Survey of India. It houses the findings and excavations at the archaeological site of Sarnath by the Archaeological Survey of India. Sarnath is located near Varanasi in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The museum has 6832 sculptures and artifacts. To keep the antiquities found from the site a decision was taken in 1904 by the Government to construct a site museum adjacent to the excavated site at Sarnath. It was due to the initiative of Sir John Marshall the then Director General of Archaeology in India that this museum was created. The plans were prepared by Mr. James Ramson the then consulting Architect to the Government of India. The building was completed in 1910 to house display and study the antiquities from their right perspective. The building forms half of a monastery in the plan. The museum contains five galleries and two verandahs displaying antiquities ranging from the 3rd century BCE to the 12th century AD that have been found at Sarnath.