Cultural Karnataka

Museums

Keladi Museum
Located next to the Rameshwara Temple in Keladi in Sagar taluk of Shimoga District, the Keladi Museum is a rich repository of copper inscriptions, palm leaves, coins and several interesting antiques of the Keladi period. Recovered idols of the Hoysala and Chalukya periods, from the early 16th century to the late 18th century are displayed here.
Timings: 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Open from Monday to Friday. Closed on Saturday and Sunday Tel: 08183-260 140


Sri Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery
The Art Gallery in Jaganmohan Palace in Mysore has a unique collection of ceramics, sandalwood, ivory, stone, antique furniture and musical instruments. Paintings by reputed artists like Raja Ravi Varma and Roerich, as well as traditional Mysore gold leaf paintings, are on display.
Timings: 8.30 am to 5.30 pm Open on all days Tariff: Adults-Rs.20, Children-Rs.10 Tel: 0821-242 3693


Folklore Museum
Located in the imposing Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion in the Mysore University campus at Manasagangotri, the Folklore Museum is an impressive repository of folk culture. With 6500 folklore articles on display, the museum is acclaimed as one of the biggest of its kind in Asia. Among the exhibits are a superb collection of carved wooden figures from Karnataka’s villages, rural costumes, utensils, ornaments, metal ware, implements and tools used in various rural professions, models of temples, houses, decorative masks, ceremonial headwear and a display of leather shadow puppets.
Timings: 10 am to 5.30 pm from Monday to Saturday. Closed on Second Saturday, Sunday and Government Holidays
Folklore Museum
Janapada Museum, Manasagangotri,
Jayalakshmi Vilas Palace, Mysore 570 006
Tel: 0821-241 9348


Janapada Loka
Situated 53km from Bangalore on the Mysore highway, Janapada Loka is a treasure-trove of Karnataka’s folk heritage. The 15 acre complex houses museums, an open-air theatre, a studio and other structures. The museum, which provides insights into the life and arts of a large number of tribal and rural folk across Karnataka, has an amazing collection of 5000 artefacts that represent the essence of Karnataka’s folk culture. The exhausitive display includes an array of agricultural, hunting and fishing implements, weapons, ingenious household gadgets, masks, dolls and shadow puppets.
Timings: 9 am to 1 pm and 2:30 pm to
5:30 pm Closed on Tuesdays.
Tel: 080-2720 1143
Janapada Loka
Bangalore-Mysore Road, Ramnagara,
Bangalore 571 511


Shashwati
This enchanting museum in NMKRV College, Bangalore, is the brainchild of the late Dr CN Mangala, its former Principal. The over 5000 items on display echo thousands of different stories of the past, present and future work of Indian women. Exhibited in various forms of art and craft are the aspirations and achievements of women. Artefacts from the 18th and 19th century rub shoulders with one another, giving us a unique glimpse of the lives of ordinary women.
Timings 10.00 am to 4.00 pm
Monday to Friday. Open on Saturdays
from 10.00 am to 1.30 pm Closed on
Sundays and Government Holidays
NMKRV College
Next to Nanda Theatre, 3rd Block,
Jayanagar, Bangalore 560 011
Tel: 080-2663 7042

Sculpture Gallery, Badami
The sculpture collection from Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal, housed in the gallery is worth a look. An interesting sight here is the model of the natural bridge, Sidilinapadi, which is 5km from Badami. At the gates of the gallery, steps lead up to the fort temples of Lord Shiva.
Timings: 10.00 am to 5.00 pm Daily.
Archaeological Museum
Badami, Bagalkot 587 201
Tel: 08357-220 157

Archaeological Museum, Hampi
The museum located at Kamalapura has a modest collection of sculptures, and a large floor model of the Vijayanagara ruins.
Timings: 10.00 am to 5.00 pm Daily.
Closed on Fridays
Archaeological Museum
Kamalapur, Hampi, Bellary 583 221
Tel: 08394-241 561

Manjusha Museum, Dharmasthala
The museum houses a wide range of objects, including ancient scripts on palm leaves, silver jewellery, religious objects including bells, and bronzes, as well as household goods such as sewing machines, spectacles, typewriters and cameras.
Timings: 6.30 am to 1.00 pm and
7.00 pm to 8.00 pm Daily
Manjusha Museum
Dharmasthala 574 216
Tel: 08256-277 116

Bendre Bhavana
An imposing structure built near the house of the poet Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre on Dharwad- Haliyala Road, houses an auditorium, a photo gallery, a library and a research centre.

Kavishaila
Located 16km from Theerthahalli, nature is at its bountiful best in Kavishaila and its scenic environs, which inspired Kuvempu to pen his immortal verses. Just 0.5km from here is Kuppalli, where the ancestral house of this Jnanpith Laureate has been converted into a museum. It now houses a library, an auditorium and a research centre.

Rangayana Museum, Mysore
Rangayana is an autonomous cultural organisation and a theatre institution of national repute. It has an eminent faculty of trainers, designers and technicians, and operates from its own campus, adjacent to Kalamandira in the historic city of Mysore. A regular training programmes in all aspects of theatre are conducted here. The state’s cultural icons such as Sri BV Karanth, Sri Basavalingaiah and Sri Prasanna have served as directors in this prestigious institution. Renowned directors from India and abroad have directed plays for the company. Rangayana has also extensively participated in national and international festivals. It has four divisions:

Repertory Company
From its inception, the objective of the Rangayana Repertory has been promoting the art of theatre through extensive tours as well as by participating in national and international festivals, and exploring new avenues in theatre. The Repertory has regular performances on Saturdays and Sundays at Bhoomigeetha Theatre in Mysore. It offers a wide range of plays including comedies, historicals, Western classics and contemporary Kannada plays.

Bharatiya Ranga Shikshana Kendra
This theatre training institute imparts vocational training for teachers, social activists and amateur theatre persons. It has now opened a Children’s Repertory, in collaboration with Sweden and Swedish ITI, to work on Theatrein- Education. A one-year diploma course for theatre enthusiasts, and major developmental projects of the government in imparting training in the field of communication skills, personality and leadership development, are some of the other programmes initiated by the Bharatiya Ranga Shikshana Kendra.

Sriranga Documentation & Research Centre
Sriranga houses a unique library on theatre, which is now being computerised, with the aim of linking up its archives with documentation centres all over the world. The centre also plans to set up a manuscript library to collect manuscripts, photographs and personal artefacts of well known theater personalities.

Sriranga Ranga Mahiti & Samshodana Kendra
The Kendra takes up both national and international research projects in collaboration with various academic bodies. Facilities here include a Bhoomigeetha (Theatre), Vanaraga (Open air Theatre), Sriranga (Conference hall cum Studio), Art Gallery and Kutira (Exhibition Centre).

Kannada University
The Government of Karnataka through the Kannada University Act 1991, established the Kannada University in Hampi, in 1991. The University moved from the stone mantapas of Hampi where it was initially located, to the present campus, Vidyaranya, in 1994. It now also has two satellite campuses: one in Badami, a historical place, where the Department of Sculpture and Visual Arts is located; and the other in Kuppalli, the birth place of the poet Kuvempu, where the Kuvempu Research Centre is located. The University awards diplomas in the fields of music and sculpture.

Crafts Council of Karnataka
A voluntary organisation affiliated to the Crafts Council of India, which is in turn affiliated to the World Crafts Council, it is dedicated to the promotion and development of the traditional arts and crafts of Karnataka. The Council holds regular exhibitions, workshops and lecture demonstrations, and has researched and documented Metal Craft, revival of Kinhal Craft, Wood Inlay, Temple Ritual Utensils, Temple Jewellery and Temple Chariots, in Karnataka.

Centre for Folk, Performing Arts, Udupi
The centre aims at documenting, preserving and disseminating the folk theatre of Karnataka. This initiative is funded by the Ford Foundation and supported by the Academy of General Education, Manipal and MGM College Trust. The centre houses information on almost all forms of folk worship traditions, folk medicine traditions, folk music and cultural beliefs of the State. It maintains an archival treasure house consisting of videos, documentaries, slides, photographs and audio tapes, and increases the awareness level of the public through the documentation of rare folk theatre forms, accumulation and preservation of data, and dissemination of information.
Timings: Monday to Friday:
9.00 am to 5.00 pm,
Saturday: 09.00 am to 1.00 pm
Closed on Sundays
Contact
Director, Regional Resources Centre for
Folk, Performing Arts (RRC),
MGM College Campus, Udupi 576 102
Tel: 0820-252 1159/ 0559
Fax: 0820-252 3559
Email: mgmcollegeudupi@dataone.in
Web: www.yakshaganakendra.org

Vijayanath Shenoy Museum
The house of Vijayanath Shenoy is a small museum displaying household objects in a typical architectural setting. His mission is to identify heritage houses on the verge of being dismantled or destroyed, and buy and reassemble them to create a Heritage Village. Located 3km from Udupi town, it is a magnificent sight and a place of pilgrimage for art lovers, architects, historians, heritage buffs, engineers and scores of others. Today, his collections include beautifully carved wooden pillars, tables, chairs, coffee tables and artefacts with heritage value. Visit the Heritage Village to experience the single minded dedication of Vijayanath Shenoy.

Hastha Shilpa Heritage Village
A heritage village is taking shape in Manipal, on six acres of land allocated by the State Government. The village will eventually have eight museums which will display arts, crafts, paintings and textiles of the region. There will also be galleries depicting the life and works of cultural luminaries of the district, an arts and crafts production-cum-training centre and a performing centre with a well-equipped experimental theatre. An advanced recording studio to preserve video and audio tapes of the various vanishing folk art forms, a literary centre to help literature find its cultural moorings and an elaborate documentation centre are also a part of the planned development.
The Heritage Village
Manipal, Udupi 576 119
Tel: 0820-257 2061