Established | 18 August 1865[1] |
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Location | Kasturba Road, Bangalore, India |
Coordinates | 12°58′29″N 77°35′45″E / 12.9747°N 77.5958°E |
Key holdings | Halmidi inscription |
Collection size | Sculpture, old jewellery, coins and inscriptions. |
Visitors | 90,000 per annum[2] |
Government Museum, Bangalore, established in 1865 by the Mysore State with the guidance of Surgeon Edward Balfour who founded the museum in Madras and supported by the Chief Commissioner of Mysore, L.B. Bowring,[1] is one of the oldest museums in India[3] and the second oldest museum in South India.[1] It is now an archaeological museum and has a rare collection of archaeological and geological artifacts including old jewellery, sculpture, coins and inscriptions. The museum is also home to the Halmidi inscription,[4] the earliest Kannada inscription (450 AD).