The State Museum is located in Bhopal in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. More specifically, this museum is built on Shamla Hills. It was incepted in November 2005. It is the place where the multifaceted rich cultural heritage and legacy of Madhya Pradesh is preserved to amaze the present as well as the future visitors. Earlier, this museum was known by the name of Bhopal Museum and later its name was changed to State Museum.

Architecture of State Museum
When the building of the State Museum was relocated to Shamla Hills, its entire construction and designing was handled by the Capital Project Administration (C.P.A.) and Environmental Planning and Co-ordination Organization (EPCO), respectively. This Museum of Bhopal is known to be one of the best-designed museums in India. This museum is designed as a modern building, filled with natural light. It has wide spaces which can be accessed by ramps. Thus in this museum, visitors can wander through and observe the well-displayed exhibits conveniently.

Galleries of State Museum
The State Museum is divided into seventeen galleries. Some of these galleries are the Numismatics Gallery, the Bagh Gallery, the Musical Instruments Gallery and the Fossils Gallery.

The Numismatics Gallery is adorned by a huge collection of coins. Paintings of various schools and copies of paintings from the Bagh Caves near Mandu are preserved in a gallery called the Bagh Gallery. Rare musical instruments are preserved in the Musical Instruments Gallery. The Fossils Gallery protects a large collection of fossil remains belonging to the pre-historic sites. The artifacts from the personal collection of the Nawabs of Bhopal and other objects of arts and crafts, figurines, tribal handicrafts etc, comprise the exhibits of the Royal Art Gallery.

In a nutshell, this Museum exhibits the state`s sculptural masterpieces, pre-historic articles and fossils, excavated objects, royal collection, epigraphs, manuscripts, documents, paintings, postal stamps, arms and weapons, coins, articles associated with India`s freedom struggle, autographs, miniature paintings, and textile. This museum also has 84 rare Jaina bronzes of the 8th to 11th centuries, Saivite sculptures and miniature paintings showing the graceful lifestyles of past days and Avalokesteshwaras of Lamaism. Some of the other noteworthy sculptures in the museum are the elephantine statue of Lord Buddha, meticulously carved figure of Khajuraho`s romantic couples, statue of Lord Shiva, goddess Lakshmi, Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma. Thus, this museum can take one on a ride to the history of Madhya Pradesh.

Nearby Attractions
Indira Gandhi National Museum of Man Kind, Van Vihar National Park, Shyamla Hills, Regional Science Centre, Birla Museum and Lakshmi Narayan Temple are the nearby attractions of the State Museum.

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