Museum in historical mansion to be ready by Dasara festivities

Mysore, July 16 (UNI) A museum, being set up at the century-old exquisite Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion belonging to the University of Mysore, is expected to be ready before the famous Dasara festivities here. The museum house a treasure trove of relics depicting the art and culture of Karnataka.

Reckoned to be the first of its kind among universities in the country, the Museum would display hundreds of collections pertaining to different periods of Indian history. Some of the collections dated back to over 800 years, thanks to the conservation laboratory established in the complex recently.

Talking to UNI, Department of Ancient History Culture and Archaeology Professor and Special officer incharge of the Mansion N S Rangaraju said the chemical conservation laboratory at the complex was one among the few of its kind in the country. A similar lab was present in Deccan College in Pune. The establishment of the laboratory was a small step towards conserving and restoring the collections at the museum.

He said in the long run, the lab would evolve into a fullfledged institution and help in the conservation efforts of the heritage city. To start with the lab would take up conservation and restoration of wooden artefacts. The university had recruited additional staff for conservation works and they would be trained in the art at the Government Museum in Chennai.

The laboratory was a long pending requirement of the historical Mansion and was made possible by Vice Chancellor J Shashidhar Prasad, who took personal interest in the project, he added.

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