New archaeological museum in PM Modi's hometown, 6 years after approval

Ahmedabad, Nov 4: A new archaeological museum all set to open in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hometown Vadnagar in Gujarat with coins dating back to 3rd century BC and artifacts excavated from the area over the last 13 years on display.

The design of the new museum, spread over 6,000 square metres, was approved by PM Modi in 2012, when he was the chief minister, YS Rawat, Officer on Special Duty at the state's sports, youth and cultural activities department, told news agency PTI.

Six years after the approval of the design, actual construction on the new archaeological museum began a couple of months ago. The construction was delayed by several years as two contractors backed out of the project due to issues arising out of the building's designs.

The new museum will replace the old one built in the town in 1996 which was partly damaged in the 2001 earthquake, he said.

"The museum will showcase artifacts unearthed during two excavation exercises - one carried by the state archaeological department between 2005 and 2012 and the other by the Archaeological Survey of India after 2014," Rawat said.

In his travel accounts, 7th century Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang had talked about the existence of 11 monasteries in the area. A team of the state archaeological department had managed to unearth one monastery in Vadnagar in 2008.

The ASI also recently unearthed a large structure along the eastern bank of the Sarmishtha lake in the town.