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When the foundation stone of Albert Hall was laid during the visit of
the Prince of Wales, Albert Edward to Jaipur in 1876, it had yet to be
determined what use it would be put to. There were some suggestions
about cultural or educational use or as a town hall.
However in 1880 Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II approved a suggestion by
Dr. Thomas Holbein Hendley, Resident Surgeon (whose interests extended
beyond his medical responsibilities) to open a museum of Industrial Arts
to display products of local craftsmen. A small museum was created in
1881 in temporary accommodation and proved most popular. Additionally,
Hendley in 1883 mounted a Jaipur Exhibition at Naya Mahal (old Vidhan
Sabha). |
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The purpose of these exercises was to acquaint local craftsmen with the
best examples of art work and handicrafts of India to inspire them to
improve their skills, thereby protecting and preserving traditional art
and reviving skills, while providing greater employment for artisans. It
was also the intention that the display would help to educate youth in a
wide variety of fields, entertain and inform the people of Jaipur.
The Albert Hall was completed in 1887 by the architect Samuel Swinton
Jacob, Director of Jaipur PWD. The temporary museum and the exhibition
whose artifacts had been collected from several parts of India and its
neighbourhood were merged and shifted to their permanent home in the new
museum. The building itself became an integral part of the display, its
Indo-Saracenic architecture and stone ornamentation, became a source of
reference for varied classical Indian styles of design from Mughal to
Rajput. Even the corridors were decorated with murals in a variety of
styles including the Ramayan, reproducing paintings from illustrations
in the Persian Razmnama prepared for Emperor Akbar. European, Egyptian,
Chinese, Greek and Babylonian civilizations were portrayed in the other
murals to enable the people of the region to compare and contrast them
with their own and develop their knowledge of history and art.
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Thus, Albert Hall became a centre for imparting knowledge of history
of civilizations, inspiring artisans to improve their skills, and
preserving & developing traditional Indian arts, crafts,
architectural forms and not least as Hendlay said to amuse and
instruct the common people”.
Confronting the gates of the city by 1890 there stood the museum,
the zoo and the Mayo Hospital in a public park representing the
dream of the former Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh which was realized by
his successor Sawai Madho Singh which showed the new face of a
Jaipur moving into the modern age.
Rudyard Kipling (himself the son of a curator) on a visit was so
impressed by the architecture, woodwork, display, exhibits,
cleanliness and not least the curators office that he wrote "it is
now a rebuke to all other museums in India from Calcutta downwards". |
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In 1898 on the eve of his departure, Hendley wrote to the Durbar (than
rular of Jaipur) royal family (King of Jaipur) that on average the
annual attendance exceeded a quarter million people and in eleven years
there were more than three million visitors.
Access
By Air
The nearest airport is Jaipur International Airport (IATA: JAI, ICAO: VIJP),
located in the
southern suburb of Sanganer, 13 km (8.1 mi) from Jaipur, the capital
of the Indian state of Rajasthan.
Delhi and Mumbai are the two main gateway cities to Rajasthan from
international destinations. There are regular flights connecting Delhi
and Mumbai to Jaipur and Jodhpur in Rajasthan and also important
destinations like Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai operated by domestic
carriers.
By Train / Rail
Daily super fast train connects Mumbai to Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner and
Kota. Delhi (the nearest rail head to Jaipur) is also directly connected
to Sawai Madhopur, Bharatpur, Kota, Udaipur, Bikaner, Jodhpur and
Jaisalmer. Shatabdi train operates from New Delhi station to Ajmer via
Jaipur. Double decker train is also available between Jaipur and Delhi.
By Road
Bus: The Interstate Bus Terminal (ISBT) at Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi has
almost a twenty – four hour bus service to Jaipur. Air-conditioned and
Volvo bus service of state owned Rajasthan state Roadways Transport
Corporation (RSRTC) to Jaipur is operational from the premises of
Bikaner House, Pandara Road © 011-23383469, journey time about 5 hours.
Delhi is connected to Jaipur via Darukhera, Behror, Kotputli and
Shahpura on NH 8. Jaipur is further linked to Mumbai via Ajmer, Udaipur,
Ahmedabad and Vadodara on NH 8. RSRTC also connects major destinations
in Rajasthan through express and deluxe buses from Jaipur.
The Albert Hall is centrally located at the heart of city "Ram Nivas
Garden" Jaipur.
Visitor Information
Timings :
9.00 am to 5.00 pm (Daily, except India public holidays)
Ticketing:
General Entry Ticket
Indian visitor: Rs - 20 / - each
Indian student: Rs - 10 /- each
Foreign visitor: Rs - 150 /- each
Foreign student: Rs - 75 /- each
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