 Exhibit in the Sri Pratap Singh Museum | |
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| Established | 1898 |
|---|---|
| Location | Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India |
| Coordinates | 34°04′00″N74°48′47″E / 34.06678°N 74.81312°E |
| Type | Archaeological and historical |
The Shri Pratap Singh Museum, commonly known as the SPS Museum, is a museum in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Established in 1898, the museum houses a collection of over 80,000 objects from various regions in Northern India. [1]
In 1889, a proposal for the foundation of an archaeology museum in the Indian city of Srinagar was formulated by Amar Singh and S.H. Godmerry. [2] Singh was an officer in the British Indian Army, while Godmerry was a scholar. [3] The pair produced and submitted a memorandum to Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir, the ruler of Sringar and Amar's older brother. [3] The Majarah accepted the proposal and agreed to allow for the establishment of a museum; this new institution would house artifacts from Jammu, Kashmir, Baltistan and Gilgit. [3] The museum was to be located inside a state-owned building near the Jhelum river. [2]
The establishment of the museum was overseen by John Marshal, a British archaeologist (and future director of the Archaeological Survey of India) who was renowned for his work in preserving the archaeological history of India. [3] Srinagar's Accountant General, one Mr. Blerjee, was appointed as the first president of the museum; Blerjee was also tasked with recording a large collection of coins the museum added to its collection. [3] The museum opened to the public in 1898, with its first collection consisting of items from Majarah Pratap's palace treasury. [3]
Following the re-organizational efforts of Indian archaeologist Daya Ram Sahni in 1913, the museum received objects recovered from archaeological excavations in Panderenthan, Parihaspora and Avantipura. [3] The collection of the museum continued to grow through the donation of items by private collectors; many of these items were domestic or household in nature. [3] [4]
In 2017, the museum finished constructing a second building. [4] The new building was built to be fire and earthquake resistant, and is used to house some of the SPS's more popular exhibits. The older 19th-century building remains in use. [4]