Museum an added attraction in Agra

Agra: Tourists visiting this Taj city will now get further insights into its history with a museum housing statues, murals and manuscripts that were hitherto lying scattered at various places.

After opening the the Taj Municipal Museum in Paliwal Park Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Urban Development Minister Nakul Dube said: "It would now be possible for tourists to visit another spot in Agra and get acquainted with the heritage of the city."

The museum-cum-public library is housed in an old heritage structure, built in 1922 and renovated in the 1940s.

Municipal commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey told IANS: "This project is in response to persistent demands from cultural activists and history lovers of the city. We have digitalised the records and renovated the whole structure."

"The clock tower has new clocks. A children's library is a new feature and the museum will be a big draw. In course of time we will also have an open air theatre here," Pandey added.

At the moment there is one museum in the Taj Mahal which focuses on Mughal history and the making of the 17th century monument.

"But we needed another one in the city as it has a rich heritage and lots of artefacts and damaged statues of the period before the Mughals," said Rajiv Saxena, a senior journalist whose brain-child was this museum.

"These are now being brought to the new museum. Queen Victoria's bronze statue, presently lying in the police lines, will also be brought here," he added.

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