Last Updated on: 29th September 2025, 07:54 am
Though privately run, Mumbai’s CSMVS Museum is arguably India’s flagship museum. Or, it’s at least on par with New Delhi’s National Museum. But what can one expect to see here, and what does CSMVS even stand for?
Formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum, the current full name of the museum is Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya. Not only is it a mouthful, but it’s just one of several institutions throughout Mumbai named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the mighty 17th-century ruler of the Maratha Kingdom.
Mumbai’s railway station, airport, and a local university have also been named after him, and all the repetition can be especially confusing for foreign visitors. So from here on, we’ll just be referring to it as the CSMVS Museum.
While the museum features a diverse range of exhibits to explore, the majority are related to anthropology and the fine arts. If you’ve just arrived in the country, this is a great way to become acquainted with India’s rich culture and history.
In the following guide, we’ll be covering all the exhibits one can expect to see, while you can learn more about where to stay nearby at the end of the article.
Visiting The CSMVS Museum
OPENING HOURS & TICKETS: The CSMVS Museum is open daily from 10:15 am to 18:00 except for major holidays. See here for more info.
Tickets cost Rs 700 for foreign adults (15 years and older) and Rs 200 for foreign children. For foreign visitors, an audio guide is included in the price for free.
Indian nationals just have to pay Rs 150 for adults and Rs 35 for children. But an audio guide will cost an extra Rs 200.
To take photos with anything other than a smartphone, the fee is an additional Rs 200. And bringing in a video camera will cost you a whopping Rs 5000.
VISITING TIPS: The CSMVS Museum is large but not huge. If one were to see every gallery, it would take 2-3 hours. As such, you can easily combine a visit here with other activities in Mumbai. The museum lacks a cafe, but there are plenty of restaurants nearby.
There’s really no right or wrong order in which to see the exhibits, but you might want to start with the Ground Floor sculpture galleries which could be considered museum’s highlight.
The Structure
The structure was built in the early 20th century to commemorate a visit from George V, who at the time was still the Prince of Wales.
And the Prince of Wales himself laid the foundation stone during his trip in 1905. As such, the museum was appropriately named the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India.
But it wasn’t until 1909 that architect George Wittet was commissioned to design the new building. Wittet is also known for designing the General Post Office and the Gateway of India.
The beautiful structure was largely built in the Indo-Saracenic style, which was a revivalist style of architecture popular in 19th and 20th-century India. It was largely inspired by the Indo-Islamic architecture of the Mughals, but there’s a clear Western influence as well.
Around the museum’s expansive gardens, you can spot various ancient sculptures (including some replicas) along with a statue of the Prince of Wales.
Considering how the museum was constructed over 200 years after Shivaji’s death, it appears as if Mumbai got a little too carried away during its name-changing spree in the 1990s.
The Ground Floor
Stepping inside the museum, you’ll find yourself in the Rotunda Gallery. The centerpiece here is a South Indian sculpture of Shiva as Nataraja, the Lord of the Dance sculpted in the 18th century.
You’ll also find a lotus medallion from an ancient Buddhist stupa constructed nearly 2000 years ago in Andhra Pradesh.
If you’re a foreign visitor who’s relatively new to the ancient religions and philosophies of India, then the main galleries on the Ground Floor will be a good way to become acquainted with them.
While the Ground Floor largely focuses on art and artifacts from India, the Rotunda Gallery is home to a pair of carved Assyrian relief panels from Iraq. They come from the palace of Ashurnasipal II and date to the 9th century BC.
The Sculpture Galleries
The CSMVS Museum’s Ground Floor sculpture galleries could be considered one of India’s finest collections. Aside from somewhere like the National Museum in Delhi, smaller regional museums often feature sculptures that are broken or in poor condition.
So this is an excellent place to see some very impressive sculptures that are largely intact.
The sculptures here are all from South Asia, but there doesn’t seem to be any particular order in which they’re displayed.
Covering every single piece here would be impossible, but let’s take a look at some notable highlights. Near the entrance is a sculpture of Sadashiva, regarded by some as the supreme form of Shiva. It was sculpted in Madhya Pradesh in the 10th century AD.
Nearby is an ornate carving of Shantinatha, the sixteenth Jain Tirthankara of a total of 24. It was carved in the Sindh region of Pakistan.
Jainism is essentially an agnostic religion that, rather than an almighty creator, worships Tirthankaras, or beings who appeared throughout the ages to show humans a path to salvation. Some of the most stunning temples you’ll find in India are Jain temples.
You’ll also find a 12th-century Buddha sculpture carved in Odisha. Today, Buddhists make up less than 1% of India’s population.
The CSMVS Museum is entirely bilingual, and some of the text in the sculpture galleries provides basic overviews of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism and their development in India.
Another remarkable sculpture in the gallery depicts Hari-Hara, a syncretic composite of Vishnu and Shiva. It was carved of slate in the 12th century AD in Maharashtra.
Today, Hari-Hara worship seems to be rare, with most shrines and temples being dedicated to one deity or the other.
While Vaishnavism (Vishnu worship) and Shaivism (Shiva worship) are probably the two most prominent sects of Hinduism, goddess worship has always played a major role.
One particular sculpture here, carved in the 12th century AD, depicts the Saptamatrika, or the seven mother goddesses.
Another beautiful piece here depicts Brahma, the Hindu creator god. Interestingly, Brahma is rarely worshipped directly in modern Hinduism and he often takes a backseat to Vishnu, Shiva and numerous other deities.
The CSMVS Museum also has a small but noteworthy collection of Gandhara art. Gandhara is a geographical region that encompasses parts of both modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the world’s first Buddha statues were produced there from around the 1st century AD.
Notably, this was after Alexander the Great’s generals had established themselves in the region, which explains why the earliest Buddha sculptures were so inspired by the Greek style.
As mentioned, the sculptures in the main gallery don’t seem to follow any particular order, and near the end, you’ll encounter yet more Jain sculptures from the medieval period.
One depicts Jina Neminatha, the 22nd Jina who Jains also claim was the first cousin of Krishna. This reveals how interwoven the various faiths of India really are.
Running alongside the sculpture gallery is a long arcade that features additional pieces, ranging from thousands of years old to medieval Mughal carvings. The arcade also offers great views of the surrounding gardens.
Elsewhere on the Ground Floor, meanwhile, is a natural history exhibit with various animals on display, though this is the one part of the CSMVS Museum that I decided to skip.
The First Floor
Ancient Civilizations
While these specific galleries don’t seem to be labeled on the official floor plan, the First Floor is home to a few ancient archaeology exhibits.
One small room is devoted to ancient Egypt, with a collection of burial objects like shabtis, along with an intact mummy. Most objects here date from the Ptolemaic era.
While it pales in comparison with typical ancient Egypt exhibits in the West, this is one of the few chances Indian nationals have of seeing such objects without leaving the country.
Just next door is another small exhibit dedicated to the ancient Harappan civilization, which thrived along the Indus River from around 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE.
India does have a number of smaller Harappan sites, though the main ones, such as Mohenjo Daro, now lie in Pakistan.
Krishna Art Gallery
Elsewhere on the first floor is an art gallery largely devoted to miniature paintings of Krishna.
Krishna is typically described as an avatar of Vishnu who descended to earth in human form. But there are a number of Krishna devotees – both in India and abroad – who consider Krishna to be the Supreme Godhead.
While Krishna plays an important role in the Mahabharata epic, which includes the Bhagavad Gita, the backstories of Krishna’s earlier life are mostly described in later texts such as the Harivamsa and Baghavata Purana.
Many of these stories detail Krishna’s adventures as a playful cowherd in Vrindavan and his relationship with his consort Radha. These stories are depicted time and time again in miniature paintings, palace artwork, and sculptures all over India (and beyond).
Indian Miniature Paintings
Speaking of miniature paintings, one of the largest exhibits on the First Floor is dedicated to just that. Many of the pieces on display here come from South India, and they mostly depict Hindu deities and saints.
The style, known as the Thanjavur style, largely developed in the Tamil Nadu city of the same name in the 18th century. These paintings make for an interesting contrast with the more Mughal and Persian-inspired miniature paintings that were common further north.
Bombay Gallery
Though located in Mumbai, the CSMVS Museum features artifacts from all over India. But there is indeed an exhibit dedicated to the city and its history. You’ll find old photographs and written accounts from the 19th century when Bombay was little more than a small port city.
You’ll also find a scale model of the CSMVS Museum itself, built at a scale of 1:100. This section also contains information about the architectural style of the building and the history of the museum – details of which we went over above.
The most interesting piece in this section has to be one of the Rock Edicts of Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan Empire. Discovered just north of Mumbai, the carving details Ashoka’s efforts to spread Buddhism in the area.
Ashoka’s Rock Edicts were carved in the Brahmi script in the 3rd century BC, predating the first written Sanskrit text by a few hundred years.
The exhibit continues with more info about modern-day Mumbai, along with some modern art pieces that use Mumbai as a central theme.
Jewelry & Money Gallery
Another interesting exhibit on the First Floor is dedicated to coins from throughout India’s history. The oldest examples date back thousands of years, and examining a region’s coins can be a great way to learn about the succession of kingdoms that ruled it.
The Jewelry Gallery, meanwhile, contains numerous impressive pieces of jewelry from all over the country, while you’ll also learn a bit about the craftsmen who made them.
The Second Floor
European Art
The Second Floor is home to numerous small galleries, including one focused on European art. But it probably won’t be of much interest to Western visitors who are so used to seeing it back home.
Textile and Costume Gallery
Yet another small exhibit on this level is the Textile and Costume gallery, featuring some examples of beautiful textiles from throughout the country.
Himalayan Art Gallery
Fans of ancient sculpture art still have more to enjoy at the CSMVS Museum at the Himalayan Art Gallery. Here you’ll find a plethora of both sculptures and ritual objects from Tibet, Nepal and the Indian Himalayan regions.
While the art is related to Hinduism and Buddhism, it’s interesting to observe the contrast in art style with the sculptures on the Ground Floor.
Arms & Armour Gallery
Confusingly, the Second Floor is divided into two different sections accessed by different stairways. But close to the central rotunda are a few additional galleries, such as the Arms & Armour Gallery.
This seems to be the only exhibit with objects from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the Maratha Kingdom, after which the museum currently takes its name.
Chinese & Japanese Art Gallery
Yet another international gallery at the CSMVS Museum is the Chinese & Japanese Art Gallery, which largely focuses on porcelain vases.
Additional Info
Mumbai, India’s most populated city, is a massive, sprawling metropolis. But let’s keep it simple. You want to stay in the Colaba district, or in one of the districts just north of it, such as Kala Ghoda, Fort or Churchgate.
Staying in one of these areas will allow you to reach many of Mumbai’s main tourist attractions and notable buildings on foot. With that said, Uber works great in Mumbai compared with other Indian cities.
Colaba is one of Mumbai’s pricier districts, but I found a good deal at a budget hotel called Hotel Amber. It was located south of the more touristy part of Colaba, but there were a plethora of affordable restaurants to choose from in the area.
The staff were very kind and the wifi worked great. But unfortunately, cleanliness could’ve been a lot better. Sadly, this is an all-too-common problem at hotels in India.
Those on a bigger budget may want to consider a hotel like Bentleys Hotel or Abode Bombay. And those really looking to splurge might want to stay at the Taj Mahal Tower, India’s most iconic hotel.
You could learn a lot by visiting the CSMVS Museum in the company of a local guide. If that interests you, consider this museum tour, which also includes a plethora of other Mumbai museums, such as the National Museum of Indian Cinema and the Monetary Museum.