2009 June 03

Archive for June 3, 2009

Bairat Virat Nagar Museum - Rich Collections of Potteries, Paintings, Old Coins and Weapons

Bairat Virat Nagar Museum is located at Virat Nagar, the erstwhile capital of the legendary Matsayadesh. This town is located 52 km north of Jaipur, and 66 km west of Alwar.

Virat Nagar History - Ancient Capital of the Legendary Matsayadesh

Viratnagar was the capital of the ancient Indian kingdom (Mahajanapada) of Machcha or Matsya. The kingdom came under the control of the neighboring Chedi Kingdom in the 5th century, and was later part of the Mauryan Empire.

Frequent references of Matsayadesh have been made in the Indian epic - The Mahabharat. In the epic period, the area around the district of Jaipur, Alwar and Bharatpur came to be known as Matsayadesh with Virat Nagar as its capital.

Museum Exhibits Ancient Materials

The museum exhibits some of the ancient materials found during the excavation. Collections include potteries, paintings, old coins, seals, metallic pieces, weapons and statues.

Bairat Museum opens at 10:00 Am and closes at 4.30 Pm daily except Fridays and government holidays.

Mughal Darwaja in Virat Nagar

Other Tourist Attractions in Virat Nagar

There are the rock-cut edicts of Emperor Ashoka, and a circular brick-and-timber shrineof this period. The temple has lime plastered panels of brickwork, alternating with 26 octagonal pillars of wood.

The entire structure was enclosed within a large rectangular compound containing an open ground for an assembly in front of the entrance.

The town also has a number of Mughal structures, including a Chhatri (cenotaph) with some of the earliest surviving murals in Rajasthan, and a lodge where the Mughal emperor Akbar hunted and stayed overnight on his yearly pilgrimage to Ajmer.

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