Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS)

India · Museums, Historical Sites, And Zoos

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai (CSMVS Museum) is one of the premier cultural institutions of the country. It is located on a crescent shaped site in the southern tip of Mumbai and was designed by the Scottish architect George Wittet in 1909, and is one of the best examples of Indo-Saracenic styles of architecture. The Museum has a vast collection of over 70,000 objects of various forms of art from India as well as from the far east, Nepal, Tibet, Southeast Asia and Europe. The collection also includes natural history specimens. Today the Museum building is listed as a Grade I Heritage Building and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage precinct of the Victorian and Art Deco Ensemble in Mumbai. CSMVS became the first museum to receive the Platinum Certification from the IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) for being a Green Building that efficiently incorporates solar energy, water harvesting and waste management. The Museum's Art Conservation Centre is a state-of-the-art facility that protects and conserves the precious collections of the Museum. CSMVS houses the first ever Children’s Museum in the city of Mumbai. Its flagship programme – Museum on Wheels, carries exhibitions across rural Maharashtra and Gujarat to schools and educational institutions in a travelling bus. CSMVS is a museum for the people, by the people. It continues to project itself as a Museum of Ideas reflecting contemporary concerns through collections and programmes.