Raj Dinakar Kelkar Museum

Raj Dinakar Kelkar Museum houses various sculptures dating back to the 14th century. The three storey building contains the collection of Dr. Dinkar G. Kelkar (1896–1990), dedicated to the memory of his only son, Raja. Ornaments made of ivory, silver and gold, musical instruments, war weapons and vessels also form the compilation of the museum.

Established in 1962 by Baba Dinakar Kelkar and presented to the Maharashtra government in 1975, the museum has 20,000 different articles. All the articles were personally collected by Baba Kelkar from all over the world. In addition to an avocation of the famous Mastani Mahal, the complex also contains research and storage facilities, and the Institute of Musicology and Fine Arts. The museum houses exhibits and artefacts from all over the country, dating back to the Mughal and the Maratha periods.

Collections of the museum also include paintings, nut crackers and Ganpati’s guns, carved palace doors, pottery and a number of musical instruments. Dr. Dinkar G. Kelkar began collecting the items from around 1920. Indian decorative items from everyday life and other art objects, mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries, are among the items on display in the museum.

Door frames, vessels, ornaments, musical instruments, paintings and carvings housed in the museum represent examples of their art. Mastani Mahal is an attempt of Raja Kelkar at depicting the palace of Queen Mastani (Wife of Bajirao I) with its remnants. Carving of Lord Ganesha on the seed and idol of Lord Ganesha shown with his trunk towards the left are highlights of the museum.