Folklore Museum

The Folklore Museum or Folk Arts Museum is known to be a hidden gem in Mysore. The museum is nothing but a treasure trove of representative collections of art and crafts from all over Karnataka. The museum was inaugurated in 1968. This breath taking museum is situated in The Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion at the Manasagangothri campus of the University of Mysore. Though the tourist from outside the country may have a less idea about the spot, but once they get inside, the dcor of the museum will take their breath away. Basically the museum is under the special care of the University of Mysore. It is believed to be one of the largest of its kind in Asia. The outstanding collection of folk culture available in Folklore Museum is fabulous. The museum houses 6500 folk art and folklore articles on display. An excellent ethnographic collection of the South Indian puppets, toys, and household objects are found in the Folklore museum. The most important part of this museum is comprised of items that were once used by the traditional artists, rural folks, and by the tribes as well. The first floor of the museum contains a huge collection of conventional farming equipment and tools. These items are mostly made of metal and wood. Next to this a massive collection of the tools of the bygone era and numerous types of kitchen utensils can be seen. There is also a well managed row of classic personal weapons and fitness equipment in this part of the museum. An entire section is dedicated for traditional wicker baskets along with the items used in farming. This section also contains the objects those were once used by the snake charmers. There is an interesting section in this museum where the visitors can witness the tools used by tribal folks for trapping birds and for fishing mainly. The more traditional things on display include archeological artifacts. This part of the museum contains a great collection of imitations of Indus Valley artifacts. The sculptures collected from ancient temple sites are fabulous. A grand collection of famous teracota specimens are found here which are excavated from different archeological sites. The exhibited objects also contain a number of burial urns as well. Near the sculpture hall there is a giant stuffed tiger around the corner inside a room. Other ieties of the displays include carved wooden figures, utensils, ornaments, decorative masks, rural costumes, two wooden chariots, and many more.