Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum

Along one of the many lanes in the older areas of Pune, stands a beautiful pink mansion. This building houses a collection of thousands of objects from across India and is known as the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum.

Dr. Dinkar Gangadhar Kelkar created this fantastic collection over a period of several decades starting from somewhere around 1920. By around 1960, his collection included around 15,000 objects. The museum was established in 1962. Later, he donated his collection to the government in 1975.

The museum houses objects such as textiles, kitchen utensils, lamps, musical instruments, sculptures, writing implements, weapons, armor, and other things belonging to various regions of India.  

One of the highlights of the museum is the recreated Mastani Mahal. A portion of the palace has been carefully reconstructed within the premises of the museum and one can sense the grandeur of the same.

Kelkar dedicated the museum to the memory of his son Raja. The grand museum is a testament to the glorious heritage of India. The efforts of Kelkar who created this treasure trove speak of his dedication to bringing Indian arts and crafts to the fore.

The museum now contains a collection of over 20,000 objects out of which around 2,500 have been kept on display.