Anyone familiar with India's diverse history and civilisation will surely appreciate what the country has inherited today. Historical sites, cities and monuments abound and stand as living symbols of a rich cultural heritage. Interested visitors trevelling through the country may gaze with wonder at athese relics of the past, but in a museum they view five thousands years of concentrated culture on display under a single roof.

The British in the 19th century set up a number of institutions to explore and document the wealth of material available in the country. Among these were the Archaeologial Survey of India, Geological Survey of India and Botanical Survey of India. Simultaneously, they began country's heritage to view Indian art and culture as integral to the country's heritage and deemed it necessary to house. Collections in suitable institutions. Thus in 1875 the first museum, the Indian Museum was established in Calcutta.

Today the concept of a museum has assumed considerable significance. While the general museum houses varied collections, there are as well as more specialised institutions which include