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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
he University Museum of Sardar Patel University
Nandan Shastri*
This Muscum was a part of the Institute of Archaeology, established by the arotar Vidya Mandal- the educational trust and was known as "Museum of Art & chacology". The late Shri Bhailalbhai Dyabhai Patel popularly known as Bhaikaka 10 founded this educational township in 1946 and the Founder Vice-Chancellor of rdar Patel University founded in 1955, brought some antiquities from his home town jitra and elsewhere. Among these antiquities, the head of a young charming maiden aring a turban belongs to the early century of the Christian era. The late Shri Amrut isant Pandya was the Founder Curator. During his tenure as the Charotar (1949 to 69), the archacological and geological collections were acquired through the fieldork carried out by him in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Moreover, the Late Dr. N.A. oothi (ex- Reader in Sociology, University of Bombay) donated about 2,500 metal tiquities and other works of art, collected from various countries of S-E Asia. This llection was acquired during the very year of its inception. There is a specific ention of this collection in many directories of the museums at the international and tional levels.
This museum was taken over by the Sardar Patel University on 1st July, 1960 d it has adopted multi-purpose type of the University muscum. It is a matter of pride it this Muscum is one of the outstanding University museums in our country. Among universities in Gujarat, only Sardar Patel University has a multi-purpose museum.
In spite of the financial constrains, this Museum has been open for the public, thout charging any entry fee, eversince its inception. Facilities are extended to rearch workers and, therefore, even in the Reserve Collection Hall, seventy five percent llection is kept as the visual storage. Some publications by the staff, such as "Muums of India", and "Lost Sarasvati" are well known. Even in the Gazetteer of the strict, some photographs were published. The present Curator, Shri Nandan Hariprasad astri was the Vice-President of the Museums Association of India, for two successive tures. He, along with Kumari Afroz Sultana Sayed, Assistant Curator, organizes hibitions on various topics of academic interest, c.g. during March, 2001, the exhiion on "Body Odyssey" was organized and a quiz programme on this topic was xcessfully conducted. "Touch and Feel" programme is held time to time for the blind itors. There is a partial compromise between traditional and new. museology.
The present collections consist of valuable illustrated manuscripts, specimens of nerals, rocks, fossils (including those of Dinosaurs from Anand District), synthetic i natural crystals, herbariums, palacoliths, microliths, shreds of pottery, old coins, the oper-plate, sculptures in stone, wood and metal (figs. 1-3), a grain of a rice on which
Curator, University Muscum, Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar.
પથિક દીપોત્સવાંક - ઓક્ટો.-નવે.-ડિસે., ૨૦૦૧ • ૬૦
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