The Indian Museum in Kolkata was founded in 1814 at the Asiatic Society of Bengal on Park Street, and the museum calls itself the earliest and largest multipurpose museum in India and the Asia-Pacific region. Today it fills a grand building on Jawaharlal Nehru Road (Chowringhee) with sculpture, coins, paintings, fossils, minerals, birds, mammals and an Egyptian mummy. Here is what it costs, when it is open, which galleries you can see now, and how to make the most of a visit.
Know before you go
- Address: 27 Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Park Street area, Kolkata 700016.
- Open: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm.
- Closed: every Monday, plus listed holidays (for example Diwali on 8 November 2026).
- Entry fee: ₹75 for adults, ₹20 for visitors under 18, ₹500 for foreign nationals; free for organised school groups up to Class XII.
- Photography: ₹50 for a smartphone camera, ₹100 for a DSLR, plus 18% GST.
- Tickets: at the museum counter or through the official online portal.
- Last checked: 2 November 2026.
In this Article
Timings and holidays
The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm, and closed on all Mondays. The official site also lists these closed days for 2026:
| Holiday | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Republic Day | 26 January | Monday |
| Holi | 4 March | Wednesday |
| Id-ul-Fitr | 21 March | Saturday |
| Independence Day | 15 August | Saturday |
| Gandhi Jayanti | 2 October | Friday |
| Dussehra | 20 October | Tuesday |
| Diwali | 8 November | Sunday |
The museum also notes that some galleries are closed for a while because of pest control work, so a gallery you want to see may be shut on the day.
Ticket prices and camera fees
| Ticket | Fee |
|---|---|
| Adult | ₹75 |
| Visitor below 18 | ₹20 |
| Foreign national | ₹500 |
| Organised school group (up to Class XII), per student | Free |
| Smartphone camera | ₹50 + 18% GST |
| DSLR camera | ₹100 + 18% GST |
| Small video camera | ₹2,000 + 18% GST |
| Camera with stand | ₹5,000 + 18% GST |
You can buy tickets at the counter or online through the museum’s ticketing portal. If you plan to take photos, buy the camera ticket at the same time.
Which galleries are open
According to the visitor page, these galleries are open: Bharhut, Gandhara, Coin, Long Archaeology, Human Evolution, Rocks and Minerals, Terracotta and Minor Arts, Invertebrate Fossils, Painting, Egypt, Bird, Reptile and Fish, Textile and Decorative Art, Mammal, Industrial Botany, and Insects. Some others are being renovated.
Highlights worth your time
Bharhut Gallery
Start here if you only have an hour. The gallery holds the red sandstone railings and gateway of the Bharhut stupa from Madhya Pradesh, dated to the 2nd century BCE. The carved medallions show Jataka stories, yakshas and figures like Gajalakshmi. A Braille description of the Bharhut Gallery is available for visually impaired visitors.
Gandhara Gallery
Grey schist sculptures from the old Gandhara region, where Greek and Indian styles meet. Look for the relief of the Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana and the small votive stupas.
Egypt Gallery
The Egyptian mummy is the exhibit most children ask about. It lies in a glass case in the Egypt Gallery, with other objects from ancient Egypt around it.
Sculpture, coins and paintings
The archaeology rooms have Hindu, Buddhist and Jain sculpture from across India, including dancing Shiva figures and a many-faced Brahma. The Coin Gallery and the Painting Gallery are both open. In the Painting Gallery, 3D models of several paintings have Braille descriptions.
Natural history
Art is half the story. The Bird, Mammal, Reptile and Fish, Insects, Rocks and Minerals and Invertebrate Fossils galleries make it a good stop for families.
Facilities
The museum lists wheelchairs, a lift, ramps and accessible restrooms. There is a cloakroom, RO drinking water on the ground floor corridor, restrooms and a museum shop selling catalogues, postcards and replicas. A cafeteria behind the main building is open from 12 noon to 3 pm. A free guide service is available; ask at the information desk. The library, near the Coin Gallery, holds about fifty thousand books and journals.
Tips for your visit
- Do not go on a Monday or a listed holiday.
- Arrive near opening time so you are not rushed at the end of the day.
- Keep two to three hours for the main galleries.
- The building is old and the halls can be warm, so carry water.
- Ask at the information desk which galleries are closed that day.
Plan the rest of your trip
The museum is a short walk from Park Street, and it fits well into a day in central Kolkata. For more ideas, see our list of places to visit in Kolkata, and if you are in town in autumn, our guide to Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata. Travelling with children? Here are more places in Kolkata that work well with kids.
FAQ
### What are the Indian Museum Kolkata timings? Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm. It is closed on Mondays and on listed holidays.
### What is the Indian Museum Kolkata ticket price? ₹75 for adults, ₹20 for visitors under 18 and ₹500 for foreign nationals. Camera tickets cost extra.
### Is the Indian Museum open on Monday? No. The museum is closed every Monday.
### Can I take photos inside? Yes, with a camera ticket: ₹50 for a smartphone and ₹100 for a DSLR, plus 18% GST.
### Where is the Indian Museum located? At 27 Jawaharlal Nehru Road, in the Park Street area of Kolkata.
Official resources: Indian Museum Kolkata; Visitor’s Information
Photo credits
Featured image: Vyacheslav Argenberg / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0; Which galleries are open: Vyacheslav Argenberg / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0; Bharhut Gallery: Anup Sadi / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; Bharhut Gallery: Biswarup Ganguly / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0; Bharhut Gallery: Biswarup Ganguly / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0; Gandhara Gallery: SuvadipSanyal / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0; Gandhara Gallery: Biswarup Ganguly / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0; Egypt Gallery: Biswarup Ganguly / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0; Egypt Gallery: Biswarup Ganguly / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0; Sculpture, coins and paintings: Kritzolina / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; Sculpture, coins and paintings: Kritzolina / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
