Astro Links is preparing a Detailed Project Report for renovation, upgradation & extension of Archaeological Survey of India, Site Museum, Nalanda.
According to the Archaeological Survey of India Reports, the archaeological site of Nalanda was identified following an excavation in 1811-12 and excavated after that. In 2016, it was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Around the same time, the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the site museum’s upgrade was started. As a result, the DPR was created with the sole purpose of enhancing the site’s relevance by conservation interventions at the existing museum. This would not only protect the site’s historical significance, but also give visitors with a comprehensive and accurate understanding of the site.
Nalanda is a historically and culturally significant location. It attracts 2.5 million tourists every year on average.
Nalanda is a historically and culturally significant location. With an annual footfall of 2.5 lakh visitors, it is critical that the significance of the site is properly understood.
The current site museum was most likely constructed in 1915 as a guest house for archaeologists working on the excavations. In 1917, it was transformed into a museum to house relics discovered in Nalanda and Rajgir. It was also updated in 1956. The current museum building space, which covers 390 sqm and houses around 13,000 artefacts, the building is not sufficient to showcase the collection.
The physical structure of the building needs to be conserved and only minimum interventions will be undertaken to protect the original fabric of the museum. An extension block is proposed to accommodate the priceless collection in global museum standards and also provide safety and security to the whole collection. The planning is envisaged bearing in mind the visitor’s needs and facilities alongside management and administrative ease.
The Annexe block will primarily cater to the visitor interpretation and facilitation, It will house functions like ticketing counter, museum galleries, cloakroom, museum shop, children education area, etc.
The Nalanda museum is categorized as a ‘site museum’ and it is very different
from any other museum. This facet should be enhanced and well interpreted through design interventions. In a site museum the remains/ explorations should be displayed very carefully so that their relationship with the site can be easily comprehended by the visitors.
Project is a part of National Culture Funds vision of safeguarding India’s rich cultural heritage. The initiative would provide a platform for exchange of ideas and their implementation by an experienced multidisciplinary team with wide range of disciplines covered, such as archaeology, art history, historic building
conservation, museology, structural and civil engineering, project management, landscape design, artists, content writer, hi-tech experts, amongst others.
