Museums and Libraries in Hospet
The city of Hospet is visited by many lakhs of people yearly, especially to know more about the roots of India. All those who are interested in Indian history and its rich heritage must definitely visit the museums here. It is highly interesting to watch the various artifacts in the museums which are well preserved by the government of India. Most of these artifacts are from the pre-independence period and also from the freedom struggle period. A majority of the museums contain valuable information on how India attained Independence, so if you're a history lover, these museums would excite you.
Mahatma Gandhi’s personal belongings such as clothes, slippers, walking stick, dhoti and kurta, and so on preserved in the museums draw a huge crowd. There are also his sculptures, photographs and also paintings from the Satyagraha movement preserved. Many other Science museums are also present in Hospet containing various items on the branches of science, such as Biology, Physics and General science. Children must be taken to these museums as this will enable them to understand and also relate to science.
Apart from science and history museums, there are also special museums for Railways. Most of the museums in Hospet showcase models of the very first rail engine and also details on when was it introduced. To make it more interesting, the different types of train engines and machinery are also on display. As a good news for girl children, there is a famous Doll museum in Hospet. It is noteworthy that all the dolls available in the world are displayed in many museums in Hospet.
Archaeological Museum in Hampi
This is the first museum established by the Archaeological Survey of India, in Kamalapur, Bellary. This museum in the village displays many artifacts from the Vijaynagar ruins. British officers collected these marvellous sculpures and housed them at the Elephant Stables earlier. They later shifted these antiquities to a modern building in Kamalapur in 1972. This famous museum has four galleries and it encloses a model of the Hampi valley surrounded by a corridor. The elegant replicas of the most famous ruler of the Vijayanagara dynasty, Krishnadevaraya and his queens are placed at the entrance as if greeting the visitors.
The first gallery of the museum displays different sculptures of the Saiva sect. The central hall has the composition of a temple. The second gallery displays antiquities like brass plates, copper plate grants, arms and armoury, and religious metal objects. There are also many denominations of gold and copper coins of the Vijayanagar dynasty present here. The fourth gallery has prehistoric and protohistoric antiquities such as medieval hero stones and sati stones. There is also an information kiosk set up in the same gallery providing detailed information to the visitors. The opening hours of the museum are 10.00am to 5.00pm on all days except Fridays. The entrance fee is Rs. 5 per head and free for children upto 15 years.
Libraries in Hospet
Being a historical destination with tourists flocking from all over the world, Hospet has a great need for libraries. This is especially for the sake of tourists who visit Hospet with interest in Indian culture and heritage. Lovers of history, while visiting any historical site, always prefer to consume as much historical knowledge about the place as possible.
The following are the famous libraries in Hospet:
Hospet Library
Address: Hospet
Granthalaya Library
Address: 2nd Cross Road Hospet
Veerashaiva Library
Address: Tanga Koot, Gadag
College Library
Address: Harpanahalli
Vividodeshgala Library
Address: Vidhya Nagar, Kalasapur, Gadag