Watson Museum

Rajkot

Traditional crafts are well-known in Rajkot (silver work, embroidery, and patola weaving). It is located around 45 miles (72 km) southeast of Jamnagar, close to the centre of the Kathiawar Peninsula.

Brief History

A pleasant day spent in the Jubilee Gardens is the ideal way to enhance ones body and mind. Nestled within nature’s bounty are the Watson Museum and the Lang Library. The museum is named after a British political agent, Colonel John Watson. Numbers of sections divided into the museums are manuscripts, textile, inscription, sculptures, coins, anthropology, folk embroidery and handicraft, musical instruments, woodwork, natural history and rocks and minerals, 13th-century temple statues, carvings, memorabilia of Colonial rulers, library paintings and the paintings donated by the neighboring rulers are the highlights of the museums.

The collection houses paintings and artifacts donated by the various royal families, an extensive memorabilia of Colonial rule and influence with textiles and jewelry depicting Bharwads, Ahirs, Darbars and other indigenous people of the province. There is also an interesting collection of Indus Valley Civilization artifacts garnered from various sites around the Saurashtra region.