Mysterious Connections: Destinations In India Where Mummies Have Been Discovered
The rich yarn of Indian history extends beyond its borders. Surprisingly, ancient Egyptian mummies have been discovered in India's enormous subcontinent, revealing enigmatic links between these two ancient civilizations.?
Mummification was a religious technique used by ancient Egyptians to preserve human bodies in preparation for the afterlife, and it remains a mystery to experts and the general public. Thousands of mummies have been discovered in Egypt, but did you know that some of these mummies made their way to India and ended up in museums here??
In this post, we will look at several fascinating Indian locations where Egyptian mummies have been discovered.
The Mystery Of Mummies: Indian Destinations Where You Can Find Them
In Egypt, there are hundreds of mummies, some 33,000 years old. King Tutankhamun, also known as King Tut, is one of the most renowned mummies, dating back 30,000 years. So, now let us look at some of the mummies here in Indian museums:
1. Indian?Museum, Kolkata
The Indian Museum, founded in 1814, is India's oldest museum and houses an extensive collection of archaeological treasures. Six Egyptian mummies from the Ptolemaic period are among its remarkable exhibits. These well-preserved mummies shed light on ancient Egyptian embalming procedures and cultural behaviours.
The Egypt gallery on the Indian Museum's upper floor draws the most visitors due to its main attraction: a 4000-year-old mummy. It is the first of the six ships to arrive in India.
This male mummy is thought to have come from the tombs of Egypt's kings at Gourvah.?
Timing:??10?am¨C5?pm
2.?Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalya, Mumbai
This iconic Mumbai institution, formerly the Prince of Wales Museum, offers a wide collection of art and antiquities. Its prestigious collection includes two Egyptian mummies with sarcophagi and burial items. These mummies are evidence of the cultural contact between ancient Egypt and the Indian subcontinent.
Residents of Mumbai can now witness a 2,500-year-old Egyptian mummy for the first time at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya. The mummy has been in the museum's collection since the early twentieth century. The mummy looks male, and the coffin was constructed from a single log of Egyptian cedar wood, with hinges to seal it shut.?
Timing:?10:15?am¨C6?pm
3.?The Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur
Tutu's mummy, a female member of an Egyptian priest's family, is one of the main attractions at Jaipur's famous Albert Hall. It was discovered in a pyramid in Panopolis' Akhmim neighbourhood. It was given to Sawai Madho Singh II, the princely state's monarch at the time, by the Egyptian Museum for an exhibition in Jaipur in 1887.
Timing:?9?am¨C5?pm, 7¨C10?pm
4.?Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery, Vadodara
Sayajirao Gaekwad III purchased the mummy in Baroda for $175 from a New York Museum in 1895. The mummy was formerly considered female, but further examinations and tests have revealed that it is male. He was roughly 20 years old when he died.?
The male mummy from the Ptolemaic Period, most likely during the reign of Ptolemy II. Unlike other Egyptian mummies discovered in India, the mummy is in good condition.
Timing:??10am-5pm
5.?Y.S Rajasekhara Reddy State Museum, Hyderabad
Princess Naishu's mummy, the daughter of Egypt's sixth Pharaoh, is housed in the State Archaeological Museum in Hyderabad. The mummy was purchased in 1920 for around 1000 sterling pounds by Nazeer Nawaz Jung, son-in-law of Mir Mehboob Ali Khan (then Nizam of Hyderabad). He gave it to Mir Osman Ali Khan, the next Nizam, who presented it to the museum. At the time of her death, the princess was considered to be 18 years old.?
However, during recent restoration efforts, it was uncovered that Princess Naishu died when she was 24. The mummy also retained evidence of her brain intact, which is unusual given that the brain is removed during mummification.?
Timing:?10:30?am¨C5?pm
The discovery of Egyptian mummies in many locations throughout India demonstrates the connection of ancient civilizations. These well-preserved relics provide insight into ancient Egypt's cultural exchanges, trading routes, and historical connections with the Indian subcontinent. Exploring these sites reveals the mysteries of the past and emphasizes humanity's shared ancestry across geographical boundaries.
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