Kanpur Museum, Kanpur, Kanpur Overview

Also known as the Kanpur Sangrahalay, this official museum of Kanpur is located on the Pool Bagh Ground. The Kanpur Museum exhibits artefacts and documents from the colonial period to the modern-day Kanpur. Formerly launched as the King Edward Memorial Hall in memory of King Edward VII, it was further renamed as the Gandhi Bhawan in 1999. It also has an in-house public library.

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What to Expect at the Kanpur Museum

The Museum is largely comprised of the collections from the British colonial period such as handwritten books of freedom fighters, their poetry, pistols, dresses, shoes etc. Apart from this, the Kanpur Museum has some important documents and literature on trade and industrialization.

These preserved files showcase the excellence of the city in the trade and commerce sector during colonial India. One of the most iconic collections of the Kanpur Museum is an old colonial period artillery gun. With loads of interesting anecdotes and tales from the past, the Museum becomes the best source of information in the city.

Architecture of Kanpur Museum

Initially built as a European style ballroom, Kanpur Museum comprises of a large hall type structure with the highly decorated ceiling and a clock tower. After being converted to an official museum, specific architectural changes have been made, with the purposes of restoration, preservation and facilitation of the display of artefacts.

How To Reach Kanpur Museum

The distance between Kanpur Sangrahalaya/Kanpur Museum and Kanpur Central Railway station is approximately 3 kms which can be covered in 9 minutes via Lala Ratanlal Road/Mall Road.

On the other hand, the distance between Jhakarkati Bus Stand, the main bus stop of the city, and Kanpur Museum is 3.3Kms which can be covered in about 9 minutes via Rajdhani Marg. Auto rickshaws, E-Rickshaws and tempos are the best media to reach here and explore places nearby. The Museum offers good parking space in case you are travelling in personal vehicles and cabs.

Kanpur Museum History

The European merchants during colonial India longed for entertainment in their own fashion. Thus, they came up with the idea of European-styled hall for cultural activities. However, after King Edward VII died in 1910, the same hall was re-established as his a memorial to remember his visit to Cawnpore (present-day Kanpur) in 1876. Hence, the name King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hall.

In 1918, after the WWI, the construction of the hall resumed which later on was used by the British for cultural activities. It was occasionally rented to wealthy Indian merchants for marriage ceremonies. Post Independence in 1947, KEM Hall was renamed as Gandhi Bhawan and is now known as the municipal library and official museum of the city.