The Archaeological Museum at Kondapur is a feast to the history lovers. The museum is on a small hill in the southern part of the village, Kondapur in Medak District. The museum is open to the public throughout the day and possesses rare antiquities pertaining to Medak history. The Archaeological Museum Kondapur as it is popularly known as was started in the 19th century, but had been taken over by the Nizam of Hyderabad in 1940-41. The museum contains most of the rare items that have been excavated from the nearby Fort Mound. Some of the artifacts have also been excavated from Kotagadda which is at a distance of 1 km from the museum. Archaeologist Mr. Henry Cousens had been leading most of the excavation teams. These artifacts later passed on to the Archeological Department in the Rule of the Nizam who again carried out some excavations in 1940-41.
The main attractions in the museum are the figurines made of terracotta, pottery made from bones and shells, and other objects made from similar materials. Most of the materials on display in the central hall and the two galleries belong to the Satavahana era. Metal objects, pendants, talismans, beads, inscribed pottery and coins are the few other things on display in the galleries. Prehistoric tools and equipments and fossils are also displayed for further studies by the history scholars.
There are also many structures in the museum that show deep influence of Buddhism. The other special things on display are the standing idol of Lord Vishnu, a Buddha pada and two inscribed storage jars.
The coin section displays coins belonging to different era under different rules. Most of these have been excavated from the Fort Mound. The gold coin belonging to the Roman Emperor Augustus, dating back to the period between 37 BC and 14 AD, along with a dozen silver coins and 50 lead coins are on display at the Museum. Interestingly the collection of construction material, like brick tiles, designed panels, sharpening stones and molded bricks excavated from Fort Mound are also on display.
The uniqueness of the museum is the reproduction of the Ajanta Paintings. The museum also has a separate manuscript section. The Quran carrying the seal of Shah Jahan is the main attraction in this section. The Egyptian Mummy also adorns a corner in the museum. This was bought for 1000 pounds by the son-in-law of VI Nizam Mahbub Ali Khan and presented to the last Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan as a gift.
The museum is the destination for the archeologists and the historians. Many students of History also come to the museum to study the various excavations of the South.
Location: The museum is 1 Km from Sangareddy Town, Telangana State
How to Reach:
The nearest Railway Station is Zaheerabad. From the station, one can catch a public bus to Jharasangam
One may also use public bus facility from Hyderabad to reach Zaheerabad.
State run buses ply from MGBS bus stand to Zaheerabad every 40 min to 1 hour
Where to stay:
The visitors will not get any proper accommodation at Jharasangam village. One needs to put up at either Hyderabad or Medak Town and reach this place.
Medak provides ample accommodation options that are clean, comfortable and affordable. Moreover, being quite close to Hyderabad, tourists can also travel to Medak on day trips from Hyderabad.
Some of the reputed hotels at Medak are Anjagoud Hotels, Green Corner Hotel and Manama Hotel.
Distance to Archaeological Museum Kondapur:
From Hyderabad 63 Kms
From Sangareddy town 1 Km
From Medak 68 Kms
Archaeological Museum Timings:
From 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM all days.
Friday Holiday.
Kondapur Archaeological Museum Address:
Archaeological Museum, Archaeological Survey of India,
Kondapur-502 306
Medak,
Telangana.
Ph: 08455-253625