Hyd’s treasure trove for antique lovers

Aside from the wellknown history museums like Salar Jung, Nizam’s, Telangana State Archaeology, and others, here are a few off-beat and different places in the city that stock some of the oldest antiques in the world.

Hyderabad: The happening city Hyderabad is possibly one of the best cities to be in if you love history, or just have a penchant to discover new things. Aside from the wellknown history museums like Salar Jung, Nizam’s, Telangana State Archaeology, and others, here are a few off-beat and different places in the city that stock some of the oldest antiques in the world.

YK Antiques Museum

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This home museum set up by Yenugu Krishnamurthy in Alwal offers a vintage south-Indian home vibe with an extensive collection of antiques that were used back in the day. From brass utensils and stone cooking pots to musical instruments and rotary dial phones, everything in the place are decades old.

Sudha Car Museum

Sudhakar Yadav’s most amusing car museum located in Bahadurpura houses over 150 varieties of quirkily-shaped cars. The cars look like a camera lens, toilet, helmet, handbag, and even a stiletto. All the cars are handmade and there are several vintage cars on display.

Heritage Jail Museum

Housed in the Sangareddy Jail which was built during the Nizam era, the corridors of the prison are adorned with paintings that depict the crimes and punishments. Amusingly, the jail museum offers a unique experience to tourists by allowing them to live a prisoner’s life for 24 hours at a price of Rs 500.

Rail Museum

The Rail Museum at the Kacheguda railway station houses various aspects and interesting facts about the history of railways in India. It has photographs of the rail network going back to Nizam’s rule, the inauguration of Kacheguda station and exhibits of the vintage era, including signalling equipment, prototypes of locomotives and coaches, and tickets.

Nehru Centenary Tribal Museum

The two-storey museum at Masab Tank showcases the simple yet vibrant lifestyle of tribes like Kondareddi, Bagata, Lambadas and Chenchus. You can learn their stories through pictures, literature, and even an audio-visual experience. Several wooden musical instruments and scenes of tribal dances are on display as well.

Jagdish and Kamla Mittal Museum of Indian Art More than 2000 items dating from between 1 BCE and 1900 CE can be found in this museum set up by the couple Jagdish Mittal and Kamla Mittal in 1976. Located in Himayatnagar, the collection includes miniature paintings, manuscripts, Islamic calligraphy, folk and terracottas. One can visit the museum only via prior appointments.