Heritage : Palaeontological and Iconographical Aspects

The modern museum is the result of growth of centuries. In fact, the concept of museum originated from the Greek mythology related to 'muses' with whom the glorious events of the past, folk art, poetry, history, gaiety and harmony were associated.

In India the development of museums has now entered into the third phase of what we call the 'New Museum Movement'. It has become an instrument of education at every step and the collections in exhibition galleries attract scholars, specialists or visitors for their relevance to the growth of knowledge.

In the present era of science or space-age various components of the specialization have reached everywhere but man ultimately demands change and diversion and insists on his window to the sky. Where does he get it? Could it be a museum? Further, the human curiosity is another characteristic of man. He wants to know everything around himself. Museums help to satisfy this primary instinct.

It gives me immense pleasure in writing the foreword to the Catalogue of Archaeological Museum at the Vikram Kirti Mandir of the Vikram University, Ujjain.

A Museum today is not merely repository of objects but also a throbbing centre where scientific research is integrated with the cultural heritage of a region/nation. It is a meeting ground where the past merges with the present to conserve and demonstrate the pride of a nation.

The present catalogue aims at projecting the museum which would soon develop into a dynamic institution actively engaged in discharging various educational functions. It shall serve the beginners in the profession as a guide to musicology whereas to curators it shall be a store-house of relevant information. The concept of museums is changing constantly to meet the demands of ever-expanding horizons of knowledge. Museums must cater to the rapidly changing social patterns. Gradually attempts must be made to match the march of changing events so that ways and means of implementation may also keep pace with them.

**Contents and Sample Pages**