Samrat Munshi, a private collector from Purba Bardhaman district’s Mangalkote, on Thursday handed nine antique objects, including a terracotta seal with Brahmi inscriptions, to the office of West Bengal’s administrator general and official trustee for the Judicial Museum and Research Centre that will come up in Kolkata.
A partly broken black terracotta lamp and a copper coin from 1879 are among the items Munshi donated for the museum.
“Among the nine objects, our prime interest is in the terracotta seal with Brahmi inscriptions, because it may be at least 2,500 years old. If we can gather information about the seal, a new chapter of history will open,” said Biplab Roy, administrator general and official trustee of West Bengal.
Roy is involved in collecting items that will be on display at the museum.
The administrator general said the museum would be of international standards. It will have 25 sections, including ones where old arms and ammunition, sculptures and coins will be displayed.
“We approached Calcutta High Court, which gave us the permission to set up the Judicial Museum and Research Centre. As of now, we have collected around 20,000 antique and other historical objects. A group of people from diverse fields helped us gather the items,” Roy said.
“The person who handed over his collection is working voluntarily to collect exhibits for the museum,” Roy said, referring to Munshi.
Munshi, who collects antique items from various places in the Katwa sub-division of Purba Bardhaman district, said: “It is my passion to collect such old objects from riverbeds and from people. When I came to know that such a museum will be set up, I handed over nine items.”
