Nagpur Central Museum

The Nagpur Central Museum, popularly called Ajab Bangala, was founded in 1863 and is described as the oldest and largest museum in central India. The antiquarian society of the Central Provinces proposed it in 1862, and under the Chief Commissioner, Sir Richard Temple, royal families, chiefs and landholders across the region gathered objects for it. It is housed in a large colonial building in Civil Lines designed by Captain Cobbe and is now run by the state's Directorate of Archaeology and Museums.

Eleven galleries cover natural history, Nagpur's heritage, sculpture, arms and armour, tribal art and painting. The natural history gallery holds dinosaur fossils, among them a Jainosaurus about 67.5 million years old dug up in Jabalpur district in 1932–33, as well as stuffed animals and birds. Elsewhere are finds from Kaundinyapura, a megalithic sarcophagus, inscriptions and coins, sculpture from Mauryan to Maratha times, tribal tools and instruments, and Bombay School paintings. QR codes explain exhibits in 16 languages.