Department of Heritage Telangana

GANDHI CENTENARY MUSEUM, KARIMNAGAR

The Gandhi Centenary Museum is located in the heart of Karimnagar town, opposite the bus station, and was established in 1969 to commemorate the centenary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi using funds from the Zilla Parishad. The museum highlights the archaeological and historical wealth of the Karimnagar district, with many artifacts recovered from excavations at key historic sites like Peddabankur, Dhulikatta, and Kotilingala.

Exhibits and Collections

The museum's interior houses several meticulously organized showcases detailing millions of years of natural and human history:

• Prehistoric & Fossil Gallery: The main hall features stone tools datable from 1,48,000 to 3000 years, alongside ancient fish and tree fossils brought from Vemanapalli, Muknur, and Kamanapalli areas that date back 20 lakh years. Subsequent showcases display Neolithic tools including axes, adzes, and grinding stones.
• Satavahana Period Material: Early historic items such as bricks, pottery, beads, bangle pieces, terracotta objects, and iron pieces from Dhulikatta, Peddabankur, and Kotilingala illustrate the social life during the Satavahana period.
• Numismatics: Four large central showcases display a diverse collection of coins ranging from the pre-Mauryan period to the British period.
• Sculptural Heritage: Stone carvings spanning Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain traditions date from the 2nd century A.D. to the 14th century A.D. Highlights include detailed Buddhist limestone panels from the excavated stupa site at Dhulikatta, a 12th-century Anjaneya sculpture from Peddabankur, and a rare Parsvanatha in sallekhana posture (7th century A.D.) brought from Gangadhara.