Founded in 1814 at the cradle of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (at the present building of the Asiatic Society, 1 Park Street, Kolkata), Indian Museum is the earliest and the largest multipurpose Museum not only in the Indian subcontinent but also in the Asia-Pacific region of the world.

It is the ninth oldest museum in the world and the oldest and largest museum in Asia, by size of collection.

It has six sections comprising thirty-five galleries of cultural and scientific artefacts namely Indian art, archaeology, anthropology, geology, zoology and economic botany. Many rare and unique specimens, both Indian and trans-Indian, relating to humanities and natural sciences, are preserved and displayed in the galleries of these sections. In particular, the art and archaeology sections hold collections of international importance. It is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.