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Situated on the famous crescent site near Gateway of India in Mumbai is the landmark heritage building that houses the Peince of Wales Museum of Westen India. It is one of the most exquisite examples of the Indo-Saracenic architectural style for which the architect, George Wiltet, is well known. Designed in 1909, it filled the need for a quality musemum in Western India, particularly to house artifacts excavated by Henry Cousens, a famous archeologist and Superintendent of Archaeological Survey at the early Guptan period. Today the collection includes important sculptures of elaborate Buddhist images, one of the most important collections of miniature paintings in the most important collections of miniature paintigs in the country and decorative arts in textiles, jade, wood and ivory, among other mediums, which provide a glimpse of the inherent skills of the Indian craftsmen of the 18th and 19th centuries. The Nepal and Tibet collection showcases esential features of Tantric Buddhism, including the 16th century image of Sron-Tsan-Gampo who is known to have established Buddhism in Tibet. Dr. Kalpana Desai has published her work on the origin and evolution of the iconography of Vishnu and has contributed in articles on diverse subjects like miniature paintings, Indo-Chinese textiles and images and techniques of navigation. She deciphered the Sailor`s Manual written by the Indian mariners and has co-authored Marine Heritage of Indo with S V Gorashkar. She has been director of the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India since June 1996. ISBN: 81-85822-00-5
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