Ujjain’s 138-year-old Kothi Palace to become museum:Open-air theatre, immersive experience planned; project to cost ₹20 crore

The religious city of Ujjain is set to gain a new identity. The city’s nearly 138-year-old historic Kothi Palace will soon be transformed into the Veer Bharat Museum. The Madhya Pradesh government is investing around ₹20 crore to redevelop this heritage structure, blending a modern museum with its historic character. Spread across nearly two acres, the grand Kothi Palace was once a key centre of the Scindia state and later served as the Collector’s office for many years. Now, it is set to tell a new chapter of history. Following the shift to a new Collector’s building, the palace was vacated, and restoration work has picked up pace. The project is expected to be completed within a year, after which the museum will be opened to the public. See pictures Entire Indian history under one roof The museum’s biggest highlight will be its wide historical canvas, bringing together stories from ancient to modern India. Visitors will be able to explore the lives and legacies of great figures—from the era of Emperor Vikramaditya to the freedom movement—presented in an engaging and immersive manner. An inspiring world of warriors, saints and scholars The museum will showcase the contributions of iconic freedom fighters such as Chandrashekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh and Mahatma Gandhi. Alongside them, it will highlight spiritual leaders like Swami Vivekananda, Adi Shankaracharya and Guru Gobind Singh. Will become a major attraction for tourists This museum being built under Veer Bharat Trust will probably be the first such place in the country where there will be an opportunity to understand Vedic period, Ramayana-Mahabharata era, Vikramaditya period and freedom struggle. This new attraction in Ujjain, famous for religious tourism, will provide a great opportunity for tourists coming from India and abroad to closely know the history. Overall, this transformation of Kothi Palace is not just a change of a building, but is being considered as a major initiative to bring India’s glorious history to the new generation.