Man sold house to preserve Indore’s historic journey:Rare and exclusive coins, artefacts are the highlights of Zafar Ansari Museum

In a rapidly modernising world where old buildings are demolished overnight and family trunks filled with history are often discarded as junk, one man in Indore has spent the last 34 years fighting against time. On International Museum Day, observed globally on May 18, the theme announced by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) for 2026 speaks about the role of museums in uniting a divided world. At a time when societies appear increasingly fragmented, museums continue to connect generations through memory, heritage and identity. In Indore, historian Zafar Ansari has quietly turned that idea into a lifetime mission. What started as a small personal collection in 1992 has today become one of the country’s largest archives dedicated to the history of a single city, preserving over 15,000 rare objects linked to Indore and the Holkar dynasty. For Ansari, this collection is not about nostalgia. It is about ensuring that future generations can still see, touch and understand the city they inherited. Indore once had its first museum in Krishnapura Long before modern museums became part of urban conversations, Indore had already established one. In 1923, Maharaja Tukojirao Holkar III established Nar Ratna Mandir in Krishnapura as the city’s first museum. After Independence, the historical objects housed there were shifted to the Central Museum near the zoo, and the old structure was later converted into the Devalalikar Kala Vithika, dedicated to renowned artist D.D. Devalalikar. Despite Indore’s deep Holkar-era legacy, only one major historical museum emerged in the city over the next century. For Ansari, that gap became a calling. Started collecting history in 1992 Ansari began collecting historical material on January 12, 1992. At a time when old coins, royal documents, maps and photographs were considered useless by many families, he began travelling across cities, meeting collectors, historians and antique dealers to save pieces of Indore’s forgotten past. Over the decades, the collection expanded into a massive archive covering nearly 300 years of the city’s journey. Today, the archive has been divided into three sections, museum, archives and library. 20 galleries envisioned inside the museum Ansari has envisioned the museum in 20 thematic galleries, each narrating a different chapter of Indore’s social, cultural and political evolution. The collection houses hundreds of rare 19th-century photographs, original Holkar-era maps and lithographs, silver and copper coins, medals, royal turbans, copper buckles, badges, weight and measurement instruments, royal stationery and documents linked to Ahilyabai Holkar. Among the rarest possessions are handwritten letters by Maharaja Yashwant Rao Holkar and Maharaja Tukojirao Holkar, along with original correspondence of Sir John Malcolm and Robert Hamilton. The museum also preserves Holkar-era copper plates, utensils and administrative records that provide a glimpse into governance during the princely state period. Rare newspapers, Gandhi documents and vintage music records The archive is not limited to royal history. Ansari has also preserved rare newspapers and magazines published in Indore during the 19th and 20th centuries, creating a timeline of how the city evolved socially and politically. The collection includes photographs and documents related to Mahatma Gandhi’s visits to Indore in 1918 and 1935, along with rare 78 RPM records of maestros associated with the Indore gharana. Memories connected to Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar, both deeply linked to Indore, are also part of the archive. Thousands of Holkar State gazettes, books on Indore, records of the city’s cotton and opium trade, and models of heritage buildings have also been carefully preserved. “I sold my house to save history” Preserving the city’s history came with enormous personal sacrifice. Ansari says there were years when financial survival became difficult, but he continued investing in the collection. At one point, he even sold his own house to sustain the archive. Even today, nearly 70% of his earnings are spent on acquiring, restoring and preserving historical material. He describes the museum as ‘a public collection belonging to the people of Indore.’ School students see history through heritage walks Beyond collecting objects, Ansari has worked continuously to connect people with the city’s heritage. For decades, he has conducted heritage walks across Indore, introducing students and residents to forgotten buildings, old markets and Holkar-era architecture. During these walks, he often displays original artefacts from his museum before school students, helping them visualise the city’s past beyond textbooks. He has also delivered more than 300 lectures on Indore’s history and cultural legacy. Indore’s ‘Time Machine’ Among heritage enthusiasts and researchers, Ansari is popularly known as Indore’s ‘Time Machine.’ His collection has been displayed during several major international events hosted in the city, including the G20 Summit and Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, where delegates and international visitors were introduced to Indore’s historical journey through original artefacts. Tourism experts believe that his continued heritage outreach has significantly contributed to the growing interest in Indore’s cultural tourism and Holkar history over the last decade. Recently, Usha Devi Holkar also sent a letter appreciating his efforts in taking the historical legacy of Indore to national and international platforms. More than a museum, it is a memory archive For Ansari, museums are not buildings filled with lifeless objects. Every old coin, photograph, handwritten letter and newspaper clipping in his archive carries a story of the people who built Indore. At a time when cities are racing toward the future, his museum attempts to protect the memories that risk being left behind. And perhaps that is why his collection feels less like a museum and more like a living time machine, one that allows Indore to remember itself.