Exterior view of the museum

Circa 1858: Soon after the Crown took over the direct governance of India from the East India Company, a group of spirited citizens decided that the first important public institution to be built in Bombay would be a museum along with a natural history and botanical garden. Dr Bhau Daji Lad and Dr George Birdwood, the two secretaries of the Museum Committee, were in charge of raising funds. "Birdwood said that citizens of then Bombay wanted to be part of the building process.