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THE ASIATIC SOCIETY When the Asiatic Society was established on January 15, 1784, its founder Sir William Jones (1746-1794) began his work with a dream, that visualised a centre for Asian studies including almost everything concerning man and nature within the geographical limits of the continent. Most of the mysteries of this vast land, like its old inscriptions in Brahmi, were still undeciphered and comparative philology as a discipline or science was not yet born.  In the early days of the Asiatic Society, William Jones for all his efforts could not procure even a slice of land wherein to house his dream. In 1805 the Government gifted to the Society a plot of land at the corner of Park Street and Chowringhee, the present site of the Asiatic Society, to which was added later, in 1849, a small portion on the western side. Membership of the Society for many years remained exclusively European and only in January 1829, on the suggestion of Dr. Horace Hayman Wilson

THE INDIAN MUSEUM 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. With the foundation of Indian Museum in 1814, the museum movement started rolling in India and got a new fillip and great momentum. Since then, it has so magnificently developed and culminated into the fruitful existence of more than 400 museums in the country. The movement, which was started in 1814, in fact was the beginning of a significant epoch initiating the socio-cultural and scientific achievements of the country. It is otherwise considered as the beginning of the modernity and the end of mediaeval era. Its emblem has Sarnath Gateway in light brown colour depicted as if it is on a parchmen indull orange has its name written inEnglish, Devanagari and Bengali. It also mentions’