Rajamahendravaram’s museums

Rajamahendravaram has two small public collections. The Sri Rallabandi Subbarao Archaeological Museum on Godavari Bund Road grew out of the sculptures, inscriptions and books that a local historical society collected. The state Department of Archaeology and Museums took it over in 1967. The collection covers Stone Age tools, early terracottas, bronzes, coins, Bidri ware, weapons and wood carvings. Its best-known pieces are stone sculptures and gold coins. A new building is going up and is expected to be ready for the Godavari Pushkaralu in 2027. Until then, much of the collection is in temporary storage.

The Damerla Rama Rao Art Gallery on Railway Station Road is run by the state Technical Education department. Rama Rao was a Rajamahendravaram artist who died in 1925, still in his twenties. He is remembered as a pioneer of the Andhra style of painting. The gallery holds his oils, watercolours and sketchbooks. Several paintings had deteriorated over the years, and INTACH helped restore some of them.