Robert Bruce Foote museum – A journey into our pre-historic past!

If you are fascinated by pre-historic period, then it is better to visit Bellary once to know about the Paleolithic and Neolithic ages.

The Robert Bruce Foote Museum in Bellary is a unique prehistoric museum of the stone age-related to Sanganakallu, A pre-historic site near to Bellary city.

This museum was renamed “Robert Bruce Foote” due to his enormous contribution to Indian pre- historical sites surveys carried out by him. Robert Bruce Foote (CE 1834-1912) is a Geologist, Archaeologist, ethnographer, paleontologist, museologist, and artist

He was appointed in the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and posted to Madras presidency, Hyderabad region, and Bombay presidency with the intention to map the mineral deposition in the southern regions, but accidentally this Englishman discovered 459 pre-historic sites in the country

Through his enormous contribution to pre-historic site surveys, he is known as the Father of Indian prehistory.

He carried out surveys in these regions during 1863-1906 and identified the prominent sites in  Sanganakallu with the help of locals.

Foote’s observation of the Palaeolithic sites of south India is that the Paleolithic avoided dense forest regions with heavy rainfall, which is why Palaeolithic settlements were not found in the Western Ghats of South India.

The museum houses a vast collection of African theories on pre-historic site information on the ground floor and the first floor with more information on the Sanganakallu site.

Most of the collection is on stone tools as Sanganakallu was once a pre-historic stone tool factory dating back to 2000BC!

One can find other artifacts like ceramic pottery, shell bone, steatite beads, and Neolithic age ash mounds fragments.

There is also a sarcophagus child burial with the ritual pot of megalithic excavation found at Kudithini and kept assembled in this museum.

Prof Korishettar, former Professor of History and Archaeology, Karnataka University, and director of the Museum Committee was the key behind setting up a museum in Bellary with help of the Government.

When it comes to prehistoric study and the Neolithic age, the Sanganakallu site is predominant and many foreigners visit this prehistoric heritage center and museum.

Ms. Gowri facilitates a guide to this museum with vast knowledge and one can visit  Sanganakallu pre-historic site with the help of a local Mr. Ramdas who has vast knowledge about the site.