Today is the day when we explore Kuala Lumpur by foot. And our first stop on the self-guided walking trail was the National Museum of Malaysia, or the Muzium Negara, which is located a short 10-minute walk away from our hotel at KL Sentral...
A warm, humid KL morning...
A view of the Lake Gardens...
Batik slippers and gown - quite an interesting idea...
But the day had to begin with a hearty breakfast. We chose to give the buffet breakfast at the hotel a miss and instead headed to the food court at Nu Sentral Mall...
Walking through Nu Sentral we were astounded to see a soon to be opened FabIndia outlet!
And there is some news that the Japanese retailer, Uniqlo will open shop in India soon...
After a good deal of searching around (afterall, I was spoiled for choice), I settled on chicken-mushroom claypot rice...
And naturally it had to be extra spicy for me... The claypot was extremely hot, scalding hot and the rice kind of got charred with an exquisite smoky flavour... This was a delicious brunch that would keep me going for the day...
Heading towards Muzium Negara - the roads were a bit of a maze due to the ongoing construction activity...
After orderliness of Singapore, KL was a bit of a shocker...
Approaching Muzium Negara...
A tank on display...
And the Sultan's Rolls Royce...
A military helicopter...
Chinese pottery on display...
Some exquisite jadework...
History is incomplete without a reference to cartography, the art and science of map-making, which has been much abused by diplomats and politicians for centuries...
A collection of European maps of the region...
Artefacts from the Kingdom of Sulu...
Artefacts from the Malaysian states of Negeri
And some from Brunei... despite being a Malayan kingdon, Brunei opted not to join the Federation and chose to maintain its distinct identity...
Various items of use in traditional Malay households - candle stands, betel boxes, ornament boxes, etc...
Artefacts from Terengannu and Johor...
Household items of the Straits Chinese - the Peranakan or the Babas and the Nyonyas...
The Melakan kingdom was the first in the Malay peninsula to adopt Islam...
The kingdom of Melaka was a melting pot...
Melakan dresses and ornaments...
Islamic embroidery and carvings from Melaka...
Melaka was the first to adopt Islam from where it spread to the rest of the peninsula...
Islamic influence on Melakan utensils - notice the shift to geometric designs...
Gravestone of a Melakan Sultan from the 1400s...
A handwritten Quran...
The conversion of the local Sultan to Islam being depicted here...
A traditional royal boat...
Spices, sandalwood, resin and rattan...
Its location made Melaka a regional trading hub...
Weaponry...
The Melakan Kingdom had an elaborate administrative setup...
A carving from Candi Borobudur, the Mahayana Buddhist temple in java, Indonesia...
A Majapahit naval ship and weaponry...
Majapahit was a vast naval empire based on the island of Java that lasted from 1293 to around 1500. The territories of Majapahit extended from Sumatra to New Guinea...
A statue of Avalokiteswara which was found in a tin mine in Perak... The civilisation of the Malayan peninsula was vastly influenced by Hindu and Buddhist cultures before the advent of Islam...
Various royal clocks on display...
Landmass prior to the increase in sea levels...
And the migration of animals...
Skulls of various hominids...
Bark cloth and stone implements...
Artefacts from the neolitic age...
Megaliths found in Negeri Sembilan...
Ancient trade routes...
Artefacts from Bujang Valley, Kedah with a model of a temple with a mandapa and a vihara - clearly a symbol of Hindu dominance...
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