Archives
Raj Bhavan
The Mumbai Raj Bhavan, formerly known as Government House, has been the seat of power since 1665 A.D. when Sir Humphrey Cooke took charge of the Bombay Island from the Portuguese as the First English Governor in the erstwhile Bombay Presidency under the English East India Company. The Last British Governor of Bombay was Sir John Colville, who served up to 5th January 1948.
It was in the Raj Bhavan precincts that the State of Samyukta Maharashtra was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Pt Jawaharlal Nehru in presence of the first Governor of Samyukta Maharashtra Shri. Sri Prakasa and the first Chief Minister Shri. Yashwantrao Chavan. ´Raj Bhavan´, now the office and residence of the Governor of Maharashtra, the Constitutional Head of the State, has played a significant role in the affairs of the State since then.
Governor of Maharashtra State Sriprakasa, Prime Minister of India Pandit Nehru & Yashwantrao Chavan at the formation of Maharashtra at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai on 1 May 1960
An Advisory Committee under the Chairmanship of renowned historian and archivist (late) Shri Sadashiv Gorakshkar was constituted for advising the Governor’s office in developing the Archives Cell. The other eminent members of the Committee were Prof. Mushirul Hasan, Director, National Archives of India, Smt. Vrunda Pathare, Chief Archivist, Godrej Archives, Dr. Smt Varsha Shirgaonkar, Head, Department of History, SNDT Women’s University and Shri Ashok Kapoor, Retired Chief Archivist, Reserve Bank of India Archives.
An “Archives Cell” was set up in Raj Bhavan where documents of historic importance are being classified and indexed. It is done to preserve these records through digitization and microfilming. These records are accessible to students, researchers, members of the academia and interested citizens through prior permission from the competent authority.
Our Collections
Till date, 5000 files comprising more than 1 lakh documents dating back to 1930 have been classified and indexed. The work of classification and indexing is in process and few more files will be added to the collection. The files relate to a wide variety of subjects including the Constitutional functions of the Governor, visits of important dignitaries to the State of Maharashtra, various institutions headed and patronized by the Governor, speeches of various Governors, administrative matters and other contemporary issues etc.
Old and rare photographs of past Governors are also being collected, preserved and digitized.
Integrated Catalogue
A catalog of the various documents with index and subject classification is available in the Raj Bhavan Archives for the use of researchers. Click on the link to view the catalogue.
Access policy
The Raj Bhavan Archives can be accessed by students pursuing graduation, post-graduation and Ph.D. They will have to submit a letter from the head of their respective departments / institutions.
Historians, members of the academia, interested citizens and employees of the State and Central Governments can also access the records in the Raj Bhavan Archives.
Access will be permitted from 10.30 AM to 4.30 PM on all working days (Monday to Saturday, except second and fourth Saturday) by prior appointment.
Contact us
Secretary to the Governor,
Raj Bhavan,
Malabar Hill,
Walkeshwar Road
Mumbai- 400 035
Phone: 022- 2363 2343/ 2369 4799/ 2369 2426