A massive installation of the sleeping Buddha greets us as we enter Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS). He has a teasing smile on his lips, as if to tell us, “It is still early here.” After all, we are one of the first visitors when we arrive at the museum at 10.30 am on a Monday.

As we step into the imposing Indo-Saracenic building, we are greeted by soft golden lights that play hide-and-seek between the pillars that hold up the wooden pavilion. Right in the middle of the Circle Gallery is a small passageway that seems to be attracting more visitors than usual at this early hour. They are all headed to view the Egyptian mummy, wrapped in bandages and in layers of history that emerge from its worn-out linen cartonnage.