Taxila Museum holds one of the most significant and comprehensive collections of stone and stucco sculptures from the Buddhist Art of Gandhara. The core collection was discovered from the archaeological sites at Taxila Valley, such as the settlement sites of Bhir Mound, Sirkap and Sirsukh, as well as from the Buddhist stupas and monasteries at Dharmarajika, Mohra Moradu, Jaulian, Kalawan, Bhamala, Tofkian, Bajran and Giri etc. The museum is built in the middle of these numerous sites and boasts a rich collection of artifacts from Gandhara Civilization.
There are approximately 7000 artifacts displayed at the Taxila Museum and around 30,000 preserved in the reserve collection. This collection includes stone and stucco sculptures, votive, stupas, relic caskets, inscriptions, beads, jewelry, coins, tools, utensils, and numerous other religious, architectural, and household objects.
The origin of the Taxila Museum lies in the archaeological and historical pursuits of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) established under the British Raj. The Archaeological Survey of India was the first organization for the archaeological research and preservation of the heritage of Indian subcontinent. Under the organization, Taxila was extensively surveyed and excavated from 1913 to 1934 by Sir John Marshall, the Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India. In 1918, under the Viceroy Lord Chelmsford, Sir John Marshall laid the foundation of the Taxila Museum to preserve these precious discoveries and objects. Construction of the museum continued till 1928, the year that Sir John Marshall retired from the Archaeological Survey of India.