[2] The museum has preserved about 141,000 objects, ranging from prehistoric artifacts to archeology, numismatics, ceramics, ethnography, history and geography collections.

On April 24, 1778, a group of Dutch intellectuals established a scientific institution under the name Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen, (Royal Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences).

The main objective of Bataviaasch Genootschap was to analyze the cultural and scientific aspects of the East Indies, including its society and natural environment, through facilitating research conducted by experts.

[6]: 13 One of the founders of the institution – JCM Radermacher – donated a building at De Groote Rivier Street in the Old Batavia area and a collection of cultural objects and books, which were of great value to start a museum and library for the society.

[8] Owing to the institution's growing collections, Governor Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles built new premises behind the Societeit de Harmonie (today Jalan Majapahit No.

In 1862 the Dutch East Indies government decided to build a new museum that would not only serve as an office but also could be used to house, preserve, and display the collections.

It was called Gedung Gajah on account of the bronze elephant statue in the front yard – a gift to Batavia from King Chulalongkorn of Siam in 1871.

The items were first discovered in the ruins of the Jalatunda ancient royal bathing place and in the temples on the slopes of Mount Penanggungan in Mojokerto Regency, East Java.

All the missing items were displayed together in a glass showcase located inside the archaeology gold artifact and treasure room on the second floor of the Gedung Gajah (old wing).

[12] His kris was long considered lost but was located after being identified by the Dutch National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden.

[14] Authorities said that at least four rooms in the building, which housed precolonial artifacts, were destroyed, and that the fire was brought under control without injuries within hours.

[6]: 15 The Gedung Gajah located on the south side, or left from the entrance, is the old wing and the original museum structure which was built during the colonial Dutch East Indies era.

This statue is more than 4 meters tall and weight 4 tons,[18] and was discovered in 1935 in Padangroco, Sungai Langsat, Dharmasraya, West Sumatra.

Notable collections include the well-preserved 9th-century statues of Hindu deities taken from Banon Temple, which consists of Ganesha, Vishnu, Shiva, and Agastya.

[20] Dubbed the most beautiful sculpture of ancient Java, the goddess of transcendental wisdom is displayed at the entrance of the archaeology treasure room to show how gold jewelry and precious ornaments were worn on the body.

The hoard, consisting of a bowl with a scene from the Ramayana, a purse, a water dipper, an umbrella finial, and a spoon or ladle, all were made of gold.

The royal regalia and treasures are arranged in several island zones: Sumatra, Java, Bali, Borneo, Sulawesi, and Eastern Indonesia (Nusa Tenggara, Maluku and Papua).

The ethnology treasure room display various royal precious objects such as golden jewelries, ceremonial containers and weapons.

It has one of the best and the most complete collections of Chinese ceramics discovered outside China, which date from the Han, Tang, Sung, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

Research indicates that the Chinese sailed to India via Indonesia as early as Western Han period (205 BC to 220 AD) as part of maritime silk road and that firm trade relations were subsequently established.

[6]: 15 The ethnography collection comprises a wide variety of objects that are part of Indonesian daily life as well as exhibits that are used in ceremonies and rituals.

Examples of ancient cultures include Nias and Batak in Sumatra, the Badui in Java, Balinese, the Dayak of Kalimantan, the Toraja in Sulawesi, and the Asmat and Dani in Papua.

[9] The National Museum expansion and the construction of the new wing commenced in 1994, under the initiative of the Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro.

The layout of the four levels is as follows:[25] The old building and the new wing are connected via the old ethnography room through a glass walled bridge gallery.

The artefacts displayed in this exhibition included the Negarakretagama manuscript, the statue of Raden Wijaya depicted as Harihara from Candi Simping, pottery, ceramics, temple bas-reliefs and building foundations dating from the Majapahit period.

[9] The Kedatuan Sriwijaya exhibition held in November 2017 focussed on the Srivijaya maritime empire in its relation to global spice trade.