Come and explore the rich heritage of India, the land of snake charmers by visiting Delhi Museums. Representing the entire span of Indian civilization, the museums in Delhi houses rich collection of antiques. No wonder, a visit to the museums in Delhi will take you to a journey to the pre-historic times.
Exhibiting the various art forms of India are the Art Galleries in Delhi. Located in almost every corner of the city, Art Galleries in Delhi gives you an overview of the evolution of modern Indian paintings and sculptures. Devoted to decorative and applied arts, Delhi Art Galleries will leave you enchanted. So, come and have an enriching experience by visiting Delhi Art Galleries and Museums.
Some of the Art Galleries and Museums in Delhi are:
ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM
Location: Red Fort, Old Delhi.
Timing: 9 am- 5 pm Daily closed on Government Holidays.
Attractions: Paintings, Textiles, Costumes.
Situated in the historic Red Fort, the museum exhibits objects that date to the Mughal period. On view are manuscripts and fireman’s that demonstrate the fine art of calligraphy.
Also on view are paintings, textiles and costumes. One section concentrates on relics of the 1857 war (First War of Independence) like maps and weapons.
CRAFTS MUSEUM
Location: Bhairon Road, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi – 110001
Timing: July to September: 0930 am- 5 pm; October to June : 0930 am to 0600 pm Daily except on Mondays and national holidays.
Attractions: Indian Crafts, Wooden Carvings, Metalware, Paintings.
The Crafts Museum complex is a charming oasis in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Delhi. Mud huts with painted walls and thatched roofs, courtyards, terracotta horses recreating village shrines, craftsmen at work are some of the elements that add to the rural ambience of the place.
Within the museum itself are examples of traditional Indian crafts, wooden carvings and images, metalware, especially ewe perdue objects from Bastar, West Bengal and Bihar, clay and terracotta pots, toys and images, folk and tribal paintings, jewellery and textiles.
GANDHI MUSEUM
Location: Opposite Raj Ghat, Ring Road, Delhi.
Timing: 10.00am To 5:30 pm Closed on Mondays
Attractions: Personal Belongings Of Gandhiji.
Situated opposite to Raj Ghat is the Gandhi Museum. Dedicated to the Father of the Nation, the museum contains some of his personal belongings.
There are five pavilions one can go through that comprise of sculpture, photographs and paintings of Gandhiji and the history of the Satyagraha movement as well as the philosophy of ‘ahimsa’ (non-violence).
NATIONAL RAIL MUSEUM
Location: Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi
Timing: 9:30am to 5:30pm
Attractions: Collection Of Locomotives And Carriages
The Rail Transport Museum is a must for rail buffs. There are models of train engines and coaches and it is a train-lovers delight. Its pride is a model of India’s very first train, a steam engine that made its journey from Mumbai to Thane in 1853.
The locomotives here are all displayed in the open although there is a museum as well, which is a storehouse of information on the history of railways in India.
Its vintage displays include the oldest locomotive in the world-still working; the Viceregal Dining Car (1889) and the Prince of Wales Saloon (1875), Maharaja of Mysore’s Saloon (1899), Maharaja of Baroda’s Saloon (1886). The royal saloons are definitely worth a look for the elaborate interior design. To enter the royal saloons one has to buy a ticket.
The star attraction is the Fairy Queen, built in 1855, and considered to be the best preserved steam locomotive engines of her age. Children can enjoy a ride on the miniature rail track.
NATIONAL MUSEUM
Location: Janpath lane, Connaught Place, New Delhi 110001
Timing: 10 am- 5 pm Daily closed on Mondays & on Government Holidays.
Attractions: Sculptures, Statue, Images, Pots, Jewellery etc.
The National Museum is one of India’s most prestigious institutions. The galleries of the museum follow a historical and chronological sequence. The Indus Valley Gallery displays many antiquities excavated from Mohenjodaro and Harappa, like terracotta toys, images and pots, jewellery, seals, bronze and copper implements and sculpture. The most outstanding object here is the lyrical bronze Dancing Girl.
The National Museum also has a rich collection of sculpture. All the major periods are represented here: Maurya, Sunga, Satavahana, Gupta, Pallava, Chalukya, Pala and Sena. Also on view are sculpture from Gandhara and Mathura. The Bronze Gallery has some superb pieces from the Chola and Pallava period. Among these the Nataraja figure of Shiva and the Kaliya Mardan Krishna are all time greats.
NATIONAL GALLERY OF MODERN ART
Location: Jaipur House, New Delhi – 110003.
Timing: 10 am- 5 pm Daily except on Mondays and government holidays.
Attractions: Paintings, Sculpture, Portrait.
The stately Jaipur House is the location for the National Gallery of Modern Art. On display are paintings, sculpture and graphic art dating from the mid 19th century to today. All the well-known art forms are exhibited here.
The school is represented by Rabindranath Tagore, especially his Advent of the Rainy Season, Twilight and Landscape: Nandalal Bose, Ramkumar Kinkar, Rabindranath Tagore, Binod Behari Mukherjee among others.
You can also view Amrita Shergill’s Self Portrait, Two women, Musicians, Bathers andJamini Roy’s Krishna and Balarama, Kirian, Yasoda and Krishna. The exhibits also include works by major contemporary artists like M F Husain, Vivan Sundaram, J Swaminathan, Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh and Bhupen Khakhar.
NEHRU MUSEUM & PLANETORIUM
Location: Teen Murti Bhavan, Teen Murti Marg, New Delhi
Timing: 9.30am-4.45pm From Tuesday-Sunday
Attractions: Newspaper Clippings And Photographs From The Independence Movement.
The residence of Late Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India was converted into a museum after his death. The museum is a fascinating place to learn about the history of the Independence Movement.
There are several photographs of the erstwhile Prime Minister, giving an account of his life. Besides this, the colonial building is also equally interesting, with its teak paneled rooms with high ceilings, spacious verandas and well kept gardens.
SHANKAR’S INTERNATIONAL DOLLS MUSEUM
Location: Nehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi
Timing: 10am To 5.30pm & closed on Mondays & Government Holidays.
Attractions: A Collection Of 6,000 Dolls From Over 85 Countries.
One can find just about every kind of a doll one needs to see in Shankar’s International Dolls Museum. There are about 6,000 dolls collected from over 85 countries and a third of the collection has been gathered from different parts of India. Each doll is resplendently dressed in costumes that represent the country or the region they come from.
SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI
Location: Rabindra Bhavan, Feroze Shah Road, New Delhi
Timing: Monday To Friday, 9.30am – 6.00pm
India’s premier institution for music (‘sangeet’), dance (‘natak’) and the performing arts, Sangeet Natak Akademi is more a resource centre than a museum, with a large audio-visual archive.
The Akademi arranges performances by renowned veterans as well as by talented artists of the younger generation, through training programmes. A gallery also displays an expensive collection of folk and classical musical instruments, masks and costumes, while its library holds all sorts of rare and otherwise unobtainable volumes.