Delhi Museums
Some
of the finest museums of India are in Delhi. The National Museum on Janpath
is the premier repository of antiquities. Built in 1960, it has an extraordinary
collection representing the entire span of Indian civilization from pre-historic
times.
Its galleries include finds from the Indus Valley Civilization, superb sculptures
in stone, and bronzes from the Chola period, the largest collection of miniature
paintings in the world, manuscripts, a Buddhist Gallery, including relics
of the Buddha from Piprahwa, the exquisite Jewelry Gallery, the Anthropological
Gallery of tribal art; galleries devoted to decorative and applied arts, Maritime
Heritage and Pre-Columbian art, and the Central Asian Antiquities, Gallery
of Auriel Stein's finds along the ancient Silk Route (the great murals however,
are on display at the adjacent Archaeological Survey of India).
The National Gallery of Modern Art, housed in the residence of Jaipur's former
maharajas has a superb collection of paintings dating from 150 years ago to
the present day.
Company School paintings of the 19th and early 20th centuries and the works
of Rabindranath Tagore, Jammi Roy and Amrita Sher Gil hold pride of place
amidst exhibits, which give an overview of the evolution of modern Indian
paintings and sculpture. The National Museum and the National Gallery of Modern
Art periodically organize special exhibitions.
The Rail Transport Museum is a must for rail buffs. Its vintage display includes
the oldest locomotive in the world-still working; the Viceregal Dinning Car
(1889) and the Prince of Wales Saloon (1876). Children can enjoy a ride on
the miniature rail track.
The Nehru Memorial Museum is at Teen Murti House where Jawaharlal Nehru lived
for 16 years till his death in 1964. its special charm is that the rooms have
been preserved as they were. Not far from here is the Indira Gandhi Memorial
where one gets a glimpse of the life of the late Late Prime Minister.
The
Ghandi Memorial Museum has a collection of memorabilia on Mahatma Gandhi. The
Crafts Museum at Pragati Maidan has galleries displaying India's rich tradition
of handicrafts.
An added attraction is the presence of craftsperson who are bought here from
different parts of the country to demonstrate their skills. In this central
part of the city are also located the National Philatelic Museum of Natural
History, Mandi House, and the Malliah on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg.
The Tibet House Museum on Lodi Road has a fine collection of tankhas, jewellery
and ritual objects. En route to Old Delhi are the Shankar's Dolls Museum of
Archeology related to the Mughal era, and the Museum of Arms and Weapons which
traces the development of arms from the Mughal age to the First World War.
