Delhi Museums & Galleries
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.
National Museum
National Museum of Natural History
Archeological Museum
Rail Transport Museum
National Gallery of Modern Art
Crafts Museum
National Children's Museum
Shankar's International Dolls Museum
Tibet House Museum
Gandhi Memorial Museum
Nehru Memorial Museum and Library
