Delhi Museums
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.
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