Delhi
Museums Travel Guides..........
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 Weap
