Museums and Libraries in Delhi
Field Museum
This museum is located within the main gate of the
Purana Qila complex. It is a small archaeological museum
that is rich in historical artefacts. The museum
contains articles that were excavated in 1955 in the
southern periphery of Purana Qila and then during the
1969-1973 excavations. The chief attractions include the
grey ware pottery and relics that date back to 1000 B.C.
The museum also houses objects dating back to the
Mauryan dynasty. Terracotta figures from the Mauryan
period of 300 B.C. and coins belonging to the reign of
Muhammad Tughlaq, stone figurines, seals and glazed ware
and 16th century Chinese porcelain is also put on
display.
Air Force Museum
The Indian Air Force Museum is located in the lush green
environments of Palam, New Delhi. The IAF Museum
attempts to offer an insight into the history of the
Indian Air Force. It provides a complete portrait of the
military aviation in India. It traces back the Indian
aviators of the Royal Flying Corps who had fought during
the First World War. The visitors can see real-life
pictures, souvenirs, models and even actual aircrafts.
The Museum has an Indoor Gallery which showcases and
traces a pictorial history of the Indian Air Force. It
also exhibits uniforms and personal weapons used during
different decades. Other equipment like anti-aircraft
guns and aircraft vehicles can be seen. There is a
gallery that exhibits trophies, radar equipment and a
few enemy vehicles that were captured.
International Dolls Museum
Shankar's International Dolls Museum was set up by the
eminent cartoonist K. Shankar Pillai in 1965. The Doll's
Museum is famous for having one of the largest
collections of costume dolls in the world. The Museum's
collection of dolls was inspired by a gifted doll to
Shankar which he had received from the Hungarian
ambassador. The museum houses a collection of 6,500
exhibits from eighty-nine countries. There are also some
colourful motifs that embellish the outer walls of the
museum.
Nehru Memorial and Museum Library (NMML)
The Nehru Memorial and Museum Library is a unique
repository of memorabilia of the first Prime Minister of
India, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. It was founded by the
initiative of the government of India under the Ministry
of Culture as a gesture to pay tribute to the country's
first Prime Minister in the year 1964. The museum
showcases personal documents of the whole Nehru family.
The library has a treasure of books, photographs and
periodicals dating back to the period of struggle for
Indian independence. The library has ventured into
publishing suggested progressive policies of Nehru which
were largely unknown. NMML is located at Teen Murti
Bhavan as this was the residence of Prime Minister Pt.
Nehru. The library boasts of some of the rarest
collections of newspapers and photographs of the Indian
independence movement. Books of various languages,
including Urdu, Hindi and other regional Indian
languages can be found here.
National Museum
This colossal archive is at a short distance from the
Rashtrapati Bhawan. The National Museum has over 200,000
works of exquisite art, both Indian and foreign. The
circular-shaped building has three floors and is painted
in red and yellow. The National Museum building was
opened to the public in 1960. It has huge sculptures and
exotic specimens of art and crafts. The museum also has
lectures and training programmes, reserve collections, a
library and a conservation laboratory. The sculptural
section houses more than 9000 objects of archaeological
importance. The museum is famous for its collection on
exquisite terracotta and stucco figures. One can also
see some rare items from various states and cities. The
armoury section houses a collection of impassive arms
and armours.
Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History was inaugurated
on 5th June 1978, i.e. on the World Environment Day.
This is the best resource in the country regarding the
natural and, to a certain extent, historical heritage of
India. It also promotes knowledge about the country’s
fauna and flora. It has a motto of 'Educating while
entertaining'. The museum has been divided into
theme-based galleries and activity areas. The Museum of
Natural History is divided into four main galleries.
The first section is fundamental and addresses the
evolution of life and an introduction to the fauna and
flora of India. This gallery provides information about
the natural habitat of animals and the threat to the
various animals and plants. The second gallery provides
a peek into various ecosystems and hazards they face.
The third gallery enlightens about the endangered
species of plant and animal kingdom. The museum’s theme
is very much conservation-based. The last section of the
gallery is labelled as 'Cells and Tissues'. It describes
the structure and functions of various plant and animal
cells.
National Rail Museum
The bygone era of the colonial India and the development
of the Indian Railways can be traced through a visit to
the Rail Transport Museum. It offers a collection of
exotic Indian railway coaches. The museum houses a blend
of vintage rail coaches and the latest, modern engines.
It has many of the modern trains driven around as toy
trains which gives the kids a memorable ride through the
museum. The outer terrain is dotted with lavish
carriages that were used by the British. The Maharaja of
Mysore's carriage is also showcased. This carriage has a
rosewood bed and is embellished with teak, gold and
ivory. It also houses the Fairy Queen that was built in
1855 and is one of the best-preserved locomotive steam
engines.
Craft Museum
This museum was established in 1956 with an aim to
promote the works of native handicrafts and artisans.
The Crafts Museum is located in the Pragati Maidan
complex of New Delhi. The museum is famous for its
collection of Indian handicrafts. It exhibits some of
rarest pieces of art and craft which have been collected
selectively from all over India.
Maximum articles on display belong to artisans from
small Indian villages and folk art and tribal creations
are also promoted in order to contribute to rural
development. Objects displayed include paintings and
embroidered creations. The museum also has a Crafts
Museum Shop in the complex worth visiting. The museum
has several specialized galleries like the Gallery of
Courtly Crafts and the Gallery of Popular Culture. The
complex showcases mud huts with thatched roofs.
Modern Art Gallery
It is situated at Jaipur House, New Delhi. The gallery
was established in 1954. The museum is renowned for its
collection of contemporary Indian art. The museum’s
royal building was the former residence of the former
rulers of Jaipur. It has an impressive collection of
royal paintings. The displayed artworks include
creations of prominent Indian artists like Rabindranath
Tagore and Amrita Gill. The gallery has a section
dedicated to the development of modern Indian paintings
and sculptures. The gallery also includes an Art
Reference Library with a huge compilation of journals
and periodicals. The gallery has different departments
handling different aspects of work being done at the
gallery. For example, the restoration department is
involved in preservation and conservation of artworks
and the publication department has already listed 335
different publications and 35 posters. |
