New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...
, also known as the National Museum of India, is one of the largest museums in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
. Established in 1949, it holds a variety of articles ranging from pre-historic era to modern works of art. It functions under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The museum is situated on Janpath. The blue–print of the National Museum had been prepared by the Gwyer Committee set up by the Government of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
in 1946. The museum has around 200,000 works of art, mostly Indian, but some of foreign origin, covering over 5,000 years.
It also houses the National Museum Institute of History of Art, Conservation and Museology on the first floor which was established in 1983 and has been a university since 1989, running master's and doctoral level courses in
art history
Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today, ...
,
conservation
Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws.
Conservation may also refer to:
Environment and natural resources
* Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...
In 1946, the idea of building a National Museum for India was proposed by the Gwyer Committee. Sir
Maurice Gwyer
Sir Maurice Linford Gwyer, (25 April 1878 – 12 October 1952) was a British lawyer, judge, and academic administrator. He served as Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University from 1938 to 1950, and Chief Justice of India from 1937 to 1943). He is c ...
, the former chief justice of India and vice chancellor of Delhi University, headed the committee. One of the members of the committee was Sir
Mortimer Wheeler
Sir Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler CH CIE MC TD (10 September 1890 – 22 July 1976) was a British archaeologist and officer in the British Army. Over the course of his career, he served as Director of both the National Museum of Wales an ...
, then heading the
Archaeological Survey of India
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexand ...
(ASI), who is often cited as chief initiators of the National Museum as he advocated for the museum's development although reports indicate that he was concerned with unifying ASI site museums under the umbrella of a museum's branch rather than setting up a new museum.
The roots of the National Museum begin with an exhibition of Indian art and artefacts organized by the Royal Academy of Arts, London. The exhibition went on display in the galleries of Burlington House during the winter months of 1947–48. This Exhibition of The Art of India and
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
in London was arguably the first exhibition sponsored by the British government which gave Indian artefacts the status of high art. Before its return to India, with Jawaharlal Nehru's support, it was decided that these important collections should be showcased here upon their return so that they could be enjoyed and appreciated by the people of India. At the close of the exhibit, requests were released to the loaning museums and collectors, urging them to surrender object ownership to what was to become the National Museum. When the decision was taken to make a permanent National Museum, the exhibits were first displayed in the state rooms of the Rashtrapati Bhavan (then called Government House) on August 15, 1949, and the rooms were formally inaugurated by C. Rajgopalachari, Governor General of India. Until the mid-1950s, it essentially remained a permanent version of the temporary exhibit – consisting of the same pieces, and remaining in the state rooms. In 1955 building began on the new current location of the National Museum at Janpath. However, when the National Museum was ready in 1960, the statue of Buddha and the ''Rampurva Bull'' were retained at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on the request of Jawaharlal Nehru.
Since its inception, the National Museum owed much of its original structure and organization to the example of the Indian Museum, Kolkata, as some of its first curators were former employees of the Indian Museum, such as C. Sivaramamurti, even though the National Museum aspired to displace the historic position the Indian Museum had come to acquire as the largest and grandest museum in India. The National Museum encouraged scholars and the public to think differently about the objects on display by placing the objects within a broad historical context and allowing the objects to speak for a larger representation outside of itself.Grace Morley was the first director of the National Museum, New Delhi, who earlier played an instrumental role as the founding director (1935–58) of the San Francisco Museum of Art (now San Francisco Museum of Modern Art). She joined the National Museum on 8 August 1960 and continued to hold its charge for six more years. She was one of the advocates of cultural democracy who believed that art should be available to everyone—and held firm convictions about the crucial role that museums could play in this endeavour. In her installations for the National Museum, this desire for secularisation and democratisation was effected through the presentation of sculptures in classic white-cube spaces with minimal contextual information. It was her 'visual storage' display system, minimalist teak pedestals, air-conditioning vents, track-lighting, and large glass cases with staggered risers for visual variety which led to the museum acquiring international recognition and the museum in its working still reflects her image. She instructed carpenters to build display cases and Eamesian-type couches, cabinets and cases that reflected modernist, uncluttered lines. Such elements produced the perfect streamlined stage for a performance of the modern by viewing audiences. Harmonious colour schemes, dramatic, dim lighting, cushions of space around eye-level objects, and the occasional leafy plant for a visual pause, all contributed to the creation of a modern museum.
Departments and collections
Presently, there are several departments in the National Museum.
* Pre-History Archaeology
* Archaeology
* Manuscripts
* Numismatics & Epigraphy
* Paintings
* Arms & Armour
* Decorative Arts
* Central Asian Antiquities
* Pre-Columbian Art
* Jewellery
* Anthropology
*Anubhav
* Education
* Public Relations
* Publication
* Conservation
* Display
The collections of the National Museum represent almost all disciplines of art:
archaeology
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsc ...
(sculptures in stone, bronze and terracotta), arms, armour,
decorative arts
]
The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose object is the design and manufacture of objects that are both beautiful and functional. It includes most of the arts making objects for the interiors of buildings, and interior design, but not usua ...
,
jewellery
Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry ( U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a w ...
miniature
A miniature is a small-scale reproduction, or a small version. It may refer to:
* Portrait miniature, a miniature portrait painting
* Miniature art, miniature painting, engraving and sculpture
* Miniature (chess), a masterful chess game or proble ...
numismatics
Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects.
Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inc ...
Pre-Columbian
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, ...
American and Western Art Collections.
The museum has in its possession over 200,000 works of art, of both Indian and foreign origin. While the National Museum has over 200,000 exhibits, it currently displays six to seven percent of its collection. The remaining is exhibited on a rotational basis or in temporary exhibitions. The final phase of expansion will allow it to display another three to four percent of the treasures.
Building
The current building of the National Museum was designed by the architect Ganesh Bikaji Deolalikar, and the foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on May 12, 1955. Once the building was ready, the new museum was inaugurated by Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Vice-President of India, on December 18, 1960. It stands today on the plot of land earmarked in Edwin L. Lutyens' plan for the Imperial Museum and was occupied by a small Museum of Central Asian Antiquities that housed the important collection of the explorer Sir Aurel Stein.
The National Museum building was planned to be built in phases to finally give it an octagonal shape. Its first phase was inaugurated in 1960, and the second was completed in 1989. For the third and final phase, a foundation stone was laid on December 18, 2017, and involves the razing down of the
Archaeological Survey of India
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexand ...
(ASI) building which has been moved to Dharohar Bhawan. As maps of the original plan suggest, roughly a quarter portion remains to be added for the completion of the building. The National Museum building has three floors with galleries radiating from a central garden court. The National Museum Institute, which is on the first floor of the museum and has a "deemed to be university" status, will be shifting to a new campus in Noida.
Collections
Harappan Gallery
The museum has various artefacts from the Harappan civilization, also known as the Indus Valley civilization. It has the world's most representative collection of antiquities of the Harappan civilization – over 3500 objects that are on permanent loan from the
Archaeological Survey of India
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexand ...
to the museum. Most famous among the objects is the ''Dancing Girl'' made in Bronze, which belongs to the early Harappan period, Skeleton excavated from
Rakhigarhi
Rakhigarhi or Rakhi Garhi is a village and an archaeological site belonging to the Indus Valley civilisation in Hisar District of the northern Indian state of Haryana, situated about 150 km northwest of Delhi. It was part of the mature ...
in
Haryana
Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ...
, Terracotta images of Mother Goddess and Clay Pottery. Apart from these the gallery has Sculptures in Bronzes & Terracotta, Bone Objects, Ivory, Steatite, Semi-Precious Stones, Painted Pottery and Jewellery items. Many seals are also on display which has been discovered during numerous excavations and were probably used for trading purposes. These seals depict bulls, elephants, unicorns, tigers, crocodiles, and unknown symbols. On one of the seals, there is the depiction of Pasupati that has been interpreted as proto-Shiva. The gallery attempts to present the vibrancy of human civilization in India at par with the contemporary civilizations of
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
and
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
.
When one of the major sites of the Harappan civilization,
Mohenjo Daro
Mohenjo-daro (; sd, موئن جو دڙو'', ''meaning 'Mound of the Dead Men';Lahore Museum, and then these were moved to Delhi by
Mortimer Wheeler
Sir Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler CH CIE MC TD (10 September 1890 – 22 July 1976) was a British archaeologist and officer in the British Army. Over the course of his career, he served as Director of both the National Museum of Wales an ...
in anticipation of the construction of a Central Imperial Museum there. At the time of the Partition, the issue of ownership of these objects arose and eventually the two countries agreed to share all the collections equally, although this was sometimes interpreted in literal sense, with several necklaces and girdles taken apart with half the beads sent to
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
and half retained in India. In the words of
Nayanjot Lahiri
Nayanjot Lahiri is a historian and archaeologist of ancient India and a professor of history at Ashoka University. She was previously on the faculty of the department of history at the University of Delhi.
She is the winner of the 2013 Infosys P ...
, ‘the integrity of these objects were compromised in the name of equitable division’. Of the two most celebrated sculpted figures found in Mohenjo Daro,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
asked for and received the steatite figure of a bearded male, dubbed the 'Priest King', while the National Museum of India retained the bronze statuette of the 'Dancing Girl', a nude bejeweled female. Considering that the major sites like Mohenjo Daro and Harappa belonged to Pakistan post-Partition, the collections in this gallery also grew out of the discoveries of the excavations made after the Indian independence in 1947 such as Daimabad, Rakhigarhi, and Dholavira.
Key highlights of the collection include:
* Mother Goddess (2700–2100 BC)
* Toy Cart (2700–2100 BC)
* Bull (2700–2100 BC)
* Pasupati Seal (2700–2100 BC)
* Climbing Monkey (2700–2100 BC)
* Dancing Girl (2700–2100 BC)
File:Dancing girl.jpg, Dancing Girl
Image:Mohenjodaro toy 001.jpg, Toy cart from Mohenjo-daro
File:Harrappan artefacts 01.JPG, Perforated Jar
File:Harrappan artefacts 02.JPG, Mother Goddess
File:Harappa seals nm india 02.JPG, Seals
File:Harappa arms.JPG, Arms from Harappan Civilization
File:Harrappan artefacts 10.JPG, Bowl
File:Skeleton harappa.JPG, One of 11 skeletons found from
Rakhigarhi
Rakhigarhi or Rakhi Garhi is a village and an archaeological site belonging to the Indus Valley civilisation in Hisar District of the northern Indian state of Haryana, situated about 150 km northwest of Delhi. It was part of the mature ...
Maurya, Shunga and Satvahana Arts Gallery
The gallery has objects from the 4th century BCE to the 1st century BCE. It has objects spanning three major dynasties: the Mauryas, the Shungas and the Satvahanas. Objects in the gallery have Greek influence characterized by mirror-like finishing. The gallery also houses fragments of railings from various ancient Stupas that are carved on with episodes from Buddha's life. A major object is the one showing Sage Asita's visit to baby Siddharta and the Bharhut railings that depicts the story related to the relics associated with Buddha by the sage Drona. A typical feature of the period to which objects in the gallery belongs to is that the sculptures do not depict Buddha in the physical form. He is always shown using symbols like the ''Dharmachakra'', the ''Bodhi tree'', empty throne, and footprints.
File:Male heads, Maurya artefact 01, National Mueum, New Delhi.jpg, Male Heads (Maurya period)
File:Child learning Brahmi Alphabets, Shunga era 2nd Century BCE, National Mseum, New Delhi.jpg, A Child Learning Brahmi Script, Srughna, 2nd century BCE
File:A women in grief, Shunga Period, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Woman in Grief (Shunga period)
File:Railing from Barhut stupa showing, Maurya artefact 04, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Railig from Barhut Stupa showing the Last Episode of Buddha's Life
File:Asita's visit to bless Siddharta, Maurya artefact 05, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg,
Asita
Asita or Kaladevala or Kanhasiri was a hermit ascetic depicted in Buddhist sources as having lived in ancient India. He was a teacher and advisor of Suddhodana, the father of the Buddha, and is best known for having predicted that prince Siddhar ...
visiting King Suddhodana (Satvahana period)
File:Maurya artefact 06 nm nd.JPG, Different Symbols of Buddha
Kushana Gallery
This gallery has art objects from the Kushan period (1st – 3rd century CE). The major school of arts were the Gandhara School of Art and the Mathura School of Art. The Gandhara school had huge influence of Greek Iconography and the themes were mainly Buddhist. Most prominent among the objects is the ''
Standing Buddha
The Standing Buddha of the Tokyo National Museum is an example of Greco-Buddhist statuary. Comparable ones can be found in the Guimet Museum in France, and in the National Museum, New Delhi besides various other museums of South Asia. The statue ...
'', made in Grey schist stone in Gandhara School of Arts and it belongs to the 2nd century CE. This period was the first time when Buddha was shown in physical form. The Mathura school of arts had primary themes of Buddhism, Jainism and
Brahmanism
The historical Vedic religion (also known as Vedicism, Vedism or ancient Hinduism and subsequently Brahmanism (also spelled as Brahminism)), constituted the religious ideas and practices among some Indo-Aryan peoples of northwest Indian Subc ...
while the Gandhara Arts were primarily of Buddhist themes. Other sculptures include the ''Kuber'' (Hindu god of Fortune) from
Ahichchhatra
Ahichchhatra ( sa, अहिच्छत्र, translit=Ahicchatra) or Ahikshetra ( sa, अहिक्षेत्र, translit=Ahikṣetra), near the modern Ramnagar village in Aonla tehsil, Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh, India, was t ...
, the ''Chattramukhi Shivlinga'', the '' Bodhisattva'', and the Jain votive plaques.
File:Buddha, 1st century CE Kushana artefacts National Museum, New Delhi 01.jpg, Buddha (Human Figure)
File:Red sandstone made Kuber, Kushana artefacts, National Museum, New Delhi 02.jpg, Kuber (God of Wealth)
File:Spotted red sandstone Bodhisattwa, Mathura Art, Kusha 2nd Cent CE at National Museum New Delhi.jpg, Boddhisatva
File:Jain Votive Plaque made in spotted red sandstone, Kushana artefacts, National Museum, New Delhi 03.jpg, Ayagapata, Jain votive plaque
File:Laughing boy JN 16 F.25-876 (1).jpg, "Laughing boy", stucco from Gandhara, 2nd–3rd century CE
Gupta Gallery
As the name suggests, this gallery exhibits artefacts from the Gupta dynasty (4th–6th centuries CE). The art of the Gupta period presents a high watermark in Indian art. Mathura and Sarnath were the main centres of artistic activity. Under the patronage of Gupta rulers, sculptures attained a perfection of form that set the standard for artistic beauty for the coming centuries. Major developments in iconography took place during this period as the Kushan sculptures seem to be further perfected and some of the sculptures of this period are considered unsurpassed for the proportioned figures with clear features.
*Sculptures depicting scenes from the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata
File:Mahabharat, Gupta artefacts 03, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Scenes from
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...
File:Rama redeeming Ahalya, Gupta artefacts 05, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Rama redeeming Ahilya (Ramayana)
File:Gupta artefacts 06.JPG, Laxman cutting the nose of Surpanakha (Ramayana)
*Sculptures
File:Vishnu, Gupta artefacts 07, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg,
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
File:Gupta artefacts 04.JPG, Mother Goddess
File:Ekmukha Shivlinga.jpg, Mukhalinga of
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...
, 5th century CE
Medieval Arts Gallery
The sculptures from the medieval period are divided into two categories: Early and Late. The artefacts from the respective periods are divided into two galleries.
Early Medieval Artefacts
This gallery has sculptures ranging from the 7th to 10th centuries. After the fall of the Gupta empire, the Indian subcontinent was divided and it was controlled by different dynasties in different parts of India like
*
Palas
A ''palas'' () is a German term for the imposing or prestigious building of a medieval '' Pfalz'' or castle that contained the great hall. Such buildings appeared during the Romanesque period (11th to 13th century) and, according to Thompson ...
Chalukyas
The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynasty ...
in the South
There was a general decline in the artistic quality because of the limited number of master craftsmen and the large number of temples being built.
File:Medieval Yogini Statue, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg,
Yogini
A yogini ( Sanskrit: योगिनी, IAST: ) is a female master practitioner of tantra and yoga, as well as a formal term of respect for female Hindu or Buddhist spiritual teachers in Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Greater Tibet ...
(Mother Goddess)
File:Vishnu from Kanchipuram.jpg, Vishnu (Pallava dynasty)
Late Medieval Artefacts
This gallery has sculptures ranging from the 10th to 13th centuries. The country was further sub divided into a number of separate principalities during this period.
* Hoysalas and Nayakas in the South
* Paramars and
Chandela
The Chandelas of Jejakabhukti was an Indian dynasty in Central India. The Chandelas ruled much of the Bundelkhand region (then called ''Jejakabhukti'') between the 9th and the 13th centuries. They belonged to the Chandel clan of the Rajputs.
...
Chahamanas Chahamanas may refer to:
;The ruling dynasties belonging to the Chauhan clan included–
*Chahamanas of Shakambhari (Chauhans of Ajmer) (c. 551 – 1194 CE)
* Chahamanas of Naddula (Chauhans of Nadol) (c. 950 – 1197 CE)
* Chahamanas of Jalor (c ...
(Chauhans) in the West
The main artefacts in this gallery are:
* Sun God
* Saraswati, the goddess of music, learning and intelligence. Carved in marble, the statue from Pallu, Rajasthan, is a highly sophisticated and delicate work.
File:Surya God from Konark, Orissa displayed in National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Surya (From Sun Temple, Konarak)
File:Late Medieval Indian Art- Statue of Neminatha (Jainism), Chahamanas Dynasty, Narhar, Rajasthan, 11th C. AD.jpg, Neminatha (22nd Jain Tirthankar), 11th century
File:Parsvanatha, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Parsvanatha (23rd Tirthankar), 10th century
File:Stone Made Parvati from Rajasthan displayed at National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Saraswati (Chauhan dynasty)
File:National Museum - Ambika.jpg, Goddess
Ambika
Ambika may refer to:
Mythology
* Ambika (goddess), an avatar of the Hindu goddesses Durga, Parvati, and Shakti
* Ambika (Jainism), a Jain Yakshini goddess
* Ambika (Mahabharata), the wife of Vichitravirya was also the mother of Dhritarashtra, th ...
, 10th century
File:I@a 06.JPG, Jain Chaumukha Sculpture, 12th century
File:J@w 01.JPG, Parsvanatha (23rd Tirthankar), Chola dynasty, 11th century
Decorative Arts Gallery
The Decorative Arts collection at the National Museum is a reflection of lifestyles of the Indian people from the 16th to the 20th century. Decorative Arts refer to Arts concerned with the design and decoration of objects that are prized for their utility, rather than for their purely aesthetic qualities These include both utilitarian and decorative objects hand crafted by master-craftsmen. They help in understanding the social, religious, economical, commercial and technological development of Indian society.National Museum -Bulletin, Number 10 (June–December 2013)Ceramics,
Pottery
Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...
Jewellery
Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry ( U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a w ...
are a few included under Decorative Arts. The Decorative Arts section is divided into two galleries.
Decorative Arts Gallery 1
This gallery gives a glimpses of three collections of the museum – Ivory, Jade and Ceramics. The Ivory group has several Hindu and Christian religious figures. The Jade section showcases the utilitarian objects, while the glazed tiles and blue-white pottery are in the Ceramic group. The gallery also has two interesting themes – Thrones of India, and Games and Leisure in the Past. The theme of thrones shows the evolution of the seat of power. From the low flat seats of antiquity to the modern armed chair, the journey of the throne is a fascinating story. An intricately carved Home Shrine and some metal Hindu and Jain (small seats for keeping idols for home shrines) are also present. The Jewel studded throne of the King of Varanasi is one of the best examples to show Power.
The Games section has Rattles, Yo-Yo, Gamesman of Chess and Chaupar. Tops made of different materials with different designs are also exhibited. These artifacts combine the aesthetic and artistic elements to everyday objects used for games. The Jade Collection of the museum has interesting objects from the Mughal period.
File:Dashavtar Ivory Carving.jpg, Main Article: Ivory Carved Dashavatara Shrine.
File:Jahangirs huqqa close national museum india.JPG, Jahangir's Jade '' hookah''.
File:Surahi national Museum India.JPG, Jade Surahi (flask) from Mughal era
File:Gyan Chaupar National Museum India.JPG, Gyan chauper.
File:Throne national museum india.JPG, Throne of the Raja of Varanasi
Decorative Arts Gallery 2
This gallery has artifacts from the proto-historic period to the present day. The variety, quality and media did increase with the taste and status of different generations and the process is on even today. This gallery exhibits Metalware, Jewellery and Wooden objects. Most notable among the wooden objects are the Vahana on display.
File:Garuda by Hyougushi in Delhi.jpg, Wooden
Garuda
Garuda ( Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garu ...
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
File:Museum artefacts 15 nm.JPG, Wooden Horse (Vahana from Tanjore)
File:Dwarpala, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Dwarpala
Miniature Paintings Gallery
Miniature paintings, on paper, cloth, bark, wood and ivory, forms one of the National Museum's most prestigious collections, and the world's largest. There are over 17,000 paintings in the Department of Painting in the National Museum, spanning 900 years and most stylistic formats to be found in India: Pala, early Jain style, Sultanate, the indigenous styles of Malwa, Mewar, Bundelkhand, Raghogarh, Mughal, Deccani, later Rajasthani, Pahari, Sikh, Jammu, Tanjore and Mysore, and the Company School paintings.
Mughal Miniature Paintings
Miniature painting flourished during Mughal rule. Emperor Jahangir and Shahjahan were great patrons of art. In their courts, the painters adopted themes ranging from portraitures to landses, durbar scenes and processions for their works. The Deccani style was a fusion of Islamic idiom with indigenous art styles and of local classical traditions with elements of Persian and European Renaissance.
File:Nature study, Mughal era, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Nature Study (Early Mughal)
File:Babur crossing the River Saun, Folio of Babur Nama.jpg, Babur crossing the River Saun by Jaganath, Folio from a Baburnama, 1598
File:Jahangir holding the picture of Madonna - Google Art Project.jpg, Jahangir holding a picture of Madonna, c. 1620
File:Nativity - c. 1720-25.jpg, Nativity, c. 1720-1725
File:The marriage procession of Dara Shikoh - Google Art Project.jpg, Marriage procession of Dara Shikoh, c. 1740-1750
Central India Miniature Paintings
Paintings from Central India include miniatures from Malwa and Bundelkhand.
Jaipur
Jaipur (; Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Jaipur is also known a ...
Bikaner
Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. Bikaner city is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division.
Formerly the capital o ...
.
Mewar Miniatures are illustrating Hindu mythological themes. Bundi and Kota Miniatures excel in composition compactness. Hunting scenes are Kota's speciality. Bikaner excels in Portraiture. Kishangarh is known for its Bani Thani, which portrays the model of an idealised and elegant woman.
Basohli
Basohli (formerly Vishwasthali) is a town near Kathua in Kathua district in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is situated on the right bank of River Ravi at an altitude of 1876 ft. It was founded by Raja Bhupat Pal so ...
,
Chamba Chamba may refer to:
People
*Gilberto Chamba (born 1961), Ecuadorian serial killer
*Jessica Chamba (born 1981), European activist
Places Ghana
* Chamba, a town in the Northern Region
India
* Chamba (Vidhan Sabha constituency), Himachal Pradesh
* ...
, Guler and Kangra. Under the patronage of Maharaja Sansar Chand in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Kangra became the most prominent centre for the Pahari style.
File:Nanda and other cowherds moving to Vrindavana, Kangra style painting, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Nanda and other Cowherds moving to Vrindavana (Based on the story of the Bhagvata-Purana)
File:Guru Granth Sahib, 18th century illustration,National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Illustration of Guru Granth Sahib
Buddhist Artefacts Gallery
The Buddhist Art Section is mostly known for the sacred relics of Buddha (5th–4th century BC) unearthed from Piprahwa, Siddharthnagar district, in
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...
, which yielded caskets with fragments of bone, along with ornaments, figures and precious stones. The inscription on a casket speaks of the relics of Buddha. The
Archaeological Survey of India
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexand ...
conducted further excavations at the site from 1971 to 1977, resulting in the discovery of two more caskets in soapstone, containing more sacred bone relics. The site has been identified with ancient Kapilavastu, the home town of Buddha Sakyamuni. Outstanding specimens of Buddhist Art is illustrated through exhibits in Stone, Bronze, Terracota, Stucco, Wooden
Sculptures
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the fo ...
,
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
,
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
and
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...
which represents the three principal Buddhist forms –
Hinayana
Hīnayāna (, ) is a Sanskrit term literally meaning the "small/deficient vehicle". Classical Chinese and Tibetan teachers translate it as "smaller vehicle". The term is applied collectively to the ''Śrāvakayāna'' and ''Pratyekabuddhayāna'' p ...
, Mahayana and Vajrayana. These objects stimulate a sense of Devotion, Dedication and
Love
Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...
for Humanity.
Key highlights of the collection include:
* Adoration of Stupa, Nagarjunkonda, Pale Green Limestone, 3rd century AD
* Standing Buddha, Kushana, Dark grey schist stone, 2nd–3rd century AD
* Laughing Boy Head, Kushana, Stucco, 3rd–4th century AD
* Scenes from Buddha’s Life, Gupta, Sarnath, Chunar sandstone, 5th century AD
* Buddha Head, Gupta, Sarnath, Buff Chunar sandstone, 5th century AD
* Standing Buddha, Pala, Nalanda, Bronze, 10th century AD
* Elephants carrying Buddha’s Relics, Sunga, Bharhut, Red sandstone, 2nd century BC
* Sacred Relics from Kapilavastu, Piprahwa, Spotted red sandstone, 5th–4th century BC
File:Head of Buddha statue at National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Head of Buddha
File:Holy Relics of Lord Buddha, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Buddha's relics, from a stupa built by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE.
Evolution of Indian Scripts and Coins Gallery
In this gallery, there are many large sized well-lit transparencies on show which are narrating the development of various Indian
Scripts
Script may refer to:
Writing systems
* Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire
* Script (styles of handwriting)
** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handw ...
and Coins.
File:Nm nd gallery inside 02.JPG, Inside the Galleries of National Museum, New Delhi
File:Nm nd gallery inside 03.JPG, Inside the Galleries of National Museum, New Delhi
File:Nm nd gallery inside 04.JPG, Inside the Galleries of National Museum, New Delhi
File:Nm nd gallery inside 05.JPG, Inside the Galleries of National Museum, New Delhi
Bronze Gallery
The Bronze Gallery, showcases pioneer works of bronze in Indian art and sculpture. Renovated to present information in a unique and accessible way, the gallery features a striking layout that juxtaposes the sculptures with detailed descriptions providing context, significance and production processes of the objects. The gallery has been curated by Shri Tejpal Singh, Deputy Curator, Archaeology and designed by Ms.Matrika,
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
and executed by CPWD.
Four Buddha images from Phophnar,
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the second ...
known for their excellence are on display. The Pala bronzes from 8th to 10th century, mainly Buddhist in theme are from Nalanda in Bihar. The bronzes from the Himalayan region, especially those belonging to Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, represents bronzes of Northern India. Svachchhanda Bhairavi showcases the skill of the metal smith of Chamba and Vishnu Vaikuntha testifies to the high level of craftsmanship of Kashmiri artists. Selected Nepalese and Tibetan bronzes are also on view. The image of Vasudeva-Kamalja (half Vishnu and half Lakshmi) displayed here is a superb example of Nepalese bronze art and iconography.
Key highlights of the collections include:
* Vishnu Vaikuntha, Kashmir, Bronze, 9th century AD
* Nataraja, Chola, Tamil Nadu, 12th century AD
* Kaliya-Mardan Krishna, Early Chola, 10th century AD
* Siva- Tripurantaka, Early Chola, 9th century AD
* Svachchhanda Bhairavi, Utpala Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, 10th century AD
File:Nataraja01.jpg, Shiva dancing
Nataraja
Nataraja () also known as Adalvallaan () is a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva as the divine cosmic dancer. His dance is called Tandava.''Encyclopædia Britannica'' (2015) The pose and artwork are described in many Hindu texts such as the ''T ...
, Chola 12th century CE, Bronze
File:Parsvanatha with two other tirthankaras, yaksha and yakshi, Maitraka, 9th Century, Akota, Gujarat, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Parsvanatha, Maitraka, 9th century,
Akota
Akota is an urban area in the western side of Vadodara City, in the state of Gujarat, in India. Earlier it was known as "Anakotakka", as mentioned in one of the Akota Bronzes. The suburb is located on the banks of river Vishwamitri.
It is one ...
,
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
File:National Museum - Parsvanatha 11C.jpg, Parsvanatha, 1062 CE, Western India,
File:National Museum - Chaubisi of Kunthunatha.jpg, Chaubisi of Kunthunatha, 1465 CE, Western India
Manuscripts Gallery
The museum comprises over 14,000 manuscripts and texts, of which about 1000 are illustrated. The collection of manuscripts are in various languages and scripts covering a large number of subjects. They are written on different types of materials such as
parchment
Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves, and goats. It has been used as a writing medium for over two millennia. Vellum is a finer quality parchment made from the skins ...
, birch
bark
Bark may refer to:
* Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick
* Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog)
Places
* Bark, Germany
* Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland
Arts, e ...
, palm leaf, cloth,
paper
Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distribu ...
and metals. All the manuscripts represent various religions and sects of the Indian Subcontinent covering the period from the 7th to the 19th centuries. Dated manuscripts elaborate the Indian history with authoritative authenticity.
Key highlights of the collections include:
* Asthasahasrika Prajnaparamita, Sanskrit, Palm Leaf, 12th century AD
* Baburnama, Persian, Paper, AD 1598
* Balabodhini, Sanskrit, Birch-bark manuscript, 12th century AD
* Gita Govinda of Jayadeva, Sanskrit, Palm leaf; 14 folios in accordion format, 18th century AD
* JainKalpa sutras, Prakrit, Paper, 15th century AD
Coins Gallery
The Coins Gallery of the National Museum, New Delhi has over coins in its reserve with some of the rarest coins, ranging from sixth century BC, when coins are believed to have first appeared in the country. The gallery displays 1669 coins along with five replicas of coins, five measuring vessels and some ''couries'' and ''ratties'' that were used in ancient times as weights and measures. It has almost all Indian coins from the earliest bent bar, punch-marked coins to those of Indian Pot with Seated Monkey States, British India and post-independence coins. The entire history of Indian coinage from about 6th century BCE to the beginning of the 21st century is exhibited. There are various dioramas depicting various techniques of coin production. These coins can be considered rich and authentic source of information on various aspects of Ancient, Medieval and Modern Indian History.
File:Coinsgallery 1 nm india.JPG, View of the different methods over time
File:Coinsgallery 2 nm india.JPG, View of the Coins Gallery
File:Copper vase nm india.JPG, This is the Copper Vase which contained the 1821 gold Coins of the Gupta era found at
Bayana
Bayana is a historical town and the headquarters of Bayana tehsil in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan in India. Hindaun City is nearest city of Bayana - 33 km. It was the site of famous Important Battle of Bayana in 1527 between the Raj ...
, District Bharatpur, Rajasthan
File:Gupta era gold Coin showing the Marriage of Chandragupta, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Chandragupta with his Wife
File:Gupta era gold coin, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Chandragupta I
File:Coins from Gupta Periods, Samudragupta's rule, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Samudragupta
File:Coins from Gupta Era, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Samudragupta playing Veena
File:Coins from Gupta Period, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Ashvamedha Coins
File:Coins from Mughal Period Jahangir's rule, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Jahangir's Coins
File:18th Century Coins, British Raj, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, British Indian coins, 18th century CE
Central Asian Gallery
The vast and varied collection of this gallery was excavated, explored and collected by Sir Aurel Stein, one of the major archaeological explorers of early 20th century. He collected these cultural materials from more than 100 Ancient Cities along the Silk Route during three major expeditions carried out by him in 1900–1901, 1906–1908 and 1913–1916. The collection consists of wall paintings, painted silk banners, sculptures in wood, stucco and terracotta, coins, porcelain and pottery objects, leather, grass and fiber, precious items of gold and silver, religious and secular documents.
File:Buddha statue nm india.JPG, Buddha in Dharmachakra Mudra
File:Buddha c.asia nm india.JPG, Buddha in the Central Asian Arts Gallery
File:Kharoshti script on a wooden plate, National Museum, New Delhi 01.jpg, A tablet containing
Kharoshti
The Kharoṣṭhī script, also spelled Kharoshthi (Kharosthi: ), was an ancient Indo-Iranian script used by various Aryan peoples in north-western regions of the Indian subcontinent, more precisely around present-day northern Pakistan and e ...
Script
File:Buddha with his disciples, wall painting from a stupa in China displayed at National Museum, New Delhi .jpg, Part of a wall painting showing Buddha with his disciples
Maritime Heritage Gallery
A Maritime Heritage Gallery is located on the first floor of the National Museum which showcases the rich maritime heritage of India through various artefacts, photographs and dioramas. The gallery was setup in 1991.
File:Museum artefacts 01 nm.JPG, A view of the Maritime Gallery
File:Statue of Varuna, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Inside the Gallery
File:Museum artefacts 02 nm.JPG, Different objects exhibited
File:Diorama showing maratha naval tactics, National Museum, New Delhi (cropped).jpg, A diorama showing
Maratha
The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed a ...
naval tactics
File:Maritime Heritage Gallery.jpg, Entrance to the Maritime Heritage Gallery
Tanjore and Mysore Paintings Gallery
This gallery exhibits the paintings from the two famous schools of South India – Tanjore and
Mysore
Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude o ...
. The important themes of Tanjore and Mysore schools include paintings of
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as ...
portraying images of Hindu Gods Krishna, Rama, Vishnu and his other incarnations and Shaivism portraying various forms of Shiva, Parvati, Kartikeya, Ganesha and other Shaiva deities; and portraits of various kings, saints and royal patrons.
Tanjore paintings, named after the ancient town of Tanjavur in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
employ real gold and silver foil, precious and semiprecious stones, beads, mirrors, and powdered metals besides the use of primary colours- red, green, blue, black and white to depict key figures. The Mysore school of painting sprang in south Karnataka in the reign of Maharaja Mummudi Krishnaraja Wadiyar present a wide variety, from murals to stylistic Mysore paintings on cloth, paper and wood. 88 paintings have been put on show at the gallery and some of the masterpieces include ''Navaneeta'' Krishna with Tanjore King Shivaji II (1830 CE), ''Nataraja'' Shiva early 19th century, Rama ''Pattabhisheikha'' early 19th century, Durbar of Serfoji II (1798–1833) and the Marriage ceremony of Shiva -Parvati and Sita-Rama end of18th century.
Museum artefacts 05 nm.JPG, View of the Gallery
File:Coronation of Rama, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Rama Darbar (Coronation of
Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bei ...
at
Ayodhya
Ayodhya (; ) is a city situated on the banks of holy river Saryu in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Ayodhya, also known as Saketa, is an ancient city of India, the birthplace of Rama and setting of the great epic Ramayana. Ayodhy ...
)
Textiles Gallery
The Textiles Gallery exhibits the collection of Indian traditional textiles of the Later Mughal period. Cotton, Silk and Woolen textiles which are woven, printed, dyed and embroidered are exhibited in the gallery.
File:Gallery12 national museum india.JPG, View of the Textiles Gallery
File:Gallery13 national museum india.JPG, Another view of the Textiles Gallery
File:Gallery 23 nm india.JPG, A view of the shawls in the Textiles Gallery. The shawls are from Kashmir
File:Pichwai painting, made in net, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Pichwai on Net
File:Handcerchief, Kalam Kaari technique, Mughal Era, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Rumal made by Kalam Kaari Technique
File:Harappn artefacts nm india 04.JPG, Pitara Box in the Textiles Gallery
* Royal Chamber: It is the particular area which exhibits the use of Textiles in Royal Style. The chamber has embroidered silk carpet on the floor. A cloth ceiling and printed wall clothes cover most of the area. The covers of Pillows have very minute zari and zardozi work on them.
File:Gallery28 national museum india.JPG, Use of textiles in the tent of rajas
File:Gallery29 national museum india.JPG, Another view of use of textiles in the tent of rajas
Pre-Columbian and Western Arts Gallery
The collection of Pre Columbian art donated by Mr & Mrs Heeramaneek represents the principal cultures of the Pre- Columbian world. The Olmec culture from Mexico is characterized by huge stone sculptures representing human heads, as well as small sculptures in jade and other stones
0. The objects are primarily from before Christopher Columbus's discovery of North and South America, including objects from
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
,
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
Inca
The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The adm ...
, North-West coast of America, Panama, Costa Rica and El Salvador.
File:Gallery14 national museum india.JPG, View of the gallery containing artefacts from the pre-Columbian times
Anthropology Department
The Anthropology Department of National Museum has a collection of objects of ethnographic interest that has been acquired over the years through exploratory expeditions as well as valuable gifts from private collections. The Ethnic Art gallery exhibits examples of tribal and folk art as part of a larger heritage.
Tribal Lifestyle of North East India Gallery
This gallery is dedicated to the states of North-East India. The eight states of the North East are called '' Seven Sisters and One Brother (
Sikkim
Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Sil ...
) States''. The eight states have a wealth of cultural handicraft, performing arts and unique traditions. This gallery exhibits traditional artefacts such as dresses, apparels, headgears, ornaments, paintings, basketry, wood carvings, smoking pipes and articles of personal adornments of various tribal groups.
File:Different types of masks from North-east Tribals, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, A View of the Different Masks Present in the NorthEast Tribal Lifestyle Gallery
File:Northeast 2 nm india.JPG, A View of the North East Tribal Lifestyle Gallery
File:Northeast 3 nm india.JPG, A View of the Different Headgears in the Tribal Lifestyle Gallery
File:Coat from Arunachal Pradesh, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Coat made up of Fibre, Human Hair and Cotton
Sharan Rani Bakliwal Musical Instruments Gallery
The collection on display in the Musical Instrument Gallery was donated to the museum by Padamshree (Late) Mrs. Sharan Rani Backliwal, India's Sarod Maestro. This gallery has a collection of musical instruments in tribal, folk and classical groups. There are also a few 19th-century Western instruments. The collection is divided into three parts such as
Wind Instruments
A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator (usually a tube) in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into (or over) a mouthpiece set at or near the end of the resonator. The pit ...
, String Instruments and Percussion Instruments. This gallery also has a sculpture made in bamboo of Goddess Saraswati playing the Veena.
File:Gallery15 national museum india.JPG, View of the Musical Instruments
File:Gallery16 national museum india.JPG, Larger view of the Gallery
Wood Carving Gallery
The Wood Carving Gallery of the museum not only exhibits artefacts from India, but also from Nepal, Central India and Tibet. This gallery gives glimpses of India's wood carving tradition mainly belonging from 17th to 19th centuries illustrating the different styles of wood carvings from
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern ...
,
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
, Odisha and South India. Collections on display include decorative and utilitarian objects, architectural elements and sculptures. A square pillar with a capital of five feet height dated 9th century is the earliest wood carving specimen in National Museum. The gallery has been curated by Anamika Pathak.
File:Wooden mandap nm india.JPG, The Mandap kept in the Wood Carving gallery
File:Wood mandap nm india.JPG, Inner view of the Wooden Mandap
File:Wood mandap2 nm india.JPG, Inner view of the Wooden Mandap
File:Nm artefacts 12.JPG, Carved Door from Gujarat
Arms and Armour Gallery
This gallery exhibits arms from the Stone Age up to the Modern Age. The collection comprises edged weapons, projectiles, smashing weapons, sacrificial and ritual weapons, firearms, armour for men and animals, ornamental and war accessories. The collection is predominantly Mughal in addition to
Maratha
The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed a ...
, Sikh, Rajput arms which are also well represented.
File:Stone Age arms, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Arms from Stone & Bronze Age
File:Body Armour of Aurangzeb, Mughal Period, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Body Armour of Aurangzeb
File:Bow and Arrow of Bahadur Shah Zafar 2, Sword and Dagger of Aurangzeb and battle Axe of Nadir Shah, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Bow & Arrow of
Bahadur Shah Zafar II
Bahadur Shah II, usually referred to by his poetic title Bahadur Shah ''Zafar'' (; ''Zafar'' Victory) was born Mirza Abu Zafar Siraj-ud-din Muhammad (24 October 1775 – 7 November 1862) and was the twentieth and last Mughal Emperor as well a ...
, Sword & Dagger of Aurangzeb and
Battle Axe
A battle axe (also battle-axe, battle ax, or battle-ax) is an axe specifically designed for combat. Battle axes were specialized versions of utility axes. Many were suitable for use in one hand, while others were larger and were deployed two-ha ...
of Nadir Shah
File:Shield of Maharana Sangram Singh, National Museum, New Delhi.jpg, Shield of Maharana
Sangram Singh II
Sangram Singh II (24 March 1690 – 11 January 1734) was a ruler of Mewar, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous count ...
Tradition, Art and Continuity
A Gallery with over 200 objects ranging from a wide geographical and social spectrum, acquired from private collectors was added to the museum on 6 February 2014. Various objects on display are a palanquin from the Santhal community, scroll paintings from West Bengal, textiles such as
Phulkari
Phulkari ( pa, ਫੁਲਕਾਰੀ) refers to the folk embroidery of the Punjab. Although Phulkari means floral work, the designs include not only flowers but also cover motifs and geometrical shapes.
The main characteristics of Phulkari embr ...
s from
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...
and bronze sculptures from Bastar, besides terracotta works and basketry. The gallery is a rich representation of art from various parts of India.
Anubhav
The National Museum, in collaboration with UNESCO, National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD) and Saksham, launched a new permanent gallery for Persons with Disabilities in the year 2015 which features tactile replicas of 22 objects from the collections of the museum as well as an audio guide, ramps and descriptive labels in Braille; the gallery encourages visitors to 'touch' and feel the objects on display. 'Anubhav: A Tactile Experience' ensures a conducive space and exposure to the objects for the differently abled. The gallery was conceived and developed by Rige Shiba, Assistant Curator under the overall guidance of Dr. Vijay Kumar Mathir, Curator with assistance from Vasundhra Sangwan. The Replicas exhibited in the space have been made by the National Museum Modeling department headed by Hemant Tomar and his colleagues and the gallery has been designed by Amardeep Labana, with a special emphasis on dimensions. For instance, one can have a sensory experience of a mid-19th century coin from the Awadh region which has been recreated in 23-inch diameter and 2-inch thickness.
Governance
On the basis of nature of grants and exercise of control, the National Museum comes within the purview of Central Government of India. It was initially looked after by the Director General of Archaeology until 1957, when the Ministry of Education, Government of India, declared it a separate institution and placed it under its own direct control, following this shift the museum began to significantly increase both its staff and its collections using funds from the Art Purchase Committee. At present, the National Museum is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
Donors
The first wave of collecting for the National Museum started in 1948 and which lasted around 1952, drawing heavily on scholars like V. S. Agarwala, Moti Chandra, Rai Krishnadas, Karl Khandalavala and their personal relationships with private collectors. Funding for mass collecting was granted by Parliament from 1947 but this first acquisition period is marked by lack of descriptive detail, quantifiable data, parameters surrounding the criteria of selection. O. C. Gangoly (1881–1974) sold a group from his collection of paintings to the National Museum in whose foundation he states he played a role. He further avers that he encouraged other fellow collectors to bequeath their collections to the National Museum but was not always successful. Collections of Burjor N. Treasurywalla (d. 1947) also resides in the National Museum, about which Gangoly says almost nothing except that it was large and important. He does emphasize how he was involved in the purchasing of the collection itself except that it was likely that Khandalavala, a relative of Treasurywallla, played a greater role. V. S. Agarwala was instrumental in securing extensive private collection of Ajit Ghose of Calcutta, Dickinson collection, Gulab Chand collection, Modi's collection and Medd's collection.
In recent years, according to a Standing Committee on Transport, Culture and Tourism query, the number of collections added to the National Museum was a total of 2269 objects during the period of 1994–2010. Out of this 1360 objects were purchased and remaining 906 objects were acquired through gifts etc. This small number was attributed to the Art Acquisition Committee of the National Museum being defunct since 1997.
Auditorium
Beside the galleries, the museum also has an auditorium with a seating capacity of 250 people. A brief film introducing the museum and its collections is screened in the auditorium regularly. Film shows on art, history and heritage are also screened.
Digitization of museum collections
The National Museum has started a special project to digitize its collection of objects in order to make it available for visitors to see online. This process involves digitization and storage of museum collections in a collection management system named ‘JATAN’. JATAN is a virtual museum builder software, that enables creation of digital collection management system for Indian museums and is deployed in several national museums across India. Its objective is to make a digital imprint of all the objects preserved in museums and help researchers, curators and other people interested in the field which has been designed and developed by Centre for Development of Smart Computing (C-DAC) Pune.
The digital imprints (of preserved objects and monuments) created using the JATAN software are integrated in the national digital repository and portal for making them accessible to the public. The National portal and digital repository for museums of India provides an integrated access to theme-based collections and artefacts (in terms of sculptures, paintings, manuscripts, weapons, coins and numerous other categories of artefacts) irrespective of the physical and geographical locations of museums. Centre for Development of Smart Computing has also developed "Darshak", a mobile-based application aimed at improving the museum visit experience among the differently abled. It allows real-time museum visitors gather all details about objects or artefacts simply by scanning a QR code placed near the object.
National Museum collections on the Google Art Project
National Museum has volunteered objects from its collection on the Google Art Project which is a non-commercial initiative of Google through the Google Cultural Institute. More than hundred objects have been photographed and their descriptions are available on the Google Art Project website under the name of National Museum, New Delhi, which has given a high reach to online visitors for the collection. The Google page of National Museum will be populated further by adding other pertinent collections from National Museum on it.National Museum- Bulletin No.11
Controversy
In 2010, in the first study of its kind,
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
presented a report which rated the National Museum along with other seven museums, as badly maintained, poorly lit and having incorrect signs. In a response by the then Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment and Tourism, Selja Kumari in a written reply to Parliament said that the ratings and findings of the report were invalid since the no. of surveyors was inadequate.
Future
Although in its early stages, another project for which the site proposed for redevelopment constitutes the most iconic part of India's capital city, Central Vista Redevelopment Project, the National Museum is one of the buildings listed in the tender as some of these buildings approaching the end of their "structural lives" while those that are around a 100 years old, like North and South Blocks, are not "earthquake safe".