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-Colombian 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 maharajahs 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 Jawahar lal 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 Gandhi 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 crafts-person 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 Archaeology related to the Mughal era, and the Museum of Arms and Weapons.
