Just like the history and the Attractions, the museums of Delhi will fascinate any visitor who is curious to know what the heritage of Delhi is all about. The museum also has activity rooms for children to play and learn.
National Museum
The galleries of the museum follow a historical and chronological sequence. The Indus Valley Gallery displays many antiquities excavated from Mohenjodaro and Harappa, like terracotta toys, images and pots, jewellery, seals, bronze and copper implements and sculpture. The most outstanding object here is the lyrical bronze Dancing Girl. The National Museum also has a rich collection of sculpture. All the major periods are represented here : Maurya, Sunga, Satavahana, Gupta, Pallava, Chalukya, Pala and Sena. Also on view are sculpture from Gandhara and Mathura.
National Museum of Natural History
A prehistoric animal greets the visitor to the National Museum of Natural History preparing him for the collections of botanical, zoological and geological objects on view within. Some of the interesting pieces displayed are natural history specimens like stuffed animals, butterflies, birds as well as information about rare plants and endangered species.
Archeological Museum
Situated in the historic Red Fort, the museum exhibits objects that date to the Mughal period. On view are manuscripts and firmans' that demonstrate the fine art of calligraphy. Also on view are paintings, textiles and costumes. One section concentrates on relics of the .1857 war (First War of Independence) like maps and weapons.
Rail Transport Museum
Located in the southern part of Delhi close to the diplomatic area the museum exhibits, 140 year old history of Indian Railways. Main attractions are the Fairie Queen of 1885 the oldest working steam locomotive, the luxury saloon of the Prince of Wales and the saloon of the Maharaja of Mysore.
National Gallery of Modern Art
The stately Jaipur House is the location for the National Gallery of Modern Art. On display are paintings, sculpture and graphic art dating from the mid 19th century to today. All the well known an present, are exhibited here. There works by Raja Ravi Varma. The school is represented by Abanindranath Tagore, especially his Advent of the Rainy Season, Twilight and Landscape: Nandalal Bose, Ramkumar Kinkar, Rabindranash Tagore, Binod Behari Mukherjee among others. On view also are Amrita Shergill's Self Portrait, Two women, Musicians, Bathers andJamini Roy's Krishna and Balarama, Kirian, Yasoda and Krishna.
Crafts Museum
The Crafts Museum complex is a charming oasis in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Delhi. Mud huts with painted walls and thatched roofs, courtyards, terracotta horses recreating village shrines, craftsmen at work are some of the elements that add to the rural ambience of the place. Within the museum itself are examples of traditional Indian crafts, wooden carvings and images, metalware, especially ewe perdue objects from Bastar, West Bengal and Bihar, clay and terracotta pots, toys and images, folk and tribal paintings, jewellery and textiles. Some of the most outstanding exhibits are the life size wooden buta figures which were discovered in an abandoned rural shrine in Karnataka.
National Museum
The National Children's Museum is geared towards satisfying the interests of the young. Thus the exhibits include toys from India and abroad, dolls, animals in stone, bronze and stuffed as well as examples of children's creative activity in different media.
Shankar's International Dolls Museum
The International Dolls Museum is exactly what its name implies, it is a museum devoted to a display of dolls from all over India and abroad. On view are dolls dressed in national costumes, each exquisitely Grafted and embellished. There are indigenous rural dolls made by local craftsmen, sophisticated dolls machine made at factories, in fact a magical collection that will delight children as well as enthrall the adult.
Tibet House Museum
This private museum, established in 1965 within the premises of Tibet House, depicts the richness ofTibetan culture and art. On view are colourful wooden sculpture, paintings, especially thanfeas, carpets and ritual objects. Some objects have been collected from monasteries in Tibet while others have been created at the various Tibetan settlements scattered across India.
Gandhi Memorial Museum
This personal museum displays the relics of Mahatma Gandhi. There are original copies of his correspondence as well as photostats of his letters and the journals he published. These are further supplemented by microfilms and a number of photographs which depict the various aspects of his invaluable contribution to modern India.
Nehru Memorial Museum and Library
This personal museum displays the relics of Mahatma Gandhi. There are original copies of his correspondence as well as photostats of his letters and the journals he published. These are further supplemented by microfilms and a number of photographs which depict the various aspects of his invaluable contribution to modern India.
