The National Museum, New Delhi - a wonderful visit
Introduction
A visit to National Museum, New Delhi gives us an opportunity to explore the archaeological treasures of India. This unusual travel blog is quite different from my other blogs. Here I present the beautiful & intricate Indian sculptures carved by unsung craftsmen over several centuries under different dynasties. These are but select a few of the sculptures that I liked & clicked during my visit to the Museum.
A majority of the people in India including travellers find a visit to a museum a boring exercise. National Museum, New Delhi, the Indian Museum Kolkata and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghralaya, Mumbai are our premier museums. But the number of tourists visiting them compared to the museums abroad is abysmally low.
Museums abroad
The Louvre in Paris is one of the largest and most visited art museum in the world. Metropolitan Museum, New York, British Museum, London, Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Vatican Museums, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg are other noteworthy museums. Millions of visitors/tourists visit these museums and many more around the globe. When in Singapore, I visited the National Museum of Singapore, The National Gallery & Natural History Museum. In Thailand, I visited Bangkok National Museum. These museums may not have more than 25% of the artifacts that are on display in each of the Indian Museums. But the way they display and engage with the visitors is impressive. Often housed in well-preserved heritage buildings, these museums go all out when it comes to innovating public education.
Throughout the world, museums & art galleries have mastered the art of creating engaging exhibits on art, history and culture. They beckon people to explore new cultures & topics through their carefully curated collections and transcending exhibitions. The cafes in these museums have a charm of their own and the visitors can’t resist the temptation of visiting them!
Our museums on the right path
Our museums in recent years have embarked on similar exercise. They organize conducted tour of the museum with an expert guide. Audio visual facility is available and temporary exhibitions take place. During the recent pandemic, the museums have started organizing online tour of their exhibits. Printed & e-books are available. All these go a long way in converting the naysayers to museum lovers. My blog today is also an attempt in that direction.
The Indian Museum
The Indian Museum (known as Imperial Museum during British era) at Kolkata started functioning in 1814. It is the largest and oldest museum in India. It boasts of rare collections of antiques, armour, ornaments, fossils, skeletons, mummies, and Mughal paintings. Housed in a magnificent building, it was a landmark building on the famous Chowringhee Road. I had visited it as a child and later about 17 years ago.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghralaya
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghralaya (formerly Prince of Wales Museum of Western India) is a premier museum in Mumbai. It was built in honour of the visit of Prince of Wales to India in 1905. Prominent citizens of Mumbai came together to build this museum. Prince of Wales laid the foundation stone and the completion of the museum was in 1914. It is in Indo-Saracenic style of architecture. But as the World War I had started the building turned into a temporary military hospital. The formal opening for public happened in 1922. Today this building is a Grade I Heritage Building. It got the ‘2010 UNESCO Asia – Pacific Heritage Award’ for Cultural Heritage Conservation. I have visited this museum twice but photography was not allowed.
National Museum, New Delhi
Today we go inside National Museum at New Delhi and take a peek at some of the sculptures that represent 5000 years of Indian art & craftsmanship. The premier museum of India was established in 1949. It was first housed in the Rashtrapati Bhawan (President’s House). The museum started functioning at its new building on Janpath in December 1960. After the completion of the Central Vista project, the ministries would move to new premises. As part of the new proposal, the museum would move to North & South Blocks.
The National Museum’s 2,10,000 art objects include sculptures made of stone, bronze, terracotta and wood. In addition, the museum has rich collection of paintings including Indian miniature paintings and also manuscripts. The other objects include coins, arms & armour, jewellery, textiles, costumes and anthropological objects.
A virtual tour of the museum
Tanjore & Mysore paintings gallery at the National Museum, New Delhi
This gallery presents the two famous schools of South India – Tanjore and Mysore paintings. Important themes, such as Indian mythology, stories from epics and of various gods & goddesses are depicted in the gallery.
Publications by The National Museum, New Delhi
The publication Department of The National Museum has brought out several books showcasing the history of the artifacts in their collection. One book that I bought was ‘Ramayana in Indian Miniatures- from the collection of The National Museum, New Delhi’. The book costs Rs 450.00. It has 101 masterpieces miniature paintings from the museum. It attempts to let the visitor have an idea of the different styles of Indian miniatures. The paintings depicted are Pahari (Kangra, Chamba, Mandi etc.), Rajasthani (Mewar, Bundi, Kotah, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Kishangarh). Also included are central Indian styles of Malwa (Orchha, Datia, Raghogarh), Mughal style from Bundelkhand & Deccani style of Bijapur. This allows the reader to reflect on the interpretation of the same theme across stylistic genres.
Some of the paintings from the book are reproduced here.
Enjoy scenes of Ramayan in Miniature paintings from The National Museum, New Delhi
Advantages of visiting a Museum
For many, museums are wonderful places that has lot of history & mystery in store for the visitors. But there are an almost equal number of people who dislike museums. For them an old historical vase is just a vase! They find shuffling from one lifeless exhibit to another and from one gallery to another a very boring exercise. In rather simplistic terms we can say that ‘one man’s junk is another man’s treasure”.
But truly speaking a visit to a museum could be a very interesting & rewarding experience. As per a recent research, time & money spent on experiences give a greater long-term happiness than material purchases. Museums teach us about the historical past through the ages & dynasties. It shows us the culture in different periods and highlights the changes & progression in art through various time-frames. They provide us an effective & more lasting way of learning. It is impossible to exit a museum without gaining some new information or insight. Many museums are devising ways & means to increase their ability to connect with & educate public through informal learning. They allow people to experience things from all over the world without even leaving town.
Expanding horizons – Visit to the museums
Museums are definitely great places to know about the lives of our ancestors and to expand our minds & broaden our horizon. Some visit it to know about our & world’s past, some to admire art & culture. Yet some visit just because they are curious about the State or country that they are visiting. During my visit to every city, I try to keep aside some time for a visit to the museum. There are different types of museums and a visitor may choose one based on his liking. Their diversity & versatility enhance their appeal.
Did you know that the first museum in the world was in the University of Alexandria, Egypt in the third century BCE.
In conclusion
I conclude with this beautiful quote
“A visit to the museum is a search for beauty, truth and meaning in our lives. Go to the museums as often as you can” ~ Maira Kalman (She is an Israeli-born American illustrator, writer, and blogger).
Regular Updates
I have clicked all the pics (except as mentioned)
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Disclaimer:
I have made sincere efforts to provide you the correct information about all the places that are culled out from various sources. I do not take any responsibility for any errors that might have crept in the narration. There is no intention to hurt the faith or religious sentiments of any person or community.
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