For its long history, and rich cultural heritage, one would expect India to have great museums. In reality, unfortunately, India doesn’t boast of many great museums. However, there are a few good ones worth visiting in some of the major cities of India such as Kolkata, Delhi, and Mumbai. In this article, I’m listing out the best museums in Delhi, a travel down to the lanes of history, from heritage to art and craft.
Delhi as a destination, is a wonderful place for history and heritage lovers. With a history spanning at least a thousand years, every corner and every street of Delhi is a living history. Hundreds of monuments spread over the eight capital cities across the city tell their own stories. So, it’s but natural for Delhi to have some of the best museums in the country.
{If you want to explore Delhi well, here’s your reference: How to explore Delhi}
If you are a history or heritage enthusiast, there’s no better place than a great museum. Because without travelling long distances, one has the opportunity of witnessing ancient heritage in front of their eyes. Exploring the corners of a museum is much like time travel. Walking from one room to another room, often I felt like stepping from one century to another! A little bit of imagination, and you are mesmerized by what you see.
Developing an interest in museums:
In my earlier days as a traveler, I would not care much for the museums. However, I used to visit some of them incidentally, as part of the grand palaces and forts in India. But never really cared to explore them well. In course of time, when I started travelling properly, I developed a sense of history. Only then, the museums started making a lot of sense to me as well.
In fact, it was only when I came to live in Delhi, I started visiting some of the good museums. That was when I realized how interesting museums could be. Particularly, it was the National Museum in Delhi that I first liked and took a lot of interest in. Thereafter, I visited all the museums in Delhi, best ones and the ordinary ones, big and small, mainstream and niche. I liked them and I learned a lot from them. Now, when we visit any major destination, we look for good museums there.
Why Museums?
By collecting, conserving and displaying important insignia from the distant past, museums help the society in preserving its rich cultural heritage.
To know a place well, one must understand its history properly. The historical context makes the socio-cultural context clearer. And this in turn makes one appreciate the heritage monuments and other insignia better. So, this is why it’s always great to visit a museum at a travel destination.
For non-travellers too, museums have significant educational value. For a student of history or anthropology, museums are paradise. Without incurring much time and energy, one can traverse through the history in a matter of hours! Besides, museums are go-to places for all researchers, much like a good library. Furthermore, anyone who wants to know their culture better, they should spend some time in a few museums.
Since I developed my interest in museums in Delhi, I have got a good sense of the museums in Delhi. Here in the following section, let me list down the best museums in Delhi with some travel tips for one’s convenience.
Best Museums in Delhi
1. National Museum:
Undoubtedly, National Museum tops the chart for the best museums in Delhi. It’s an amazing treasure trove of ancient artefacts from all across India with collections laid out well in a grand building designed in the ethos of central Delhi.
It was in 1947–48 with an exhibition of Indian art in the galleries of Burlington House, London, the idea of the National Museum took shape. Before being returned to the respective museums from all over India, the same collection was exhibited in Delhi. Subsequently, this exhibition paved the way for setting up of the National Museum.
Museums, state governments, and private donors were approached to donate artefacts, and most of them responded generously. In August 1949, the National Museum was formally inaugurated, and the current building was completed in 1989. Gradually, the museum continued to grow and has now collected about 2 lakh artefacts from all over India and foreign lands. Covering a lifespan of more than five thousand years of Indian heritage, the artefacts represent Indian history itself.
Over the last five years, I have visited the museum multiple times. Among thousands of artefacts, those from the Harappan Civilization, known as a Bronze Age civilization, to the late medieval-age paintings, musical instruments, manuscripts and coins have caught my imagination. A few of my favorite artefacts are: Mohini, Saraswati, Tusk depicting Buddha’s life scenes, Nataraj, and a temple made from tusk.
Travel Tips:
- Address: Janpath Rd, Rajpath Area, Central Secretariat, New Delhi, Delhi 110011
- Timings: Tue–Sun (10:00 AM to 6:00 PM) | On Mondays and National Holidays, it remains closed.
- Entry Fee: For adults, ₹20 | For foreign nationals, ₹500 | For students up to class 12th – Free entry (with I-cards).
2. National Rail Museum
The experience of a train journey in India is nothing less than the destination itself. Currently, India has the fourth-largest national railway system in the world. If you want to trace the history of this rich legacy, visit National Rail Museum in Delhi, one of the best railway museums in the world.
Though the first steam engine was built in 1837 in India, it was only in 1853, the first passenger train was introduced between Bombay (now Mumbai) and Thane. With ultra-modern and high-speed trains, and digital ticket booking systems, Indian Railway has come a long way since then.
In 1962, Michael Graham Satow, a rail enthusiast, came up with the concept of a Railway Museum. But it was only in 1971 that the then President of India, V. V. Giri laid its foundation stone, and it officially opened in 1977.
The museum has 91 life-size exhibits such as different types of steam, diesel, and electric locomotives, royal saloons, vintage cranes, wagons, a fireless steam locomotive, and a John Morris fire engine. Among other things, it houses the world’s oldest working steam locomotive, ‘Fairy Queen,’ and also features the world’s first steam monorail. If you want to have some fun, you can also enjoy Toy or Joy train ride- the Museum Express in its premises.
Travel Tips:
- Address: Chandra Gupta Marg, Near Bhutan Embassy, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, Delhi 110021
- Timings: Tue–Sun (10:00 AM to 5:00 PM) (Entry closed after 4.30 PM) | On Mondays and National Holidays, it remains closed.
- Entry Fee: For adults, Rs.50 on weekdays | Rs. 100 on weekends and holidays | Child – Rs.10 on weekdays | Rs. 20 on weekend and holidays | Museum Express train: For adults, Rs.20 on weekday | Rs. 50 on weekend and holidays | Child – Rs.10 on weekday | Rs. 20 on weekend and holidays.
3. National Crafts Museum & Hastakala Academy
The rich history of Indian handicraft can be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilization. Gradually, it has taken many forms and incorporated many external influences. It has attracted merchants from all over the world such as the Dutch, Portuguese, French, Egyptians, East Africans, and other Mediterranean and European countries. This meant a rich variety of art and craft prospering in different parts of the country. If one wants to witness all these crafts at one place, one must head to the National Crafts Museum in Delhi, one of the best museums of its kind.
How the museum took shape:
The idea of a museum for crafts came from the All India Handicrafts Board, where Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, an eminent social reformer played a key role. From the Regal Building (Janpath) in 1956 to its current place near Pragati Maidan in 1977, the museum has had quite a journey.
The museum took shape by inviting craftsmen from various parts of India, who worked for the preservation of traditional arts and crafts over a period of about 30 years, starting from 1950 to the 1980s. Through this process, the museum collected around 30,000 distinctive pieces of art and craft, segregated them into different galleries – Textile, Courtly Craft, Cultic, Bhuta, and Folk & Tribal.
Accordingly, the museum now has five major parts – Architectural Marvel (Textile Gallery), Artisan at Work, Museum Pride (Cultic Craft Gallery), Rural India Complex, and Crafts Demonstration Program. After exploring all the sections, one can visit Café Lota, a restaurant serving authentic, and interesting Indian cuisine. In fact, it’s one of our favorite restaurants in Delhi.
Travel Tips:
- Address: Bhairon Marg, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, Delhi 110001
- Timings: Tue–Sun (10:00 AM to 6:00 PM) | On Mondays and National Holidays, it remains closed.
- Entry Fee: For Indian nationals, ₹20 | For foreign nationals, ₹500 | For students (with I-cards), children below 12 years, and Divyangs – Free entry.
4. National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA)
Modern art belongs to the era roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s. Modern Indian art is considered to have begun in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in the late nineteenth century, with the self-taught painter Raja Ravi Varma being a pioneer, followed by Amrita Sher-Gil, the Hungarian-Indian painter.
In 1938, the Delhi-based All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society first proposed the idea of a museum of modern arts. After much efforts, in 1954, the NGMA opened with an exhibition of 65 Indian sculptures by 31 artists and an initial collection of about 200 artworks, including paintings by Amrita Sher-Gil and Rabindranath Tagore, among others. Afterwards, the Government of India opened branches in Mumbai and Bangalore.
Housed in Jaipur House (Built: 1938 as the residence of the Maharaja of Jaipur in New Delhi) the building was designed in a butterfly layout with a saucer-shaped dome at the center, following Lutyens’ design, with Rajput-style columns and Mughal-style lattice motifs. Spread over 12,000 sq. meters, the NGMA in Delhi is one of the world’s largest/ best museums of modern arts with more than 17,000 art works by 2000+ artists.
Travel Tips:
- Address: Jaipur House, India Gate, New Delhi – 110003.
- Timings: Tue–Sun (10:00 AM to 6:00 PM) | On Mondays and National Holidays, it remains closed.
- Entry Fee: For Indian Nationals, ₹20 | For foreign nationals, ₹500 | For students (with I-cards), children below 12 years – Free entry.
5. Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya (Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library Society)
The story of the Prime Ministers’ Museum began in 1964 after the death of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Previously known as the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society, it aimed to preserve the history of the Indian Independence Movement.
Housed within Teen Murti Bhavan (building- 1922), the museum was originally the residence of the Commander-in-Chief. The three statues honor three princely states – Jodhpur, Hyderabad, and Mysore – for their contribution to World War I. After Independence, it became the residence of Jawaharlal Nehru.
In 2022, the museum was transformed into a tribute to every Prime Minister of India since Independence, highlighting their contributions to nation-building over the last 75 years. Among other things, it preserves 8,67,000 pages of manuscripts and private papers of freedom fighters and politicians like Mahatma Gandhi, C. Rajagopalachari, Charan Singh, and Sarojini Naidu, 29,807 original photographs and rare gifts received by Jawaharlal Nehru from all over the world. In its premises, visitors can also explore the Nehru Planetarium.
Travel Tips:
- Address: Teen Murti Marg, New Delhi 110011
- Timings: Museum: Tue–Sun (10:00 AM to 6:00 PM) | On Mondays and National Holidays, it remains closed. Light and Sound Show: Show 1 – Hindi – 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM | Show 2 – English – 7:15 PM to 7:45 PM
- Entry Fee: Museum: For Indian nationals, Rs.50 on weekday | Rs. 100 on weekend and holidays | Child (below 12 years) – Rs.40 on weekday | Rs. 50 on weekend and holidays | For foreign nationals, Rs.200 all days | Child – Rs.100 all days. Light and Sound Show: For Indian nationals, Rs.50 on weekday | Rs. 100 on weekend and holidays | Child (below 12 years) – Rs.40 on weekday | Rs. 50 on weekend and holidays | For foreign nationals, Rs.200 all days | Child – Rs.100 all days.
Beyond the Best Museums in Delhi
Apart from these five best museums, Delhi does have a few more interesting museums to explore. Here are a few of them to explore at leisure.
- Gandhi Smriti – Originally the residence of the Birla family, a business dynasty, Mahatma Gandhi spent 144 days here before his assassination. As the name suggests, the museum exhibits items that belonged to Mahatma Gandhi or were part of his life.
- Indira Gandhi Memorial – This museum was the residence of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, where she was assassinated by her own bodyguards in 1984. The museum preserves her belongings, including photographs, her blood-stained sari, and rooms in their original shape.
A few interesting museums in Delhi:
- Shankar’s Dolls Museum – Inspired by a doll received from a Hungarian diplomat, K. Shankar Pillai, a political cartoonist, set up this museum in 1965. The collection includes dolls received from prime ministers, diplomats, and visiting dignitaries, and has grown to 6,500 dolls from 85 countries.
- Sulabh International Museum of Toilets – Described as “one of the weirdest museums” by TIME magazine, it was established in 1992 by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, a social reformer. The museum showcases the evolution of toilet systems from the third millennium BC to the end of the 20th century.
- Charkha Museum: As a symbol of self-sufficiency in clothing, Charkha (spinning wheel) represented the Indian pride during freedom struggle. In 2017, the government of India set up this museum to showcase the evolution of Charkha.
Concluding Thoughts
I would like to leave you with a food for thought! Why does India have no great museum? Yes, there are a few good ones, but not any really great ones like the Louvre in Paris or the British Museum in London. The best museums in the world have a large number of Indian artefacts. India itself is a treasure trove of artefacts spanning over 5000 years. But nobody takes interest in collecting them to build a truly world-class museum. Why? If you have any thoughts around this, do share with us.
Anyways, among the few good ones, Delhi definitely boasts of the best museums in India. Of all these museums in Delhi, the National Museum, National Crafts Museum and National Rail Museum are my favorites, and perhaps would count among the next best in the world.
Jayvanti Einjen
V.nice information good God bless you
stampedmoments
Thank you 🙂
Shrusti Mohanty
Very true, I think about this too when we travel! Perhaps there is too much chaos in our systems and pressing needs to establish the future that we can’t afford to allocate time to the past.
Although I was very moved by the Partition Mueseum in Amritsar. It’s superbly put together and definitely one of India’s best!
stampedmoments
Yeah, mostly true, your thoughts. Generally developing and underdeveloped country are less concerned about preservation of the past than building the future.
Yes, Partition Museum is a good one.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Shrusti.
random person
well curated
stampedmoments
Thanks Abhigyan!