India is a charming country of rich architectural beauty, culture, traditions and historical past. Being ornamented with historical monuments, it has a majestic past of Mughal and British that speak of the history. In each destination of India, travelers can come across a museum that displays the magnificent past of the region. And no tour to India is complete without paying a visit to a museum of the city that reflects the culture and history of ancient India in a most beautiful way. There are many popular museums in India that unfold lots of unheard truth of a bygone era.
The history of the origin and the growth of the Indian Museum is one of the remarkable events towards the development of heritage and culture of India.
List of famous museums
National Museum, Delhi
Indian Museum, Kolkata
Government Museum, Chennai
Shankar’s International Dolls Museum, Delhi
National Rail Museum, Delhi
Calico Museum, Ahmedabad
Napier Museum, Trivandrum
National Museum, Delhi
One of the largest museums of India, National Museum has diverse articles from the magnificent ancient era. It was constructed in 1949 on the corner of Jan path in the lively city of Delhi. It is the best place to visit as one gets to know about the luxury coaches of trains, which were a long time back used by the great kings. It houses a variety of collections that include jewelry, paintings, armors, decorative arts and manuscripts. There is also a Buddhist section where one can find the head of a Buddha statue, and Buddha Stupa having remnants of Gautam Buddha, constructed in 3rd century BCE by Sovereign Ashoka.
While the Museum continued to grow its collection through gifts that were sought painstakingly, artifacts were collected through its Arts Purchase Committee. The Museum presently holds approximately 2,00,000 objects of diverse nature, both Indian and foreign, and its holdings cover a time span of more than five thousand years of Indian cultural heritage.
The National Museum 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. At present, the National Museum is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
Timings: Tue-Sun (10:00 AM to 6:00 PM)
(Closed on Mondays and National Holidays)
Entry Fee: Adults: 20
Foreign Nationals: 650
Students up to class 12th: Free entry (with I-cards).
Indian Museum Kolkata
Founded in 1814 at the cradle of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (at the present building of the Asiatic Society, 1 Park Street, Kolkata), Indian Museum is the earliest and the largest multipurpose Museum not only in the Indian subcontinent but also in the Asia-Pacific region of the world. With the foundation of Indian Museum in 1814, the Museum movement started rolling in India and through the years from then, got a new fillip and great momentum. Since then, it has so magnificently developed and culminated into the fruitful existence of more than 400 museums in the country. Indian Museum has a unique collection of armors, skeletons, Mughal paintings and ornaments. It possesses six sections containing five galleries of creative and scientific work of arts that is archaeology, geology, economic beauty and art. Being one of the oldest museums in the globe, it is one of the most sought-after places of India that one must not give a miss on holidays in Kolkata. The Museum has its own Medical unit to provide preliminary medical services to all the staffs of the organization.
Timings: Tuesday to Sunday: March to November: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
December to February: 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Entry Fee: Adults: 10
Foreign Nationals: 150
Government Museum Chennai
Also hailed as Madras Museum, which is among the busiest spots of Chennai. It was established in 1851 and exhibits different varieties pertaining to geology, zoology and anthropology and botany. The museum has excellent sections showcasing the main south Indian times encompassing. There are separate sections for children also. Moreover, one can have a glimpse at the different collection of books from yesteryear at the well-stocked library. Notable collections in the Museum are the world-famous South Indian bronzes, Amaravati sculptures, armory, inscriptions on stones and copper plates, the hoard of gold coins of Raja and hoard of copper coins, artifacts from the Megaliths, the Bruce Foot Collection of prehistoric stone implements, Roman and other artifacts from the famous site near Pondicherry, the exquisite crystal reliquaries from the enormous skeleton of the whale obtained on shore near Mangalore.
Timings: Mon-Sun (09:30 AM to 5:00 PM)
(Closed on Friday and National Holidays)
Indians
Adult Rs.15/-
Children Rs.10/-
Bona fide School Students Rs.5/-
Foreigners
Adult Rs.250/-
Children Rs.125/-
Bona fide Students Rs.75/
Photography Charges
Still Camera Rs.200/-
Video Camera Rs.500/-
Shankar’s International Dolls Museum, Delhi
Displaying the largest collection of dolls from wide and far in the beautiful city of Delhi, Shankar’s International Dolls Museum has two sections exhibiting more than 160 glass cases from New Zealand, Africa, India and Australia. Moreover, the collection of dolls has been divided into two sections; one section consists of the dolls gathered from New Zealand, UK, USA, Commonwealth of Independent States while the other one comprises, consists of dolls gathered from the Middle East, India, Asian countries and Africa. In addition to dolls displaying different countries, the visitors can also have a glimpse of various collections of costumes dolls, representing Indian dances and traditions, pairs of bride and groom etc.
A veritable dreamland for the children. 6000 dolls from 85 countries. The India exhibit section comprises 500 dolls dressed in costumes worn from all over the country.
Timings: Tues -Sun (10:00 AM to 5:30 PM)
Entry Fee: Adults: 15
Children : 5
Foreign Nationals: 100
National Rail Museum, Delhi
The National Rail Museum has a great collection of more than 100 genuine size displays of Indian Railways. It is situated in an area of 10 acres of land. There is a toy train that tenders ride off the site on a daily basis. Some other collections put on sight are antique furniture, working models, historical photographs, signalling tools and more.
Timings: Tue -Sun (09:30 AM to 5:30 PM)
Entry Fee: Adults: 50
Children: 10
Foreign Nationals: 200
Calico Museum, Ahmedabad
One of the most admired tourist attractions in Ahmedabad city, Calico Museum was started by Gautam Sarabhai and his sister Giro Sarabhai in the year 1949. It has a mind-blowing collection of fabrics ranging from pre-historic cloth paintings to the gorgeous Indian fabrics; one will definitely be fascinated by the spectacular work of art displayed at the Calico Museum. The textiles that have been put on display were once used by the Mughal rulers of ancient times. And these are well taken care by the authorities.
Location : The Retreat, Opp. Under bridge, Jain Colony, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 380004, India
Timings: Thu - Tue (10:30 AM to 1:00 PM)
NO Entry Fees
Napier Museum, Trivandrum
Constructed in the 19th century, Napier Museum is the oldest museum perched in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala. It has got its name from Lord Napier, who was the Governor of Madras. It houses a great collection of historic artifacts such as the puppets models, musical instruments, Kerala chariots and bronze idols of gods and goddess. Paying a visit to the Napier Museum will give a glimpse of rich culture and history of Kerala.
Timings: Tue -Sun (10:00 AM to 5:00 PM)
Entry Fee: Adults: 10
Children: 5
Foreign Nationals: 200
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