NATIONAL MUSEUM
Founded in 1949, the superb National Museum is India’s finest, with a collection of over 200,000 exhibits charting five millennia of subcontinental history. Every major strand in India’s complex cultural identity is covered here, with artifacts from across the country and beyond, including prehistoric archaeological finds, Buddhist statues, Chola bronzes and Mughal miniatures.
NEED TO KNOW
11 Janpath, just south of Rajpath • 2301 9272 • Udyog Bhawan Metro • www.nationalmuseumindia.gov.in • Open 11am–6:30pm Tue–Fri, 11am–8pm Sat & Sun; closed public hols • Adm ₹650 (Indians ₹20), audio guide free with a deposit of ID (Indians ₹150 for an English audio guide)
- The museum regularly closes areas or galleries for renovation. It is best to call ahead or check the website first.
- The collection is huge, so don’t try to see everything at once. An audio guide picks around 30 of the best exhibits.
- The film show runs Tue–Sun at 11:30am, 2:30pm and 4pm.
- There is a small café on the museum premises.
1. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in Dara Shikoh’s Marriage Procession
Painted around 1750 in Awadh, this painting is a good example of superbly detailed Indian miniature art, portraying the wedding procession of Shah Jahan’s favourite son, Dara Shikoh.
A section of the painting
2. Harappan Bronze Chariot
One of the museum’s most charming pieces is a bronze figurine (c. 2000 BC) of a man on a chariot pulled by oxen.
3. Avalokitesvara
These rare 9th- and 10th-century silk paintings, from the town of Dunhuang on the old Silk Route in northwestern China, depict Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion, a deity of Vajrayana Buddhism.
4. Dancing Girl
This small but famous image of an elegant, long-legged dancing girl was found in Mohenjodaro. Dating from around 2500 BC, it is one of the world’s oldest cast-bronze statuettes.
The famous Dancing Girl statuette
5. Ganga
This 5th-century Gupta terracotta statue is one of the museum’s most graceful. The river goddess Ganga is seen walking on the back of her mythical animal mount, the crocodile-like makara, whilst carrying an urn.
A close-up of Ganga
6. Mughal Nativity Painting
This Muslim version of a usually Christian subject may seem surprising, but Jesus is revered as a prophet by Muslims, and Mary is mentioned more in the Koran than in the Bible.
An example of Mughal Nativity paintings
7. Shiva Nataraja
This iconic 12th-century Chola bronze shows Shiva as nataraj (“lord of dance”), surrounded by a ring of fire, representing the cycle of life. He is performing tandava, the cosmic dance of destruction and creation.
Bronze statue of the Nataraja
8. Baluchari Sari
Rare 18th-century silk saris with delicate floral patterns are part of the collection. They were made in Murshidabad (West Bengal), one of the country’s most famous silk production centres.
9. Asita’s Visit to Suddhadhana
This is a beautifully carved stone bas-relief from the great Satavahana-era Buddhist monastery of Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh), dating from the 1st–2nd century AD. The panel depicts the sage Asita visiting King Suddhadhana in the town of Lumbini to admire his son, the newly born Buddha.
Intricately carved stone bas-relief
10. Kali
The fearsome goddess Kali, one of the more favoured deities of the Cholas, appears serenely poised and unusually benign in an outstanding late 12th-century bronze.
GALLERY GUIDE
The museum collection is arranged over three floors, although almost all of the best exhibits are to be found on the ground floor of the building. The first nine exhibits described here are displayed on the ground floor, while the tenth is on the first floor. The museum’s film show on Art and Culture is a must-see. Near the museum’s reception area, there is also a shop, with books and replicas of some of the exhibits for sale. A visit to the extensive library can be valuable for researchers.
