Art and Craft is the primary backbone to depict Indian history. Delhi, as the heart of the nation, is famous for the most massive Craft’s Museum in India. The name of this renowned Museum is the National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum owned and run by the Indian government and the Ministry of Textiles.
This renowned Museum for craftworks is located precisely opposite to Purana Qila complex in one corner of Pragati Maidan in Delhi. Presently this famous Museum has more than 35,000 crafts work obtained with hard work of the various craftsmen in India.
The things that you will find in this Museum are very rare these days. The present generation would not find it anywhere else in the world. These art galleries depict things related to Tribals, rural areas, textiles, culture, etc.
Crafts Museum History
The famous National Crafts Museum first set up in the 1950s. It took over 30 years to fill the museum with the efforts of Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay. At that time, this area now under crafts Museum was meant for the craftsmen approaching from various parts of India to come here to work.
The primary motive for the workers to work was to preserve the traditional art and crafts. And then, by the end of the 1980s, the area fully developed into the National Crafts Museum Delhi with all the different collections required from various parts.
At the end of the 1980s, the Museum developed entirely into the present shape as you find it now. Today people from different countries visit this craft museum in New Delhi. It has well presented vernacular architecture with the entire carved walls and gates. There are several different galleries in this crafts museum to display various crafts work by the craftsmen.
National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum Collection
In this section, you will discover the various parts of the Crafts Museum in Pragati Maidan. This collection of creativity will surely leave you, stunned.
Galleries
There are various Galleries in the National Crafts Museum Delhi. The display of multiple items in the gallery is carving on wood or stones. All these carvings display on the door, windows, buildings, lintels, and many Tribal paintings engraved on the walls.
Once going through the crafts gallery, you will visit Indian past, folk, traditional, and tribals communities in India. Some of the very famous galleries include:
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Bhuta Sculpture Gallery
This gallery in the National Crafts Museum brings uniqueness in the looks with beautiful sculptures of Bhuta describing the coast of Karnataka. Bhut Sculpture is one of the largest collections in the world.
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Folk and Tribal Craft Gallery
This gallery describes different folk and tribal paintings, including the Craft of daily needed objects as used by the tribal tradition in India.
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Cultic Craft Gallery
Cultic is the secular craft gallery in the National Handicrafts and Handloom Museum. This gallery emphasizes a close relationship with the different religions followed in India. It features paintings, sculptures, and textiles for different faiths.
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Court Craft Gallery
Court Craft Gallery depicts the craftsmanship of the previous days and the materials used in it. It has creatively shown traditional homes and the palaces of India.
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Textiles Gallery
Textile Gallery shows traditional collections in the Indian textile. It has covered a good range of handmade products and the handmade techniques that followed in Indian history.
Village Complex
Village Complex part of the National and Handlooms Handcrafts Museum is designed by Sculptor Sankho Chaudhuri and Architect Ram Sharma. The first time, this village complex was well presented in the Asia Trade Fair 1972 but later added as a part of the National Crafts Museum.
This village complex has a display of 15 structures that include shrines, courtyards, village dwellings, etc. These all sculptors display different parts of India, built with a great skilled mind and materials of various areas.
Wall Murals
Wall Murals depict different wall paintings engraved on the walls of the Museum. These walls have broad areas for displaying different traditional cultures and religions followed in India.
The various Wall Murals include Bhil Painting that figures Spirit Rider, Gangaur Painting for representing the main festival of Rajasthan, Gond Painting to display Gond Tribes and their characteristics, and Mithila paintings regarding abstract rituals followed in Bihar.
Also, the walls are designed with Patachitra Painting of Bengal that is highly rich in Patas, Pithora Paintings of Gujarat done by Lakharas, and Rathva Painting of Gujarat and MP.
Highlights
The main highlights of the Crafts Museum Delhi are regarding Jewels, Metal forms, a textile tradition in India, Basketry and Matting, Wood-Stone, and Ivory Carving, representing dolls, puppets, toys, and masks.
These main highlights are trendy all over India. People feel excited about the upcoming National Handicrafts and Handloom Museum Events and start preparing to visit it.
Exhibitions & Events
People from different parts of India visit this National Crafts Museum Delhi for the exhibition and events that generally take place. The exhibition conducted is very famous in all over the world. The main exhibition is for textiles and people usually come and purchases it.
Every year some new programs and events take place in the Crafts Museum, and the most recent one that took place was Special Program for Hearing and Speech Impaired. It started on 13 February. These events last for days so that people can visit and experience various parts of India in one region.
Lota Shop
The inspiration for having Lota Shop in this famous National Crafts Museum is based on the Lota, which emphasizes India Report by Charles and Ray Eames. Lota is a pure Indian Vessel used every day, and this shop is the most beautiful part of the Museum. It shows the basic design of sensitivity and clarity of the culture.
Lota signifies for the different objects, including its shape and size, and it may even share the necessary forms. Diverse aspects of Lota are examined and displayed most attractively in the Lota Shop.
Café Lota
The Café Lota consists of the North Indian Food represented at the old institution, which is not even possible to recall now. However, the version of representation is very contemporary for Indian dishes that pair up with grains variety like millet and red rice.
The visitors have always praised for this new contemporary version of the regional Indian dishes, fish chips, sweet potato fried, and many more.
Workshops
Coming to the workshops, there are primary three in the Crafts Museum as follows:
- Kids
- Professional
- Master Craftsperson Program
At this workshop, a particular expert visits the Museum so that to interact with craftsperson’s of the Museum so that they can discuss innovations and ideas. These experts also interact with the children who are specially visiting this Museum as a trip. This interaction brings changes keeping in mind for each age group people.
How to reach the National Crafts Museum in Delhi
To enter this crafts museum, one should either choose bus route, metro route, or train route.
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By Bus
The DTC bus routes that pass near Crafts Museum are 410, 418EXT, 419, 624BLNKSTL and ML-77. You can easily reach by local DTC buses passing through these stops.
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By Metro
The nearest Metro station to the national crafts museum Delhi is Supreme Court metro station (Pragati Maidan) located on the Blue Line of the Delhi Metro.
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Timings
Crafts Museum Delhi timings are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Monday closed) for Galleries, 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Saturday & Sunday closed) for Admin & Library, 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Daily) for Crafts Demonstration, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Daily) for Lota Shop and 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Daily) for Café Lota.
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Entry Fees
Entry Fee of National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum is Rs.20 for the Indian residents and Rs.200 for Foreign People.
Conclusion
The National Handicrafts and Handloom Museum is the best place to visit in Delhi for every age group to interact with the people, especially for the children. Thus students can have a direct conversation with the experts to see the craft artifacts that are very rare these days. Visit this beautiful museum in Delhi at least once to connect back to traditional days.
Places to Visit near Crafts Museum Delhi:
- National Science Centre
- Doll Museum
- National Zoological Park
- India Gate
- Purana Qila
- Feroz Shah Kotla
- Khooni Darwaza
- Humayun Tomb
- National Gallery of Modern Art
- National Museum Delhi
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