It was the last day of my Delhi trip. For me, it has always been a fun to read about history. And when Sam (my cousin) told me that we were going to visit the museums that day, my excitement knew no bounds. I was eagerly waiting for the history to be served before me with a visual delicacy of well preservation. Sam told me that Delhi is known not only for its magnificent historical monuments and shopping places but also for some of the best museums and galleries in the country. Some of these are dedicated to famous Indian personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Since my childhood, I have a craze to see the store houses for the cultural heritage of a country. Being an art lover, I certainly admire the splendid display of contemporary art.
We started our exploration with the National Rail Museum. Spread over 10 acres of land, National Rail museum has a number of locomotives that showcase the history of Indian railways. I quite liked the model of India's very first train, the oldest locomotive in the world that is still working, the Viceregal Dining Car of 1889, the Prince of Wales Saloon of 1875, Maharaja of Mysore's Saloon of 1899, and the Fairy Queen built in 1855. We also enjoyed the ride in the toy train that took us around the museum on a miniature rail track. We had a chilled soft drink to get rid of the scorching summer and then headed for Delhi Crafts Museum, Pragati Maidan. It is an amazing place that reflects India's rich tradition of handicrafts. The rarest artifacts and handicrafts here are collected from all over the country. Within two decades from its inception in 1956, the museum collected over 20,000 objects including the tribal and rural handicrafts. What I liked most in Crafts Museum was the Indian folk art, woodcarvings, paintings, paper- mache crafts, Tribal and Rural Craft Gallery and Textile Gallery.
We paid short visits to Shankar's International Dolls Museum and Gandhi Museum. The doll museum has one of the largest and finest collections of costume dolls from all over the world. It also includes scenes from various religious epics and freedom movements. I was completely overwhelmed to see the preserved personal relics, photographs, manuscripts, books, journals and documents and the audio-visual material related to Gandhiji in the Gandhi Museum. We had traditional north Indian food in lunch at Sagar Ratna Restaurant at Connaught Place. While having lunch, Sam told me that the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum and the Nehru Memorial Museum, Planetarium & Library are quite similar to the Gandhi Museum. They are also popular for preserving the personal belongings of the respective leader. Tourists also love to visit the famous National Museum of Natural History in Delhi, which is meant to promote environmental awareness and educate people about the immense importance of conservation. It has various galleries, paintings, books etc. regarding the issue.
Out last halt was the National Museum or 'Yadughar'. Located at a close proximity to the India Gate, the museum exhibits ancient pottery, rare coins, models of architecture, costumes etc. of various civilizations dating back to about 5000 years. On the whole, the museums in Delhi are good for entertainment as well as education. My visit to the museums of Delhi served as one of the best windows into the history, traditions, art and culture of the country.
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| New Delhi Rail Museum |
We paid short visits to Shankar's International Dolls Museum and Gandhi Museum. The doll museum has one of the largest and finest collections of costume dolls from all over the world. It also includes scenes from various religious epics and freedom movements. I was completely overwhelmed to see the preserved personal relics, photographs, manuscripts, books, journals and documents and the audio-visual material related to Gandhiji in the Gandhi Museum. We had traditional north Indian food in lunch at Sagar Ratna Restaurant at Connaught Place. While having lunch, Sam told me that the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum and the Nehru Memorial Museum, Planetarium & Library are quite similar to the Gandhi Museum. They are also popular for preserving the personal belongings of the respective leader. Tourists also love to visit the famous National Museum of Natural History in Delhi, which is meant to promote environmental awareness and educate people about the immense importance of conservation. It has various galleries, paintings, books etc. regarding the issue.
Out last halt was the National Museum or 'Yadughar'. Located at a close proximity to the India Gate, the museum exhibits ancient pottery, rare coins, models of architecture, costumes etc. of various civilizations dating back to about 5000 years. On the whole, the museums in Delhi are good for entertainment as well as education. My visit to the museums of Delhi served as one of the best windows into the history, traditions, art and culture of the country.
