Crafts Museum in Delhi

Established in the year 1956 the Craft Museum in Delhi in situated in Pragati Maidan. One of the most popular art and crafts museums in India the Crafts Museum in Delhi houses a magnanimous and permanent collection of 20,000 items of folk and tribal arts, crafts and textiles. Like any other museum in the world this crafts museum in Delhi preserves the ethnic and traditional past and present of the country. This Craft Museum is unique in the sense that apart from showcasing some of the most fascinating collections of folk and tribal items it also provides an opportunity to craftsmen from all over India to come here and display their skills and proficiency.

Designed by Charles Correa the famous Indian architect this museum is divided into a number of galleries. Each gallery is specialized for the kind of products that are displayed. Some of the important galleries in the Delhi Craft Museum include; Tribal and Rural Craft Gallery, Gallery of Courtly Crafts, Textile Gallery, Gallery of Popular Culture etc.

The museum comprises many segments illustrating a range of different kinds of arts and craft; and it also contains a big courtyard, at the center of the museum, that draws most of the tourists' attention. At the center of the courtyard, there is a gigantic cart that is said to have been used by the Gods on the occasion of certain festivities.

The Craft Museum houses a range of very rare and exquisite artifacts that are the only remnants of ancient India. Among the important artifacts that are present in Craft Museum are:

• Dolls, toys, puppets, and masks
• Jewelry
• Ritual accessories
• Lamps and incense burners
• Wood and stone carvings
• Papier-mâch´
• Terracotta
• Bronze images
• Utensils and other items of daily chores
• Decorative metal work (Bidri work)
• Paintings
• Things made out of ivory
• Cane and bamboo handicraft
• A wide variety of textile from the various parts of India.

In the premises of the Craft Museum, there are also numerous shops that sell local handicrafts. You can also find miniatures of many famous buildings of Delhi, specially the Taj Mahal as well as the edifices of cultural heritage from other parts of India.

For those of you who are students of archeology and for those who love everything about art and culture this museum is a definite once in a life time visit.

The Craft Museum at Delhi remains open from 10 am to 5.30 pm everyday except on Mondays.

Last Updated on 04 July 2011