Established in 1956 the Delhi Crafts Museum is today
one of a kind place where you can actually watch the live demo of an
object being made the time-honored way. It had been established by the
Delhi Government with the motive of preserving the traditional crafts of
India. Crafts Museum has around 20,000 unusual items from all over India
on display. The specimens put up here are rare and this is one of the
best collections in entire Asia. The museum was designed by Charles
Correa, a recipient of Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan.Galleries
Originally the artisans were supposed to spread awareness about the dying crafts and educate people about them. But today they also exhibit and sell at the same time. The Crafts Museum is divided into several galleries namely the Tribal and Rural Craft Gallery, Gallery of Courtly Crafts, Textile Gallery and Gallery of Popular Culture. There is a reference library for the scholars, designers, crafts persons and general people interested in crafts. Interested people can also buy souvenirs like the ritual objects, ornaments, rugs, shawls and books, either from the craftsmen or from the museum at dirt cheap prices.
Location
This Crafts Museum in New Delhi is situated on Bhairon Marg near Gate No. 2, Pragati Maidan just opposite Red Fort.
Museum ExhibitsNational Crafts Museum in Delhi has beautifully decorated folk art like the wood carved images of Bhutas (protective spirits) from coastal Karnataka as well as other objects of embroidery and paintings. It also contains a big courtyard at the center of the museum which has a gigantic cart used previously to carry their Gods on the occasion of certain festivities. A wide range of exhibits are represented including lamps and incense burners, papier-mâché, clay and terracotta pots, folk and tribal paintings, jewelery and textiles, cane and bamboo work in different galleries of the museum.
The Textile Gallery in Crafts Museum provides an excellent opportunity to the visitors to discover the amazing textile heritage of the country and gain an insight into the development of the industry. Different varieties of saris from all over the country like Chanderi, Kota, Ikkat, Banarasi, Bengal tat, Paithani, Balkalam, Kanjivaram, Bandhini, embroidered clothes, Lakhnavi Chikan work, Kantha work of Bengal, Punjab's Phulkari work, Kalamkari art and many more rare pieces of art are on display in this section.