About Delhi Crafts Museum:
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. 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. This Crafts Museum in New Delhi is situated on Bhairon Marg near Gate No. 2, Pragati Maidan just opposite Red Fort. National 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.
General Information about Delhi Crafts Museum:
Location: Delhi
State: (Delhi) Union Territory of INDIA
Capital: Delhi is the capital of INDIA
Language: Hindi, English
Temperature: Max 45˚C, Min 27˚C (summer), Max 20˚C, Min 5˚C (winter)
Best Season: September to February
How to Reach Delhi Crafts Museum:
By Air:
Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport is connected to all the important cities of the world with almost all the major international airlines operating out of here. Palam Domestic Airport connects Delhi to the major cities in India.
By Rail:
The Indian Railway with their modern and organized network connects Delhi to all major and minor destinations in India. The city has three major railway stations at New Delhi, Old Delhi, and Nizamuddin.
By Road:
Delhi is well connected to all the major cities of India by a network of highways and roads. Buses can be taken from the three Inter State Bus Terminuses (ISBT), at Kashmere Gate, Sarai Kale Khan and Anand Vihar, as well as many starting points in and around the city, from which various state-managed and privately run transport facilities like air-conditioned, deluxe and ordinary coaches operate.