CRAFTS
MUSEUM
Timing:
Jul to Sep: 0930am-5pm; Oct to Jun: 0930am-0600pm
Location:
Bhairon Road,
Pragati Maidan,
New Delhi - 110001.
Closed: Monday and National Holidays.
Attractions:
Indian Crafts, Wooden Carvings, Metalware,
Paintings. The
Crafts
Museum complex is a charming
oasis in the midst of the hustle and bustle of
Delhi. Mud huts with painted
walls and thatched roofs, courtyards, terracotta horses recreating village
shrines, craftsmen at work are some of the elements that add to the rural
ambience of the place. Within the museum itself are examples of
traditional Indian crafts, wooden carvings and images, metalware,
especially ewe Perdue objects from Bastar, West Bengal and Bihar, clay and
terracotta pots, toys and images, folk and tribal paintings, jewellery and
textiles.
http://www.haryana-online.com/museums_of_delhi.htm
Crafts
Museum
Pragati Maidan,
Bhairon Road,
New Delhi 110001.
Open 1000-1730hrs; Closed: Monday
Entry free; Guided tours for groups arranged upon prior request.
Main Attractions
The institution of the museum, aimed at housing
objects of antiquity and curiosity, is of western origin. Indians
themselves did not have a tradition of setting up museums of fragmented
sculptures, rusted swords and out-of-context paintings. Broken images were
immersed in holy water, worn out metal objects were melted down to cast
new ones, and terracotta votive objects were left to decay and merge with
the very earth from which they were created.
The core collection of the Crafts Museum was actually put together to
serve as reference material for the craftsmen who were increasingly losing
touch with their own traditions in terms of materials, techniques, designs
and aesthetics of their arts and crafts due to the sudden changes caused
by modern industrialization. Thus, it is primarily addressed to the
craftsmen who have been brought into a close and integral relationship
with the museum. Their visits to the museum provide them opportunities to
meet their new urban patrons. Here the craftsman feels free to confine to
his tradition or to innovate in response to his new contemporary
environment.
Collection of Unique Item of Tribal Arts
The large permanent collection of 20,000 items of folk and tribal arts,
crafts and textiles is housed in a concrete, but almost ‘invisible’
building. Charles Correa, the architect, had a challenge before him – on
the one hand to provide a pucca building for safe preservation and display
of the rare art objects, but on the other, not to let the building be so
imposing that it would belittle the humbler objects collected from village
homes. The scale and appearance of the building had to be such that it
would not attempt to upstage its ancient neighbour, the Purana Qila on the
one side and the Village Complex of the Museum on the other.
Consequently the low-lying building has old carved wooden doors and
windows from Gujarat and Rajasthan, central courtyards having champa
trees, tulsi shrines and a monumental temple-car coexist in this
‘modern’ building not as revivalist ethnic chic exercise, but as a
contemporary juxtaposition of past traditions in a modern building meant
for a modern
Indian
Crafts
Museum.
Other Marvelous Artifacts
The museum’s collection, built over a period of thirty years, comprises
bronze images; lamps and incense burners; ritual accessories; utensils and
other items of everyday use; wood and stone carvings; papier mache;
ivories, dolls, toys, puppets and masks; jewellery; decorative metalware
including bidri work; paintings; terracotta; cane and bamboo work
and a large number of textiles, from different regions of India.
Galleries of folk and tribal arts and crafts, aristocratic objects, and
that of traditional Indian textiles, display selected objects within these
categories which are unavoidably overlapping as the culture itself.
Moreover, there is a ‘Visual Store’ for reference, comprising about 15,000
objects which can be used by scholars, designers, craftsmen and interested
public for study and research. While brief captions provide basic
information about the displayed objects, for further information the
Museum’s catalogue could be consulted.
The Crafts Museum Shop on the premises sells books, picture-postcards and
a whole range of exquisite contemporary handicrafts. The objective of the
shop is to sell original creations of the finest Indian craftspersons and
not to market mechanically replicated souvenir.
http://www.indiasite.com/delhi/museums/craft.html
The
Crafts
Museum at Pragati Maidan has
galleries displaying
India's rich
tradition of handicrafts. An added attraction is the presence of
craftsperson's, who are brought here from
different parts of the country to demonstrate their skills. The museum
boasts of having the most rare and exquisite
pieces of art and craft, selectively collected from all over the country.
Home Of
Indian Handicrafts
The Crafts Museum kicked off in 1956, as a project to showcase the works
of indigenous artisans in one place. By the early 1980's, over 20,000
objects had been collected. The museum is distinct for its architectural
display of various villages.
Authentically constructed mud huts are beautifully decorated with folk art
and exhibits include woodcarvings, paintings, paper-mache, embroidery and
a full-sized wooden haveli from
Gujarat.
The
complex also houses the Crafts Museum Shop. The first gallery on display
is the Tribal and Rural Craft Gallery, followed by the Gallery of Courtly
Crafts, Textile Gallery, Gallery of Popular Culture, and others. There is
also a reference section with about 15,000 objects, for the benefit
of scholars, designers and craftsperson's.
Live demonstrations by the
artisans offer close glimpses of the folk arts of
India. Tourists can
buy ritual objects, ornaments, rugs, shawls and books from the craftsmen
as well as from the museum.
Information
Location Pragati Maidan,
Bhairon Road,
New Delhi
STD Code
011
Language
Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi &
English
Climate / best Season/ Best
Time To Visit
July to September:9.30
am to 5.00 pm
October to June: 9.30 am to
6.00 pm.
Closed on Mondays and
national holidays.
Entertainment
Tribal
And Rural Crafts
How to Reach
Air:
Delhi is
India's major
gateway for international flights and is a good place to pick up cheap
airline tickets. There are domestic flights from
Delhi to all major Indian
destinations. The domestic terminal of the
Indira
Ghandi
International
Airport is 7km (4.5mi) from the
centre
Rail:
Delhi is an important rail
centre and New Delhi Railway Station is an easy place to make bookings.
Road: The main bus station is the Interstate Bus Terminal
at Kashmiri Gate, north of the 'Old' Delhi Railway Station.
