History at its best: Delhi's museums

One taste of Delhi has many flavours. But what spices up the complete Dilli experience is its rich history. You can find it everywhere, in a simple walk to your nearest chaiwallah to an occasional trip to any of the ruins scattered across the city. While in Delhi, you literally live “in” history and nothing defines that experience more starkly than the city museums.

Historically high
For the treasure-hunt of a lifetime, National Museum is heaven. But before you step in, here is the caveat: three floors of art and five millennia of artefacts can literally leave you breathless! Whether it is the jewellery from the Indus period, the nineteenth-century wooden chariot at the entrance, shields of Maharanas, sculptures, miniature paintings, the exhibits here will transport you to a different time zone altogether! This museum also has a gift shop, heritage film screenings, a modelling unit and a café.

Stamps and dolls
Delhi’s National Philatelic Museum and the Shankar International Dolls’ Museum exhibit some of India’s favourite collectible items. In the former, you can get a peek at the Scinde District Dawk, the first stamp issued in India in 1852, and such other philatelic wonders. Besides housing over 6000 dolls from 85 countries, the latter also has interesting trivia like doll houses, doll furniture, miniature tea sets, and toys.

Of tribes, handicrafts and archaeology
Get an eyeful of the attractive range of weaponry, jewellery, medicines, household objects and textiles used by Indian tribes at the Museum of Folk and Tribal Art. Add National Handicrafts Museum to your agenda as well. The galleries here contain beautiful folk and tribal arts and crafts and textiles. Archaeological Museum delightfully presents quaint terracotta artefacts and carved statuettes from, as early as, 100 BC till the Mughal period.

Scientifically speaking
Even if you’re no science aficionado, you will experience the wow effect at National Science Centre. Science theories, evolution, information revolution and the age of technology have all been amazingly portrayed through cave paintings and audio visual displays. And for a biology lesson worth remembering, have a dekko at National Museum of Natural History.

Other museums
Besides these enlightening eight, there are a few other museums worth visiting, such as, National Rail Museum, National Gallery of Modern Art, Tibet House Museum , Red Fort Museum, Air Force Museum, Museum of Indian Terracotta and International Museum of Toilets!

Delhi’s museums are one history lesson you can never forget.