Museums in Delhi

Delhi, with its rich cultural heritage and history has numerous museums to show case the same through artifacts of history. The museums of Delhi fascinate any visitors who are curious to know about the heritage and history of Delhi. The following are some of the museums which you should definitely visit.

Air Force Museum : It is located in Palam, Delhi Cantonment. A collection of airplanes & armoury depicts the history of the Indian Air force & has a vast collection of airplanes and armoury on display. The museum is dedicated to the Indian Air Force.

Gandhi Museum : It is located opposite Raj Ghat, Ring Road. Dedicated to the Father of the Nation, the museum contains some of his personal belongings. There are five pavilions one can go through that comprise of sculpture, photographs and paintings of Gandhi and the history of the Satyagraha movement as well as the philosophy of 'ahinsa' (non-violence). It is a must visit for anyone who admires Gandhi Ji. 

National Rail Museum : It is located in Chanakyapuri. The museum is spread over 11 acres and is having 91 real size exhibits like different types of steam, diesel & electric locomotives, Royal Saloons, Vintage Cranes, Wagons , fireless steam locomotive and John Morris fire engine (1914) with solid rubber tyres in fully road worthy condition. National Rail Museum primarily focuses on preserving rail heritage of the country. It boasts of having rarest and unique exhibits in its premise. The Patiala State Mono Rail Tram way (PSMT) is perhaps the oldest mono rail concept started in 1907 and NRM is in proud possession of the only steam mono rail locomotive and coach in working condition. More than 100 years old and the only solid rubber tyre working vehicle John Morris Fire Engine is on display .There are also vintage exhibits like Prince of Wales Saloon, Mysore Maharaja Saloon, Viceregal Dinning Car, Fireless Steam Locomotive, F1-734 (the first steam locomotive manufactured in India), Garratte, Ramgotty etc.. Interactive displays and models exhibited inside the Indoor gallery displays the remarkable stories related to early modes of transportation till date and future endeavors in Indian Railways. There are also some remarkable collections of historical photographs, documents, railway artifacts, static exhibits, antiquated items and old furniture which enhance the experience of around 03-04 lakhs visitors every year and envisioned them how the Indian Railway helped in unification and progress of India as a nation.

Shankar's International Doll Museum Musical : A veritable dreamland for the children. 6000 dolls from 85 countries are on display at this museum in Nehru House at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg. The India exhibit section comprises 500 dolls dressed in costumes worn from all over the country.

Sulabh International Museum of Toilets : The founder of Sulabh International Social Service Organization Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak envisioned this one of the unique museums, which has a rare collection of facts, pictures and objects detailing the historic evolution of toilets from 2500 BC to date and provides a chronological account of developments relating to technology, toilet related social customs, toilet etiquettes, prevailing sanitary conditions and legislative efforts of the times.

 

The Sulabh International Museum of Toilets in Delhi is a museum run by the Sulabh International, which is dedicated to the global history of sanitation and toilets. According to Time magazine, the museum is one of the weirdest museums among the "10 museums around the world that are anything but mundane". It was established in 1992 by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, a social activist, founder of Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement, recipient of national and international awards including the Stockholm Water Prize in 2009. His objective in establishing this museum was to highlight the need to address the problems of the sanitation sector in the country, considering the efforts made in various parts of the world in this field since the third millennium BC.