National Museum in Delhi is one of the largest museums in the country. The museum set up in 1949 houses more than 2 lakh artefacts covering over 5,000 years. Did you know? The museum has introduced a volunteer's programme at its Decorative Arts Gallery, where volunteers are trained in guiding visitors.
Known as one of the biggest repositories of rare flora and fauna in the country, the National museum of natural history was gutted in a major fire in April 2016. Did you know? One of the most prized possessions of the museum is a 160 million-year-old fossil bone of a dinosaur called a Sauropod.
Sulabh International museum of toilets (yes, you heard that right!) traces the history of the toilet for the past 4,500 years. Did you know? The museum was ranked third among the world’s 10 weirdest museums by Time magazine in 2014. So what were the museums that were placed in first and second positions, you ask? It is the Icelandic Phallological Museum and the Museum of Bad Art, Massachusetts, U.S.
Delhi Metro Museum is a mine of information on the transportation system that has transformed our lives. Did you know? The DMRC was keen on standard gauge right from the beginning, but the Railway Ministry wanted the broad gauge system. As a result phase 1 and part of phase 2 is on broad gauge while the Delhi government decided on standard gauge for 61.7 km of Phase 2. The museum offers nuggets of info on people who made the Delhi Metro what it is now.
The Air Force Museum is a delight for anyone interested in the remarkable history of Indian aviation. The museum is dedicated to the history of aviation in the country and Indian Air Force heroes. Did you know? There is a ‘Prisoners of War’ section which features some exhibits like a painting by Group Captain Tejwant Singh made in the Lyalpur Jail Camp. What is unique in the painting is that it was done on an ordinary cloth coated with zinc oxide and amla hair oil. There is a hand-stitched gown made by him “while he was getting ready to spend the second winter of 1972 in Pakistan jail”. Tejwant was captured as prisoner of war by Pakistan during the 1971 war.