India now has a Prime Ministers’ Museum. The Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya is a museum that celebrates all former Prime Ministers.
It is located on the Teen Murti Estate - Which is India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru’s former residence. The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library was set up in his memory on its premises as an autonomous institution under the Union Culture Ministry.
On April 14, 2022 Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya
There are 43 galleries in the Museum. It has displays that show the lives and tenures of former Prime Ministers. Families of former PMs were invited for the inauguration. But former PM Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi didn’t attend the ceremony.
Ever since the proposal for this museum was approved in 2018, the congress has opposed this initiative
They had called it an attempt to dilute the legacy of Jawaharlal Nehru.
But the centre has maintained that the move was not to undermine the legacy of the first PM.
The museum building integrates the Teen Murti Bhawan with the newly-constructed Block II.
The total area of the two blocks is over 15,600 square metres. Built at a cost of ₹306 crore, it can hold about 4,000 visitors.
The Sangrahalaya offers light and sound shows along with interactive experiences like holograms, virtual reality, augmented reality and more.
The museum also displays former Prime Ministers’ personal items, gifts and memorabilia like medals or commemorative stamps. The items and anecdotes have been provided by their families.
