The Story
OrganizerThe National Museum grew from a landmark 1947-48 exhibition of Indian art shown in London and then in Delhi, whose success led to the founding of a permanent national museum, inaugurated in 1949 in Rashtrapati Bhavan and later moved to its own building on Janpath in 1960. Enriched by archaeological finds, gifts and acquisitions, it became the custodian of many of India's most iconic objects, including the Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-daro and celebrated Chola bronzes, and a centre for the study and display of the nation's material heritage.
As India's national museum, it holds objects of foundational importance to the nation's cultural identity and serves as a principal centre for the preservation, study and public presentation of Indian art and history.