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Location:In
the building of the Children's Book Trust, 4 Nehru House on
the main Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, near ITO
Time to
Visit:Tuesday-Sunday, Monday closed
Preferred
Timings: 10.00 am to 5.30 pm
Admission
Fee:Adult/child: INR 10/5
Photography
charges: nil
How to
Reach: Tourists can either take local buses from various
points within the city to reach this museum or they can hire
auto-rickshaws and taxis or metro rail.
Nearest
Railway Station: New Delhi Railway Station
Nearest
Metro Station: New Delhi
Functional
Metro Station: New Delhi
Nearest
International Airport: Indira Gandhi International Airport
Time
required for sightseeing: Approx 50 minutes
Set up in 1965
in the building of Children's Book Trust, Shankar's
International Dolls Museum or Delhi Dolls Museum has today
over 6500 dolls on display representing the social life and
culture of over 85 countries of the world. Inaugurated by the
President of India, Dr. S. Radhakrishan and named after its
creator, the renowned political cartoonist, K Shankar Pillai,
the museum has one of the largest collections of costume dolls
in the world. Started with just thousand dolls, the museum is
quite popular with Indian citizens and foreign dignitaries
because of its large number of variety of exhibits. The museum
is at present is divided into two sections. One section house
exhibits from European countries, the USA, Australia and New
Zealand and some other countries while the other section has
exhibits from Asian countries like India, the Middle East and
Africa.
Dressed in
their respective regional costumes, the dolls represent the
social life, culture, climate and folklore of the region or
place they come from. Thus, the museum can aptly be described
as the confluence or meeting place of various acculturations
and social life of the world. Of all the exhibits, nearly
one-third of the total number of dolls belongs to different
parts of our country showcasing India's vast and varied social
life and tradition.
Though all the
dolls displayed in the museum are attractive and worth viewing
but still there are some dolls that deserves a special
mention. Among the Indian ones, the costume dolls of Kerala,
Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and that of some ethnic tribes should
not be missed. A 250 year-old doll from Switzerland, the
Kabuki Dancer of Japan, costume doll from Bulgaria,
Indonesia's bridal pairs, Australian Maoris, Mexican
Aborigines and dolls from African countries are worth giving a
second look. The overall outlook of these dolls speaks a lot
about their region's cultural history, their mythologies and
folklore. Apart from these there are also special displays in
the museum based on specific themes like Mahatma Gandhi's
Dandi March, a forest scene, a Kathakali dance, man on moon
and many other ones that attracts the visitants.
The museum also
has a Dolls Workshop and a Dolls Designing Center of its own,
which makes Indian dolls with accurate details. A lot of
research is put in and the minutest details are taken care off
like features, dress, jewellery and posture when a doll is
made. There is an interesting collection just near the museum
of over 150 kinds of authentic Indian costume dolls made at
Dolls Workshop. The museum provides the facility of exchanging
unique dolls and also sells in India and abroad. |
