A visit to the Sanskriti Kendra on the outskirts of Delhi wasn’t quite on my bucket list, I have to be honest, but it was, nevertheless, something I had been intending to do for years.
So an organised, guided walk through the 3 museums that are housed in the Sanskriti Kendra was an opportunity not to be missed. The location is absolutely gorgeous – you turn off MG Road, under one of the metro pillars and enter a different world. Greenery, gorgeous trees, watered lawns – such a treat in a city that otherwise often resembles a noisy, permanently dusty building site.
There is a calmness and tranquility about the Sanskriti Kendra that is instantly relaxing.
This amazing place, the brainchild of Mr O.P. Jain, houses his personal collection, and contains 3 museums – the Museum of Everyday Art, the Museum of Indian textiles and the Museum of Indian Terracotta.
You can take photos in the latter but not the other two, so the illustrations below are all of the wonderful terracotta collection.
All 3 collections are fascinating, and are well displayed. Exhibits are well lit, there are good explanatory panels, and the whole things was a joy.
And, can you believe it, it is free.
The terracotta collection is housed in rooms that are built like village huts, and you wander from state to state, as it were, seeing the different styles and traditions :
Let me end with this adorable roof tile, below, from Orissa. It’s their version of a scarecrow, meant to keep predators away from the grain stored in the loft.
Fabulous, right ?
Check the website – www.sanskritifoundation.org – for opening times, and a location map.