An Infinite Canvas for Living Traditions

India influenced global tastes and affairs for millennia, with what it imagined, crafted and transacted. Whether in royal collections or temple stores, gathered by connoisseurs or hoarders, India's treasures have always had takers.

- BHASKAR KOWSHIK

Today, the country is a vibrant living museum, and our infinite cultures are reflected in innumerable collections at home and overseas. A fast-developing economy is supercharging collectors, and enabling cultural professionals and entrepreneurs. At 75, the museums sector in India is undergoing a renaissance, an apt time to revisit breakthrough museums and archival centres since Independence.

National Museum

A New Delhi D escribed as an ocean' that many a venerable collection has flowed into, the National Museum first took shape in 1949. That Independence Day, an exhibition was mounted at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, of artefacts from Indian institutions returning after a show in London. The assemblage, by gift, loan and circumstance, became the nucleus of the museum. The Harappan section is a delight. With the momentum of India's G20 presidency accelerating, the recently inaugurated galleries of Buddhist Art and Central Asian Art are expected to be at the top of diplomats' itineraries.

MUST DO: Sketch the sculptural treasures lining the National Museum corridors

National Gallery V of Modern Art

New Delhi

Since 1954, NGMA has led the movement to preserve and promote modern Indian art. Its incomparable collections are the most significant of modern and contemporary art in the country today. With matchless locations (the most recent, in Bengaluru, opened 2009), it is a magnet for aficionados of Indian art from the mid-19th century onward. Its international collaborations too are growing in scope and scal

MUST GET: Affordable and quality prints at the gift shop

ASI's Site Museums