The museum was started on 27 April 1981 and was the brainchild of designer Surendra Patel and the anthropologist Jyontindra Jain. This is the only museum in the world that has such a rich repository of daily use utensils from different eras. It was aimed at bringing the gaze towards the inventive and fascinating utensils used in rural and urban homes of India. The museum was created to let travellers take a peek into the rich heritage through vessels. This has led to preservation of an integral part of Indian cooking, including fire kilns.
See detailsThe museum is a part of a larger programme by the Tribal Research and Training Institute in Ahmedabad to promote and educate people on tribal life and art. The museum is an integral part of the institute, which was established in 1962.
See detailsThe kid-friendly exhibition centre in Ahmedabad is the vision of scientist and astronomer Vikram Sarabhai. This sprawling exhibition lies in the middle of the city and encourages children to see the progress of Indian space programmes
See detailsThe Calico Museum was founded in 1949 by the industrialist Gautam Sarabhai and his sister Gira Sarabhai, and inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Ahmedabad has always had a flourishing textile industry which was at its peak during the late 1940s. It was inspired by philosopher, metaphysician, and pioneering historian and philosopher of Indian art, Ananda Coomaraswamy. It was Coomaraswamy who planted the seed in Shri Gautam Sarabhai’s mind, and suggested that the museum should be housed in Ahmedabad, since it was a major textile hub. After many talks and research, Shri Sarabhai, his sister Gira Sarabhai and the industrial house of Calico created this specialist museum anchored on historical and technical study of Indian handicrafts and industrial textiles. It was originally housed in Calico Mills but as the range of the collection grew it was shifted to the Sarabhai House in Shahibaug in 1983. In the 1960s, the museum launched a publications programme around Historical Textiles of India under the editorship of John Irwin, then keeper of the Indian Section of the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the second, under the editorial direction of Dr Alfred Bühler, who conducted a Contemporary Textile Craft Survey of India.
See detailsShri. Kasturbhai Lalbhai, a well-known Ahmedabad based industrialist, and Jain Acharya Muni Punyavijayji jointly established the museum in 1956 as the Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Institute of Indology. Muni Punyavijayji donated his personal collection of manuscripts, bronzes and paintings. The collection grew more extensive over the years and the vast repository of heritage needed more space to showcase. In 1984, a new building adjacent to the LD Institute of Indology was built by world acclaimed architect, Balakrishna Doshi. The LD Museum was formally inaugurated by Brajkumar Nehru, the then Governor of Gujarat.
See detailsOne of the biggest personal collections of vintage cars, bikes, buggies and utility vehicles, Auto World is a delight for those who love wheels. Amongst the 300 plus menu of mechanical extravaganza, some noted ones stand out; the car that was used in the movie Gandhi and the first May Bach ever made.
See detailsThe museum stands on the same address as Moti Shahi Mahal, a palace built by the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan between 1618 and 1622. One of the biggest inclusions for ornamentation included the Shahibaug gardens that were brimming with noble cypresses, cedars, palms, sandals, and cassias, with mango, tamarind, and other fruit trees. The palace fell into the hands of the British and was used as a government building. Post-independence, the structure became Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Governor of Gujarat, from 1960 to 1978. It was declared a memorial for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his centennial birth anniversary on 7 March 1980.
See detailsBuilt in April 1954, the museum was the architectural brainchild of Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, and was christened the ‘Museum of Knowledge’ during designing. Till date, the museum rests on his signature pillars that are 11 feet high. The building was originally a part of a large complex of Cultural Centre of Ahmedabad, which had separate areas for different subjects like anthropology, natural history, archaeology, monumental sculptures, workshops and depots and folklores in open air.
See detailsThe Khoj Museum in Ahmedabad is a child-friendly learning centre anchored on science, arts and innovation. This is India’s first children’s museum that offers activities, challenges and exhibits.
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