Nc Mehta Gallery

Brief History

Located in the same building as the LD Museum, this gallery has an important collection of jewel-like illustrated manuscripts and miniature paintings. Best known is Chaurapanchasika (Fifty Love Lyrics of a Thief), written by Vilhana, an 11th-century Kashmiri poet sentenced to be hanged for loving the king’s daughter. Before his execution he was granted one final wish: he chose to recite these 50 poems, which so impressed the king that he gave Vilhana his daughter in marriage.

Nanalal C Mehta (1894–1958) was one of the pioneers in the field of miniature paintings in India and his work has been a source of inspiration for many. Mehta published several research papers and articles as well. Famous paintings like the Vasanta Vilasa scroll, early Gita Govinda, folios of Chaurapanchashika series were brought to light by him. After his death in May 1958, his collection of art was donated to the Gujarat Museum Society, Ahmedabad, by his wife, the late Shanta Mehta. The Gujarat Museum Society was formed as Public Charitable Trust in 1960 to exhibit the renowned NC Mehta Collection of miniature paintings. The first floor of the famous Sanskar Kendra building was the chosen venue for this. Shri Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated the exhibition in the year 1963. Since the paintings were under some environment stress, they were later shifted to Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Institute of Indology. The NC Mehta gallery was inaugurated in October 1993.