Textiles are my biggest weakness and I have a remarkable collection of them. Some of which have been featured on the website of Long thread Media – Piecework Magazine.
The power of 5 in ancient wisdom stands for the hand with its five fingers, the range of spices in the combination of fives – panch phoren, Chinese 5 spice powders…
So here comes 5 Excellent places to see Indian Textiles – Museum. In my view Textiles are a living heritage of India and we cover and find some of them at www.armchairtextilejourney.com
India is a textile lover’s paradise and it is very easy to empty one’s pockets on the range. The range is mind boggling with contemporary and traditional. This article explores where one can see a range of textiles from the historical or Museum perspective.
The craft museum has one of the finest collection of
textiles. A lot of textiles made during the Festivals of India. The Museum has
a very impressive collection of Lucknowi Chikan pieces, Chamba Rumal – the
rumal embroidered by Nanki – the sister of Guru Nanak is displayed. A new wing
has recently been opened which houses some fabulous pieces from various
designers especially of the Textile of India. Several design samplers with all
motifs of Kanjeevaram sarees, Block prints are there on display. An indepth of
the Crafts Museum has been written in www.armchairtextilejourney.com
National Museum
The collection of the National Museum in terms of textiles is vast. The reserve collection contains some spectacular pieces across genre though there is very little that has been displayed. One can take special permission to view the reserve collection.
Weavers' Service Centre, Delhi
This is the lesser known place when it comes to textile. The Weavers Service Centre has over the years done remarkable work in development of handloom textiles and its revival. A lot of revival of textiles under the venerable Martand Singh was carried out at several of the Weavers Service Centres. There is a legacy of work done under the doyens of Indian handlooms – Late Ms. Kamala Devi Chattopadyay, Late Ms. Pupul Jayakar, Late Ms. Jasleen Dhamija The WSC in Delhi is situated at Bharat Nagar which is near Ashok Nagar, in a place which goes by the name of Bunkar Colony. Apart from this, it is the repertoire of work done for the various Tantuvi exhibition which is exhaustive. They also have a collection of textiles produced under the Vishwakarma and Festival of India series. The recently launched National Centre for Textile Design (NCTD) offering designs and India Handloom Brand Cell also operate out of the WSC. A visit to the WSC has much to offer in terms of the vast repertoire of what is the Indian legacy of handlooms. The research material available is mind boggling. One needs to go and speak to the Asst. Director heading the division and after securing such permission can have a private viewing. The samples are not displayed.
A detail piece on the various Weavers Service Centre can be read at –
Red Fort Museum
The textile gallery at the Red Fort Museum is impressive. The collection is from the ASI. There are several pieces dating to the Mughal Era. One can some fine examples of zardozi, Benarasi and other textiles of the Royals.
Sanskriti Museum
Located in Aya Nagar – Mehrauli Gurgaon road. . It is spacious, with hardly any crowds. Very courteous staff and a beautiful collection of textiles. This one is a private museum and there is no entry fees. The Museum is known for its collection of vessels which is vast. For the birthday of Shri O P Jain, a separate section comprising the textile section was launched. There are patolas, paithanis, Benarasi, kutch embroidery, phulkari and more
There are other places which hold significant collection of textiles – The Museum of Folk and Tribal Art or K C Aryan Museum Gurgaon. Bharany’s have an impressive collection of textiles, The Partition Museum also has a good collection of phulkari. The Museum at Humayun Tomb called the Sunken Museum has some beautiful textiles, some reproduced using existing craftsmen.
Other articles on textiles in this blog
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