Politics1 min read

India to build mega-museum with world's 'largest display area'

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The new institution will inhabit the 1920s North and South Blocks designed by British architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, spanning a proposed built-up area of about 178,509 square metres. Curators have identified approximately 1.8 million objects from national, state, and private collections to exhibit India's civilisational heritage. The initial gallery is slated to welcome the public by late 2027, with the entire facility targeted for finish in the 2030-31 financial year. This development follows other landmark state ventures, including a 182-metre monument dedicated to Vallabhbhai Patel and a replacement parliament building unveiled in 2023.

Key points

  • The initiative repurposes colonial-era civil service headquarters to underscore the conti…: The initiative repurposes colonial-era civil service headquarters to underscore the continuity and richness of India's pre-colonial civilisational history.
  • The institution is projected to draw up to 10 million guests annually to New Delhi once a…: The institution is projected to draw up to 10 million guests annually to New Delhi once all galleries are fully operational.
  • This venture continues a decadelong infrastructure drive that previously constructed a 18…: This venture continues a decadelong infrastructure drive that previously constructed a 182-metre statue and a brand-new national parliament building.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

The museum is expected to become the world's largest by display area and attract up to 10 million visitors annually.

NEW DELHI: India's cabinet approved on Wednesday (Nov 11) a mega-museum showcasing the country's history and civilisation, which the government said will cost around US$340 million and have the largest display area in the world.

First announced in 2023, the project received approval as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government renewed its emphasis on the country's pre-colonial cultural identity.

The museum's name, Yuge Yugeen Bharat, translates roughly as "India through the ages" and invokes the country's ancient Sanskrit name, Bharat.

It will occupy former civil service offices in New Delhi, known as North and South Blocks, which were designed by British architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker in the 1920s.

In a statement, the cabinet said the museum will be "spread over a proposed built-up area of approximately 178,509 square metres".

"Benchmarked against major international museums, Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum is going to be the museum (with) the largest display area in the world," it added.

India's cabinet…

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