International Dolls Museum, New Delhi - 24

This museum houses six thousand dolls from eighty countries. There is also a section that comprises of five hundred dolls dressed in costumes worn all over the country. This museum set up by the renowned political cartoonist, K. Shankar Pillai (1902–1989). Shankar’s International Dolls Museum has one of the greatest and largest collection of costume dolls anywhere in the world.

Housed in the building of the Children’s Book Trust on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi. This museum spread over 5184.5 sq. ft. area. The Museum is parted into two equal one-halfs. The two departments have over 160 glass cases, 1000 ft. long, mounted on the walls. One section has exhibits from European countries, the U.K., the U.S.A, Australia, New Zealand, Common wealth of Independent States and the other from Asian countries, the Middle East, Africa and India. There are also special displays besides a representative collection from the over 150 kinds of authentic Indian costume dolls made at the Dolls Workshop attached to the Museum.

Each doll is hand crafted after punctilious research into the physical attributes, dress and jewellery of individual characters. Little wonder then, the dolls won the First prize—Golden Peacock Feather—at the Dolls Biennale held in Cracow, Poland, in 1980.

The Museum’s collection of costume dolls was inspired by a gift of a single doll, which Shankar received from the Hungarian Ambassador in the early fifties, to be given away as a prize in the Shankar’s International Children’s Competition. Shankar fell in love with the doll. With the permission of the Ambassador, he kept the doll for himself. So fascinated was he with this Hungarian doll that Shankar, thereafter, began collecting costume dolls whenever he went abroad. His visits were frequent, he being a part of the group of journalists accompanying the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Guys do not miss the opportunity to visit an amazing museum at New Delhi.

Tel.: 3316970

Timings: 10.00 am to 06.00 pm. Closed on Mondays and Public Holidays

Address:

Curator
Shankar’s International Dolls Museum
Nehru House
4 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
New Delhi 110002
Phone 91-11-3316970–74 (5 lines)
Fax 91-11-3721090
Email: cbtnd@yahoo.com

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