Shankar's International Dolls Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 30 November 1965 |
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| Location | Nehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110002 |
| Collection size | 6,500 Dolls |
The International Dolls Museum in Delhi, India, is a special place filled with thousands of dolls from all over the world. It was started by a famous political cartoonist named K. Shankar Pillai. You can find it inside the Children's Book Trust building. The museum has a huge collection of dolls, showing different cultures and traditions.
Contents
How the Museum Started
The museum was created by K. Shankar Pillai (1902–1989), a well-known cartoonist. In 1957, he started the Children's Book Trust. This group helped create books for kids in India.
Shankar got the idea for a doll museum after a diplomat from Hungary gave him a doll. He started collecting dolls from all the countries he visited. He often showed these dolls to children.
At one exhibition in Delhi, the Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and his daughter, Indira Gandhi, visited. Indira was inspired by the dolls. She and Shankar then worked together to create an international doll museum. It officially opened on November 30, 1965.
Growing the Collection
Many dolls in the museum were gifts. Prime Ministers like Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi gave dolls. Embassies and diplomats in Delhi also donated dolls. Important visitors from other countries, like queens and presidents' wives, also gifted dolls from their nations.
When the museum first opened in 1965, it had about 500 dolls. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, who was the President of India, opened the museum. By 1987, the number of dolls had grown to 5,000. Most of these were gifts.
Shankar Pillai was given the Padma Vibhushan award in 1976. This is one of India's highest awards for citizens. Today, the museum has about 6,500 dolls from nearly 85 different countries. This makes it a truly international collection.
Where to Find the Museum
The museum is located in the Children's Book Trust building. This is on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in New Delhi. It's near Ram Charan Agrawal Chowk. The museum takes up a large area on the first floor. You can get to it by a separate entrance with a winding staircase.
How the Museum is Organized
Inside, the museum is split into two main parts. These two sections have over 160 glass display cases. These cases are about 1,000 feet long and are set up along the walls.
One section shows dolls from Europe, the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, and other Western countries. The other section features dolls from Asian countries, the Middle East, Africa, and India.
What You Can See
The doll collections are divided into two main groups. One group has dolls from Western countries like the UK, USA, and Australia. The other group has dolls from Asian and African countries, including India.
A special part of the museum is its collection of 150 types of Indian costume dolls. These dolls are made right at the museum's own workshop. The artists make sure every detail, from their faces to their clothes and jewelry, is perfect. You can see dolls showing characters from India's famous classical dance, Kathakali. These dancers wear amazing costumes.
Other interesting dolls include:
- Boys and Girls Festival dolls from Japan.
- Replica dolls from the Queen's collection in the UK.
- Dolls showing the Maypole Dance from Hungary.
- Kabuki and Samurai dolls from Japan.
- Flamenco dancers from Spain.
- A Women's Orchestra from Thailand.
- Dolls showing the Kandy Perahera festival from Sri Lanka.
In 1980, the museum's dolls won first prize at a doll festival in Poland. This award was called the Golden Peacock Feather.
Besides dolls from different countries, there's a special display of over 150 dolls in Indian costumes. These dolls show different Indian dances, cultures, and regional clothing. You can also see pairs of brides and grooms from various Indian states. There's even a group of dolls showing how to wear a saree.
These Indian dolls are made at the workshop connected to the museum. They are sometimes traded for dolls from other countries. They are also sold to collectors and museums in India and abroad. Each doll is made by hand after careful study of how people look, dress, and wear jewelry. The museum also has a "clinic" for "sick" dolls. Here, old or damaged dolls are fixed and made new again.
Visiting Hours
The museum is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. It does not close for lunch. The ticket counter closes at 5:30 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays and on other public holidays.
See also
- Rajkot - doll museum
