National Crafts Museum & Hastkala Academy, Folk art museum at Pragati Maidan, India
The National Crafts Museum & Hastkala Academy is a museum dedicated to traditional handicrafts located at Pragati Maidan. Its collection contains over 33,000 objects spanning textiles, metalwork, sculptures, and tribal paintings gathered from across India.
The museum emerged from a crafts exhibition created for the 1972 Asian Games held in Delhi. Architect Charles Correa designed the complex, which has since grown into a major center for traditional Indian art forms.
The museum incorporates a village complex featuring authentic rural structures that display traditional craft-making environments from different Indian regions.
The complex sits on expansive grounds and is easily accessible by public transport since Pragati Maidan is located in the city center. Comfortable shoes help since exploring the outdoor exhibits and village areas requires walking across the site.
The museum operates functioning village buildings with genuine artisan workshops where visitors can watch makers actively at work. This living component sets it apart from typical exhibition halls and presents craft as lived practice rather than solely historical objects.
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